Chrysler Dodge Van Runs Out Of Gas At 1/4 Tank - Fuel Level Sensor Replace

[@CS-bh4ur]

Any smart person stay away from Chrysler forever. They aren’t the company that they used to be. Outstanding video. Best I’ve ever seen!!!!! I can’t stand when people edit out or don’t film the diagnosis

[@kingtuck9274]

I think I have a fuel sensor problem in my 2015 Chrysler town and country minivan. I just bought it yesterday and the car did not start off the lot so they put gas in it with a can And tried to tell me some bullshit about it was parked on the hill so gas was not getting to the pump. I had to remind him that I was born at night but not last night. Still got a good deal and I bought the van anyway. The gas gauge is reading full With no gas in it. So I filled up the tank, which cost me about 90 bucks. So now we’re just tracking our miles and trip meter manually. My question to you is can we just replace the fuel sensor and not the pump entirely? Because at the end of the day the car runs and we’re obviously getting gas to the engine.

[@poolmotorrepairguyFL]

The Florida pool pump motor repair guy approved ! that was good info

[@theusninja]

Very informative. I've had the same issue. Will order be ordering a Fuel Pump. Thank you!

[@joelaplnski5394]

Thanks for the entertainment, it’s hard to get that quality nowadays

[@SteveRobReviews]

Tim a wee question. Erasing the CAM by disconnecting the battery connections can it have any unintended consequences . Do you do this all the time or do you use the scan tool to reset the CAM. Always nice dropping by the car doctor studios in sunny anchorage Alaska .

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+STEVE ROB I did neglect to mention the possible adverse effects of doing the hard reset. These Chrysler products tend to stall after. Not this time however. The manual calls for a battery disconnect in this case. I do use the scanner to clear the KAM on other vehicles/jobs. Good seeing you at the studios.

[@stuzman52]

Nice vid Tim and he diagnostics and replacement of the fuel pump module. Should take care of the customer for many years. Have a good one!

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+stuzman52 thanks. Those vans really do run forever. Back when they had AWD they were the best minivan for Alaska families. They stopped making the AWD version and sales here dropped off. This one was a joy to work on. Good seeing you. Take care.

[@williamgrissom9022]

The fuel pump in my 1996 Plymouth Voyager failed about 4 years ago. It was almost as cheap to buy the whole fuel pump assembly (w/ regulator & level sensor) for ~$60. "Precise" brand, made in the Caribbean or Brazil, as I recall, which seemed a good risk. I also installed a new filter w/ hoses, which sits atop the tank, which only cost $8. My van has a different plastic ring nut securing the assembly which is hard to loosen with drift and hammer without breaking off plastic teeth. I bought the special KD Tools wrench to reassemble and for "next time" which might be now since the level sensor reading is getting crazy. It started lighting the "low fuel" lamp and dinging sporadically, while the needle stayed near 3/4 tank (perhaps since slow-responding). A few days later, it started showing empty on both gage and lamp all the time when full. Good part is I find a new assembly w/ free shipping is only $36 on ebay, though no brand given (Chinese?). Best to run the fuel tank close to empty before going in so less heavy. I'm here to see if perhaps I can risk trying to fix the level sender, as I had a new one for my 1965 Dodge that was a little erratic in bench testing. I fixed it by just bending the wiper slightly for better contact on the slide-wire.

[@ozzstars_cars]

nice fix. Your gas tank jack works really well...nice and stable.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+Ozzstar thanks, the jack used to be a bit floppy until the head broke off completely and I corrected all the bad welds. Super glad a transmission didn't injure anyone before we got that taken care of. Us older techs are lucky to be alive having been through years of death defying feats in the shop environment.

[@wyattoneable]

Another good video Tim. I like seeing and hearing the diagnostics.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+wyattoneable I should have shown how resistance changes when the float arm moves and also compared the measurement of the old unit verses the new. Just shows you there are different ways to diagnose the same problem depending on what tools you may have at your disposal. Always good to see you here.

[@indiajesuslovesyou]

Great Job! I have to replace my fuel pump on my 2001 Dodge Caravan! Good details! James

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Glad it was helpful. Use an OE pump for best results.

[@richardchristensen1768]

Could a good hit with a hammer on the bottom or side of my fuel tank wake the Damn sensor or pump up? Mine has suddenly crapped out without warning!

