Easy Fix for a C5 Gas Gauge Stuck on Empty

[@GRATEFULNEIL]

My 1999 convertible suffered from the empty fuel gauge reading no matter how much fuel was in the tank. I bought a 6 pack of Techron and followed your instructions and it working like a charm. Thanks for sharing this information with me. I will post it on the Corvette Forum website. It was impossible to find a thread on this subject there as the site was not designed so someone can find the cure easily. I greatly appreciate this information as it saved me a lot of time and money of replacing the sending units. This method works, Try it before you decide to spend a fortune replacing sending units that do not need to be replaced. You were foolish to give away the 2 bottles you did not use because if you are keeping the car, this is most likely going to happen again thanks to the inept engineers at General Motors that couldn't put a system together that can not die prematurely because they did not think ahead and anticipate this problem and that is why a Lexus is my everyday driver and not a GM product.

[@iDriveDaily]

Yeah, I get the sense that this is partially why GM has been promoting the sole use of Top Tier detergent gasoline in their vehicles. I read on the forum a while back that Bowling Green has a direct line to Chevron, but am unsure if that's just a rumor. It would make sense as I've also seen that people who use Chevron exclusively never have this problem, so if the gas senders were designed running on Chevron, a lower detergent gasoline may act differently in the system. All that being said, around the time this became an issue for me, I was alternating between top tier stations and my local grocery store (couldn't pass up a few dollars off gas from time to time). Since doing this method and going back to using exclusively top tier stations, I've not had the problem return. The last time I ran a bottle of Techron through the car was about a year ago, so there is something to be said for using Top Tier gas, I suppose. All this reminds me though, that it about time to run through another bottle though, just to make sure everything is clean.

[@YellowVette04]

2001corvette has been there and done that with C5s. Knowledgeable guy that I frequently ask questions to as well. Glad the tech techron fix worked for you. Saves time and money 👍

[@GRATEFULNEIL]

The Techron started working after my second application. I put a bottle in my Lexus that requires 91 octane & have 2 bottles that are available. I do not drive my Vette that much, so I might as well put Chevron gas in it and I should be good to go. I will occasionally put in another bottle of Techron to clean up those contacts and I should be good to go. Thank God I didn’t have to pay for removing the fuel tanks & replacing 2 sending units, which aren’t that cheap, with cost of the labor it would have cost me a bundle. Thanks to everyone contributing to our understanding of our high tech car, which is very complicated. I wonder what other maladies will be coming my way from the corporation that designs things to wear out after the warranty period so they can sell you the part marked up several hundred percent and charge you many hours of labor. Planned Obsolescence is dirty pool. I love my C5 convertible but it is just like a Ford in many ways, particularly by not being built to last.

[@williammasterson6682]

I been having this problem for about five years now. The last time it acted up I used a bottle of sea foam and it helped for a while. I will give your method a try. Thank for sharing 😊

[@iDriveDaily]

I try to run Techron through the car every six months or so and also try to exclusively fill on Phillips 66 or Conoco as they are the most common Top Tier stations in my area. I also run Sea Foam through the car every six months as well, usually right when it starts to get cold and when it begins to get warm.

[@leea.6101]

The treatment can be done in a shorter time frame with less bottles. Start with a near empty tank, then add 1 full bottle of Techron to a half tank of fuel. Drive for a short period of time so the Techron mixes well. Then, let the car sit for 2 days without running. You have to give the chemical a chance to work. After 2 days, drive the car again to near empty. This time add 1 bottle of Techron and fill entire gas tank. After this fill and driving, the fuel sensor should work properly again

[@iDriveDaily]

Two days without driving it!? Where the fun in that? Lol. Thanks for the support and your comment.

[@ricklipford8762]

I have had the same problem with my C5 2002 Corvette mine I fill it up and it will go halfway and then it will drop down to empty been adding the same in mine seems to have worked anyway good video enjoyed watching it

[@iDriveDaily]

Glad to hear it worked. I'll be adding a bottle of Techron every 3000 miles or so in hopes that it keeps those senders clean and prevents them from further deterioration.

