Chevy Astro and GMC Safari Forum banner

Intermittent fuel gauge

4K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  redfury 
#1 ·
#3 ·
Great thing about these vans, they have a tripometer...use that to figure out when you need to put fuel in it. I usually make sure I fill up around 250 mi. with my V8. I replaced the fuel pump with a Delphi and still have an unreliable gauge, and there is a huge write up on another site about the gauge being a problem. I have a theory about it, but I'm not sure what can be done about it. I wouldn't let a bad fuel gauge stop me from buying the van, I'd be more interested in the condition of the rockers underneath the doors...they have a tendency of rusting out.
 
#4 ·
I am with Crawler and RedFury on this one.. the fuel gauge just acts weird... period.
My 1999 fuel gauge is driven by the ECU and it has some wild initialization steps, and a vissable oscillation frequency.

The driver's door window lift mechanism is easily fixed with parts from a donor vehicle.

What will challenge you (after you purchase the van) are the things like transmission slippage, ignition system, steering arms..etc.. All of which have been identified and solved by somebody on the A/S Forum... so you are in good hands.

Herminator
p.s. that is one good looking van with a nice silver color (rare)
 
#5 ·
I've owned 1 Safari ('85 short cargo rwd) , a '92 Astro 8 pass rwd), a '97 Astro AWD 8 pass , and currently a 2003 Astro AWD 8 pass... I'm very familiar with most of the quirks and known issues and since finding this forum have resolved many I had no clue where to look thanks to all the great and knowledgeable folks who frequent this forum... I've never had a fuel gauge issue on any of my vans except when the fuel pump was headed south, and don't want to set myself up for an immediate $500 fuel pump replacement bill. My intention is if this van checks out good to keep it for traveling and weekend use, and run my '03 with 206,000 miles for work until it's not worth fixing anymore. It still runs and drives great, but I want to get another AWD before they're too hard to find...I found an identical '03 to mine in mint condition that was posted on Craigslist last nite with 152,000 on it for $2,500. I talked to the dealer at lunch today, and 2 hrs later he called me back that it was sold.
 
#6 ·
I can't find it right now, but there is a factory service bulletin issued about the fuel gauge being intermittent (erratically jumping around). Sorry to say too, I didn't take notice of what the fix was. Mine was fixed at the dealer under warranty with about 30K on it. It's been ok ever since.
 
#8 ·
#11 ·
Window regulator is fairly easy, and it depends on what the exact fox in the henhouse is to make the

fuel gage erratic. You could try the liquid mechanic in a can that dealerships have been selling to

fix the problems induced by ethanol in the fuel. I would go ahead with the purchase if everything

else looks good, and it drives OK. You already know that it's a machine, they are subject to problems

and that most all problems can be overcome with a bit of effort and money.

Keep truck'n

Uncle Bob
 
#13 ·

Took a video of me filling up the tank with the new delphi fuel pump installed. I had replaced the stepper motor from another gauge cluster. I used a stepper motor from the oil pressure gauge I think. I swapped the resistor or whatever it is the bridged the connection on the back of the gauge on the gauge the didn't have it. However, I did notice that I have an additional stepper motor that has more resistance to it that I am going to swap in later to see if that will stabilize the shaking gauge. I noticed there was definitely oil leaking from the shaft on the one I swapped out and the replacement was pretty easy to turn, so there is definitely a lot to be said about replacing the stepper motor with one that still exhibits a stiff needle movement when turned by hand. Still looking to see where one can buy a new stepper motor though..no idea where to look since all the Ebay motors are for the newer gauge style.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top