[@gilgarcia8115]

Hey Tim I replace the fuel pump assembly since my on my 2005 t&c when out so I order a new one and now I have my gas gauge not reading anything it’s on empty I put down the tank again to check the floater and it was fine so I put back together and nothing changes what else could be my issue

[@charlespreble7133]

Thank you I was "entertained." Time to order a part assembly

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Excellent!

[@ferdieserrano7538]

Have you ever thought of just cleaning the fuel level sensor? My '03 started acting up while running kinda like it's vacuuming the gas. It reads back correctly after turning off the engine, wait for 3-5 minutes then start it again.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Great call on the safety caution for incandescent lighting. Years ago my brother and I were working on a 57 Ford flatbed. We were looking for a fuel leak and back then I don't think we had florescent trouble light. Well my brother was looking for the leak and had a drop light and when he found where the leak was he set the light down on the floor so he could use both hands to check an area for the leak. It was a connection than broke loose allowing gas to spill on the drop light. You know what happened next, the gas hit the hot light, the bulb broke, and a fire ensued. My brother was actually very good with safety and had a fire extinguisher pulled out and next to the truck. I grabbed it and put the fire out. Thanks

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+MostlymoparIH Oh wow, that sounds like it should have turned out way worse. Whenever I have an extinguisher sitting next to the job I'm working on you know it's a potentially scary situation. I've only burnt up one or two cars over the years and set just one guy on fire. Lucky he didn't have much hair before I set his head on fire because he sure didn't after we put it out. He was holding a screwdriver on a plug wire with the plugs taken out and a flooded engine checking for spark. When I cranked it gas sprayed on his face and ignighted at the same time. Thankfully he just needed a little burn cream and a couple days off. Haha. We are all lucky to be alive.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Amen brother. After you've had something scary like that happen to you it pays to think and ahead and be safe. Sometimes all it takes is a little common sense. It's what a friend of mine calls the 7 P's Prior proper planning prevents pretty poor problems. I think he used another word for pretty thought. :> )

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Agreed!

[@philh9238]

the famous red lock clips Chrysler uses NEVER get put back on when I work on dodges.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+phil holbrook I am editing a video I shot yesterday of a ram water pump. Needless to say the two connectors on the washer pump and coolant level sensors would not release. I ended up removing the air cleaner housing just so I could set the reservoir aside to remove the pump. If I kept trying I would have broken the tab and the dumb connector would never stay on. Ridiculous design. But hey, they have to keep things interesting for us techs. Thanks for visiting.

[@30kendel]

Are these a common problem for these Chrysler and Dodge minivans? My dad loves driving and enjoys the riding in these vans, but hate them when they break down with electrical problems. We have replaced a lot of other electrical components, but the fuel sending unit hasn't fail us yet! These vans are love em and hate em at the same time. Love them when they work, unreliable when they don't. I love the magnetic flashlights you use in your other videos, you can mount them any where, to light up the area our working on, with out the hassle of those pesky corded lights, do they use rechargeable batteries? Where can I buy one of those flashlights I really like them?

[@ThecardoctorTV]

I have seen bad senders a few times on these vans. Something to watch for. In my opinion these were the best minivans made. The lights are bluepoint and available on the SnapOn truck.

[@scridnour]

I have a 2013 Chrysler town and country with the 3.6. I was running out of fuel around 3/8 and 1/4 tank on fuel gauge. I had the fuel pump replaced on 8/12/22 and now my fuel gauge will not go below 3/4.

[@gastonmitchell6547]

That was so good I got some results thanks.

[@rogerbelcher2981]

If my fuel guage goes from full to empty all the time should I replace the fuel sending unit?

[@hawaiianf1504]

Tim, got a couple of questions... I know it might sound like the repair shop might be trying to get extra money but for people like us wanna-be mechanics who sorta think of the kind of crap that follows... Please bare with me. How many miles were on that vehicle? Was there a filter sock in the gas tank? What did the tank look like? Should the sock filter be changed out if it had high mileage? what about a quick dump and flush on the tank? I know its a Chrysler so it ain't long for this world anyhow, but lets pretend it it's a Honda. It's the old thoughts .. an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure .... sumthin like that.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+Hawaiian F150 Yes there is a filter but its internal to the pump module and not serviced separate from the pump. I didn't see any contamination in the tank. The issue was related to the electronic portion of the level sensor and likely just due to age and poor design. Its a common problem with these particular vehicles. Not due to any neglect that I can see. The level sensor can be serviced without the pump but I wanted to replace everything while I was there so he didn't come back later with a bad pump.