[@dennymiranda9484]

Hey man I got the same problem with my 04 C5! I got another Temporary Solution that worked for me for a while! So on your DIC click RESET till no more msgs pop up, hold OPTIONS button and press FUEL button 4 times & it'll take you to Diagnostics, clicking options again should eneter manual diagnostics & you can navigate with OPTIONS & TRIP! Clicking GAGES should allow you to see the codes, holding RESET on each code with clear it, you can also do it before checking code to clear multiple, do that and notice your gasoling gauge will go back to normal! It worked for me for a while but now it only shows top half accurately & will never go below half, but sometimes shows E when completely Full hah

[@iDriveDaily]

It must reset the computer in such a way that it causes the sensor to do another reading. If it happens again, I might give this a shot just to see what happens, thanks!

[@Elaba_]

Lena and Alex had always dreamed of exploring Europe together, and they decided to do it in style by driving their brand new Chevrolet Z06 sports car. They were excited to hit the open road and see everything the continent had to offer. Their adventure started in Spain, where they explored the vibrant city of Barcelona and the stunning beaches of the Costa Brava. From there, they drove through the Pyrenees Mountains and into France, where they visited the famous wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. However, their dream road trip quickly turned into a nightmare when they realized that their fuel gauge was broken. They had filled up the tank before leaving Spain, but they had no way of knowing how much fuel they had left. Their first breakdown happened in the middle of the French countryside. They were cruising along a winding road when the engine suddenly sputtered and died. They coasted to a stop on the side of the road and realized they were out of gas. Lena and Alex tried to remain positive as they walked to the nearest town to get some fuel. They refilled the tank and got back on the road, but they were now acutely aware of the limitations of their car. Over the next few days, they experienced the same scenario repeatedly. They got stranded on the side of the road six times due to their broken fuel gauge. They had to walk for miles to find fuel and sometimes even had to wait hours for help to arrive. Despite the setbacks, Lena and Alex refused to let their dream road trip be ruined. They met new people, saw amazing sights, and had unforgettable experiences. They visited the stunning beaches of the French Riviera, explored the ancient ruins of Rome, and danced the night away in a Berlin nightclub. Finally, after six breakdowns, they made it to their last destination, Amsterdam. They were exhausted and their car had seen better days, but they had completed their epic road trip across Europe. Lena and Alex learned a valuable lesson on their adventure: sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. They realized that setbacks and challenges can be overcome with a positive attitude and a determination to enjoy the ride. They would never forget their trip, broken fuel gauge and all.

[@brianjohnson8045]

Have you tried using Shell 93 for multiple tanks ? It’s supposed to have the same cleaners as Techron.

[@iDriveDaily]

I have not. I'm not even sure of the closest Shell to me. It seems Conoco has a hold on my area. For what it's worth, I haven't had any issues filling with Conoco since, however as soon as I put in a grocery chain's gas (I had gas points) it started giving me problems again. One tank of Conoco after, it fixed itself again.

[@jimipuffit]

I'd love to hear a 1 year update if you still have the car

[@iDriveDaily]

Everything is working well, but I will work on a 1 year update in the next week or two and upload it.

[@jimharrow8104]

Good to hear from you... I never met a C5 owner who didn't have the fuel gauge problem... I get more surprised when my fuel gauge starts working... Lol...

[@iDriveDaily]

Hahaha. Yeah, its a plague that affects all C5s and the first two years of the C6. Luckily, in the C5, it's easier to replace the sensors compared to the C6 ... Also lucky is that I didn't have to do that. :)

[@yauroh2]

Just picked my up my C5 yesterday. Fuel gauge stopped working, thanks for the upload, gonna give this method a try!

[@iDriveDaily]

Good luck with it, I'll be uploading another video following up sometime in March. My gas gauge has been working flawlessly since this video as long as I use top tier.

[@yauroh2]

@@iDriveDaily that's very reassuring to hear. Can't wait to see 👍

[@joejunglas441]

I had the same problem in my 2006 vette.you have to replace the sending unit.i got the upgrading parts.the cleaner is only a temporary fix.get the new parts.this guy doesn't know what he is talking about.

[@matthewmoskowitz3045]

I acquired a 2002 C5 Corvette with 55k miles as a daily driver (and I’m glad I did I love this car to death!!) I’ve been treating the fuel with Techron every fill up since i bought this car and it now has 65k miles and yesterday my gas gage stopped working. I started my drive with a 1/2 full tank and at about 20 miles of driving the CHECK GAGE light came on and the fuel gage was pegged to the E. Note: my last fill up while using the Techron gas treatment The round foilish/plasticish/paperish peel off tab under the screw on cap would not peel off all the way so I pushed the 3/4 of the tab that did peel to the inside of the bottle then poured the treatment into my empty tank after that I looked at the bottle and it was tab-less. Is this gas gage issue a coincidence or is that round tab causing the gage to not work?

