Thread title says it all. My wife's 98 5spd Civic Sedan gas gauge fluctuates a lot. Is this a common issue with this model civic? Any way to fix it? Is it going to lead to a failed gauge?

I can see it happening if we were low on gas in a car with a big tank (like 20 gallons plus) going around Nurburgring....

But this is going from near half to near empty when turning for a while on a long on ramp.

 

This is pretty common -- the gas gauge's on 92-00 (at least) flucuate a lot around corners and under moderate/heavy gas/brake, as well as inclines and such things like hills.

However, if it does this while you're driving in a straight line or something, it's not normal..


Modified by ke98248 at 11:30 AM 6/22/2008

 

sounds like there is an intermintent open in the ground or signal return wire from the tank to the cluster.

 

common and very normal for honda in general.

 

I find that if your turning clockwise the gauge goes down, and if your turning counter-clockwise it goes up!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by deevin9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I find that if your turning clockwise the gauge goes down, and if your turning counter-clockwise it goes up!</TD></TR></TABLE>

X2 So if you want to add gas to your tank just keep turning left.

 

As 'ke98248' (and others) said, this is quite common, but...

I don't *think* going all the way to 'E' is common - nor do I *think* this common malady is normal or good!

My used '98 dips almost a 1/4 tank on turns - lower when I turn to the right - higher when I turn to the left. My new '00 did the same thing, after a couple of years...

Another 'common' thing is: The 'low fuel' indicator on CiViCs usually quits working after a while - and I *think* these two things are related!

This was always a mystery to me - until recently - when I was reading the Trust Chevron web page...

From the Top Tier Detergent Gasoline section:


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">All gasoline is not created equal. That's why in 2004 BMW, GM, Honda and Toyota established the Top Tier program.</TD></TR></TABLE>


From the Techron Concentrate Plus web page:


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Cleans sulfur deposits from gas gauge sensors = yes

Protects against fuel system sulfur deposits = yes

Protects gas gauge sensors from malfunctioning = yes</TD></TR></TABLE>


Sooooo....

My best guess is: Using 'cheap' gas (non-Top Tier), over time, causes the fuel level sensor and low-level sensor to become coated with sulfur deposits and go wonky!

As an aside, here's a complete list of Top Tier Gasoline Retailers if anyone is interested. And here's the Deposit Control section for nerds!

If someone else has a better explanation, I'm all 'ears'...

 

So according to that list. Exxon/Mobil/Sunoco/Amoco are all crap??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Re3irth &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So according to that list. Exxon/Mobil/Sunoco/Amoco are all crap??</TD></TR></TABLE>


Not necessarily - they're just not Top Tier - that's all...

 

I am having this same problem with my gas gauge, where it would read half a tank, then the next time i turn the car on, it goes to empty. it took about 10 minutes for the needle to very very gradually get back up the accurate level reading. also, the other day i put about 3 gallons in my car when it read 'empty', and when i proceeded to drive out of the station, it went back down to read 'empty'. i checked, no leaks.

is there a way to fix this other than going to the dealership and getting the fuel gauge replaced? i'm going on a long trip soon, and want to make sure the gas gauge is in correct working order

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sfmaniq &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is there a way to fix this other than going to the dealership and getting the fuel gauge replaced?</TD></TR></TABLE>


Well... there's THE question, isn't it?

I don't *think* there's any way of fixing this problem, once your fuel system is corrupted...

Not only does cheap gas coat everything with sulfur - but 'they' add all sorts of metal and other **** to the fuel, yada, yada, yada.

What I go by is the odometer!

I know my ride will go 350-400 miles on a tank - I don't care what the gas gauge says - or how fast or slow I drive!

If I'm worried about 'it', I'll gas up around 360 miles!

If I'm in a whimsical mood, I'll go 400-410 miles!

If you'll pardon the pun - mileage may vary - but that's what I do...

 

So basically no one knows how to fix this? I can't imagine not one person has tried replacing the sender or something and had it fix the problem? This drives me nuts in my car, I'm just being a b!tch about not pulling everything out and swapping parts till it's solved.

 

It's a cruel world we live in, no?

Life isn't fair - what can I tell you?

Ppl buy a cheap car and put cheap gas in it...

 

Cruel indeed, but wouldn't a new sender fix this sitch?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rickkane &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Cruel indeed, but wouldn't a new sender fix this sitch?</TD></TR></TABLE>


Hrm...

This is just a theory, but once everything is coated, I would imagine putting a new piece in the system would work for a while, but...

If you continue using non-Top Tier gasoline, it'll just happen again, and/or...

The 'sulfur coating' will just migrate to the new piece anyway, no matter what you do. I don't know how tenacious it is!

I dunno... we're venturing into uncharted territory here - I would say.

Your *guess* is as good as mine... maybe better!