[@med.bashasherrif2897]

Good afternoon sir, l like this video, l have a similar issue. And it is eg. I will start driving with a half tank level just about 15 to 20 Kms the fuel gauge will drop to end level and the fuel light will show on the dashboard and when l stop it and start again about 15 minutes later without moving it goes up 2 o 3 inches below the half tank level. Do my chrysler voyager 2005 3.3 V6 need the same treatment as shown in this video?

[@ThecardoctorTV]

That's very possible

[@med.bashasherrif2897]

Thank Sir.

[@Videogamerdaryll]

Hello, I need to change the Fuel level sensor .. Do I have to remove the fuel tank to do this or is this sensor located somewhere else?

[@ThecardoctorTV]

No, the tank must be removed.

[@Videogamerdaryll]

+The Car Doctor thank you

[@adilh9772]

You solved my problem. Thanks 🙏

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Excellent! Please send money

[@adilh9772]

😁😁

[@cruzruiz1360]

How much would this cost to have done?

[@grizzlydan8]

Fire is my greatest fear when working on cars. I live in the rust belt and have to do quite a bit of torching bolts off. I bring a garden hose up close to where I am working. I never leave the garage unattended immediately after cutting or welding.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+dan andy I have started a few fires from grinding as well. Another good reason to keep a semi clean shop. I probably don't spend enough time going over safety concerns in my videos but seems like common sense in general is a good plan. Just not very common nowadays. Except for Car Doctor viewers, they have lots of common sense because they is smart.

[@carl3233]

how many miles are on this van.

[@thomastommy1192]

Good video. I know of a Ford ranger that use to leave you stranded like that. Finnaly found the problem. it was the wording hotnrst. On top of the gas tank. That goes into tank. What's the name and model number of your scanning tool?

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+Thomas Tommy My scanner is the original SnapOn Verus. It's about seven years old but still works great. Have you ever had to mess with a Chevy Astro van gas tank? They are such a pain. Certain models are next to impossible to service. This one was a breeze. Hope to finally get caught up by the end of the week. Take it easy.

[@thomastommy1192]

+The Car Doctor No I never worked on either of those. My brother works on my cars. I always hang out and bug him, lol. He is a good mechanic. But he doesn't have pactents. Are the Nezzian Verses pretty good cars? I had a chance to buy one with 3,000 miles on it. And decided not to buy it. It seem to good of a deal to be true.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

I have one customer who owns one and the only issue they have had is the blower motor. The dealer wanted to charge 700+ but I was able to do it for about 150. They said the dash needs removed but you just reach under the glovebox and pull the blower motor right out. Don't know any more about them.

[@krugerblue]

Love the steering wheel cover :)

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+krugerblue Don't be fooled; Its really a steering wheel in sheep's clothing. Probably a fake sheep's clothing too.

[@krugerblue]

+The Car Doctor oh, I know. I actually found real wool covers for like 15 bucks in usd. I.m thinking of getting one myself.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Everyone needs a little wool

[@krugerblue]

+The Car Doctor yessir !

[@Gazdatronik]

I replaced the whole fuel pump and it instantly had the 1/4 tank full issue

[@zx8401ztv]

Smashing video :-) Please use plastic or wood to knock that metal ring round, dont want sparks from the screwdriver and ring blowing you up :-( :-(.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+zx8401ztv That would suck! Thanks for watching and for the good advise.

[@williamgrissom9022]

Wood would splinter and make debris. Hard plastic might work, but most people use a brass drift to avoid sparks. Gas vapors can ignite to burn, but won't "blow up". That would require a confined mixture of gas vapors and air.

[@aspenqwerty3]

My 07 Grand caravan did this right after I hooked up my DC to ac inverter

[@normansmith7806]

Great video !

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+N Smith Hey thanks, the camera shots were a little shaky and off subject some of the time because I used a different technique that ill need to make adjustments to. I like the way the job turned out when the tank reading fell in line with actual levels...Nothing like a success story! Take it easy

[@normansmith7806]

That tank really did cooperate -:)

[@ThecardoctorTV]

+N Smith TANK YOU

[@markanthony1004]

This happened to me this morning. I got home yesterday with a quarter of a tank. Around 49-55 miles remaining. This morning I couldn’t start it

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Lame. Hope you get it fixed soon.

[@77YacMan]

I literally have 1/2 tank of gas if I go below it runs out

[@ferdieserrano7538]

Me too! '03 T&C

[@indiajesuslovesyou]

Doctor or undertaker?

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Doctor Kevorkian