| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| MattG | I know there are other new prowler owners around here besides myself. If you are new you need to read this thread just to be aware:
Faulty Gas Gauge Apparently it is somewhat of a common problem. I don't want to see it be RATHER inconvenient for you as it was for me yesterday. Not to mention I spent an hour wondering "If I put gas in this thing and it doesn't start - what then?" This message has been edited by MattG on 07-30-2017 at 07:48 AM |
| Landscape Doctor | Happened to me last year,,, 1/4 tank Kat died. Had my wife rescue me at midnight,,, no I was not having a afair so don't ask.lol. I now fill up when it is between 1/2-3/4. 9 gallons fills it. Just like members said in the link thread. |
| dskatt | Happened to me also. From that point on I would reset the trip odometer when I refuled and never let it go past 200 miles. |
| georgieboy | It happened to me too. I kept a note pad in console and wrote down mileage when I filled up. Then one day the gauge corrected itself, dont know how or why. It is electronic. Now gauge is correct. |
| Simonsez | I have driven my '97 for 20 years and 56,000 miles. My tank has run on fumes with the red light and dinger going. I have never run out of gas. |
| jwallis | On the Denver trip we ran 34 miles with the light on before finally finding an open gas station. |
| Dfsc1 | Ran out of gas while reading 1/4 tank |
| MY TOY | I have had a problem with the gas gauge for almost 10 years. It won't read below 1/2 of tank. Just reset the odometer when I fill up and refill the tank at 180-200 miles. |
| ed monahan | I ran out of gas a couple (maybe 3) times due to a bad gauge. I don't press my luck, I try to fill up when it gets to about 1/4. Around here there are plenty of gas stations, but when travelling you just don't know when you will get the chance to gas up. |
| Dano | My guage is wonky as well. When it gets to around 1/4 tank, the needle goes to E, the light comes on, it goes back to 1/4, and this repeats sometimes a couple of times a minute, sometimes every several minutes. I then filled up, which was a chore since I can only trickle gas into the filler otherwise the pump shuts off as if it were full. The problem here is that the auto shutoff of the pump is not active at a trickle. Yep...gas spilled all over the side of the car. UGH! BUT, the guage seemed to work fine until I got down below 3/4 then it starts going crazy. It hasn't made it down to empty yet, but I am waiting to see if it will start doing the empty thing again around 1/4 tank. This sucks... |
| ed monahan | When filling the tank, don't put the hose nozzle all the way in, put it in only about 3/4 and turn it counter clockwise so that your hand is at 3 o'clock. That should help you fill it a lot faster. Start slow and then you should be able to go full blast after about a minute. |
| TucsonJer | Here's what I learned about the gauge on our road trip this year. I too like Jeff was able to travel over 30 miles AFTER the light came on. When I pulled into the station and filled the tank it took 12.021 gallons of gas. I still can't believe I didn't have to start walking. The most helpful thing I learned was I had to run the tank down BELOW the half tank mark or the car wouldn't take fuel properly. If it was below a half tank it would take fuel and NEVER click off while filling especially if I held the nozzle at the 3 O'Clock position. Anything over a half and it would continually click off and when it wouldn't take another drop, the gauge would show only 3/4 of a tank. Once I started waiting until it was below the half mark, I never had anymore issues with filling it up. Hope this will help anyone having that issue when filling up. Jer |
| MattG |
Wow - lots of good info here!When you say the fuel light you mean the little pic of the gas pump right above the gauge? I'm going to try some Techron (from the other discussion) to see if maybe I have a sticky sender unit that is gummed up from low usage of the car. Can't hurt, I guess... Luckily I haven't had any issues with fueling up. OTOH I see there is a Technical Service Bulletin for that issue, and only for '97 and '99. So, other (newer) years aren't affected? Does replacement of the filler neck as described in the TSB resolve the problem? If it happens I'll remember about the 3 o'clock thing. TIA |
| garysss | Matt fuel light is at top of dash with other warning lights. I think it will light up when you turn the key on to check the bulbs. |
| jwallis | Are use Lucas injector cleaner and my gas about three or four times a season. Was told that it helps keep fuel gauge working properly, don't know if it does but what the heck. |