[@iDriveDaily]

I can't say for sure. I would think you'd have other issues if the tab was causing issues, just as clogging the actual fuel sender. However, the fuel sender is known to be a weak point on the 98-04 and up to 06 I believe, so it could be that the sender went bad.

[@xzaverysathre6096]

Hey thanks for the info! Just picked up a c5 and had this happen, i had the gas gage read empty and then the car died.. will stay running but will die once its in gear.. do you think this trick is still worth trying?

[@iDriveDaily]

Sounds like there is another problem going on.

[@pacsoulpavon9649]

Hey I have a 2000 c5 and mines started doing this ! It says check gauges and the gas drops to empty . My tank was almost full this morning. Is it ok to keep driving the car like this ? Thanks

[@iDriveDaily]

I drove it a few weeks like that. As long as it isn't throwing an error code it should be okay. It's annoying though and I would at least attempt the Techron/Chevron method ASAP.

[@ChildofGod3712]

Will it work on my 2011 Malibu??? my fuel gauge is stuck on full

[@iDriveDaily]

Not sure. The sending unit in the C5 Corvette was only used from 1998-2006. It could be a similar problem even with a later model, but I can't guarantee it will work. It might be worth a try through for $50.

[@ChildofGod3712]

@@iDriveDaily thanks! 😎✌🏾

[@camboutabag9065]

How am I supposed to know how far to drive if my gas gage isn’t working ?

[@iDriveDaily]

Couldn't tell you. I go about 300 mi between fill ups. It all depends on how you drove the car.

[@timreevessr1969]

I reset my gauges inside my Corvette without a computer and it fixed my gas gauge just to let you know

[@iDriveDaily]

From my experience, that works occasionally, as does just turning the car off and restarting it. Eventually, it will stop working and you'll either need to give the Techron method a try or replace the fuel senders.

[@keithr6827]

Mine goes down and up, but mine only fills up to 3/4 and only says 9 gallons fills it. It'd read 3/4 of a tank. It's like there is a missing 1/4 of gas

[@iDriveDaily]

Interesting. From what I've read about Gas Gauge problems on the C5, it seems like when the senders become dirty, they read empty all the time (or will read only half) as opposed 3/4. I'm not sure, but I would guess that there is something wrong with your senders and they probably need outright replacing. To me, if the gauge reads empty and it only takes 9 gal, then the car thinks that 3/4 is full. You could give the Chevron method a try, but I am not sure it will help. This is a bit beyond me. Try reading this: www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c5-tech/3991536-fill-gas-tank-gauge-reads-3-4-is-the-tank-full-or-not.html I found it on a quick Bing search, you could see if a search turns up any more info. If it turns out to be a sender issue, I would definitely try the Chevron method first to see if it helps, if not then probably replace them. I've been told it's not that hard on a C5 (much harder on a C6), you'll just have to have a nearly empty tank of gas. What's your gas mileage and how many miles do you go when it takes 9 Gal? The C5 is an 18 Gal tank (if I remember correctly). I average around 21MPG and go about 300 miles between fill-ups. It usually takes 14-16 Gals.

[@EHUE-kf4ey]

What is "mines" goes down & up YEAR MODEL!!! GIZEEES

[@imaboss1998]

Not trying to be that guy but how do you expect us to know when we have a half tank if our gas gauge doesn't work lmao

[@iDriveDaily]

Mileage. Most car owners know roughly how far their car goes between fill ups. I can say a safe bet is 320 miles which if filled at 160miles, will leave roughly 1.5 gallons in the tank at 21mpg.

[@matthewmoskowitz3045]

Just fill up after every couple of trips until you figure out how far you can go or until you fix the gage.

[@30pvfd]

Trying this now in f250 supposedly it works we’ll see auto zone had it on sale bogo

[@iDriveDaily]

Good luck.

[@mohamedtahir767]

He talk so much.🤷

[@iDriveDaily]

I can make a silent film next time if you prefer?

[@captainamerica6521]

soon as here stupid music im gone!

[@iDriveDaily]

K bye.