| ed monahan | Regular automatic transmission fluid works to clean injectors. One ounce per gallon of gas, best used when going on a longer trip. It works. I had a rough running Goldwing and put some in and voila, it ran fine after one tank full. |
| MattG | How about some SeaFoam? I already have some of that and it has worked freekin magic on my (pesky) small engines. This message has been edited by MattG on 07-31-2017 at 07:19 PM |
| Itpurrs | Happened to me just after I bought the Prowler. Fortunately I seen it before I ran out of gas |
| jwallis | I believe any good fuel additive would help, I also try to run 100% gasoline When I can find it. |
| StingRay | On another car forum I frequent, Techron is highly recommended to maintain engine performance and to address the entire fuel line. I have used it since new and have not experienced any of these issues except for needing to tilt the nozzel to get the car to fill more easily. AutoZone often runs a sale and you can buy in bulk too to bring price per bottle way down. |
| BeWare | quote:
Originally posted by Dano:
My guage is wonky as well. When it gets to around 1/4 tank, the needle goes to E, the light comes on, it goes back to 1/4, and this repeats sometimes a couple of times a minute, sometimes every several minutes.I then filled up, which was a chore since I can only trickle gas into the filler otherwise the pump shuts off as if it were full. The problem here is that the auto shutoff of the pump is not active at a trickle. Yep...gas spilled all over the side of the car. UGH! BUT, the guage seemed to work fine until I got down below 3/4 then it starts going crazy. It hasn't made it down to empty yet, but I am waiting to see if it will start doing the empty thing again around 1/4 tank. This sucks...
I don't think any two Prowler fuel gauges act the same. I try to not let mu gauge go below 1/4 tank, especially on trips. I have not yet run out of gas. Depending on the grade of fuel you use you can get slightly better gas mileage with Premium. There is a TSB on the fuel filler neck that will help solve the slow to fill issue. Another trick you can try is find a gas pump where the lot surface is no level. If the car is leaning lower on the drivers side and with the nose also lower than the rear it should fill much faster / easier.
NUMBER: 14-04-99
GROUP: Fuel System
EFFECTIVE DATE: Oct. 22, 1999
SUBJECT:
Fuel Tank Slow To Fill Or Will Only Fill To Half Full
OVERVIEW:
This bulletin involves installing a revised fuel filler neck and filler hose.
MODELS:
1997 - 1999 (PR) Prowler
SYMPTOM/CONDITION:
Vehicle is difficult to fill with gas, the filling station pump nozzle shuts off repeatedly and/or the vehicle may accept no more the 6 to 7 gallons or 1/2 tank.
DIAGNOSIS:
If the vehicle operator describes the above Symptom/Condition, perform the Repair Procedure.
PARTS REQUIRED:
1 04786478AD Neck, Fuel Filler
1 04865372AA Hose, Fuel Filler
EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:
Hoist
REPAIR PROCEDURE:
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Remove the fuel cap from the filler neck.
3. Drain the fuel tank.
4. Remove the three screws attaching the filler neck to the quarter panel.
5. Raise the vehicle on an appropriate hoist.
6. Remove the right rear tire/wheel assembly.
7. Loosen three hose clamps: two on the fuel fill hose and one on the vent tube at the filler neck.
8. Remove and discard the filler neck and filler hose.
9. Install the revised filler neck, p/n 04786478AD and revised filler hose p/n, 04865372AA. Reattach the vent hose to the filler neck vent tube.
10. Tighten the hose clamps to 3.5 Nm (30 in. lbs.).
11. Install the right rear tire/wheel assembly. Torque the lug nuts to 135 Nm (100 ft. lbs.).
12. Lower the vehicle.
13. Install the filler neck to quarter panel attaching screws; tighten to 3 Nm (25 in. lbs.).
14. Fill the tank and check for leaks.
15. Install the fuel cap.
16. Connect the negative battery cable.
17. Set the clock to the correct time.
POLICY: Reimbursable within the provisions of the warranty.
TIME ALLOWANCE:
Labor Operation No: 14-60-15-94 1.0 Hrs.
FAILURE CODE: P8 - New Part
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| padroo | My 1999 has the problem and I found a 2002 filler tube but never got around to changing it. I need to start a new todo list. I don't think the parts are available any more. Two things you need to get from wrecked 2002 prowlers are the gas filler tube and the TPMS module behind the drivers side dash. This message has been edited by padroo on 08-01-2017 at 06:06 PM |
| RPL | GM offers a good "Fuel System Treatment Plus" - part #88861011 that has been recommended to me by a competent source to possibly help with fuel gauge issues. Typically it is a problem with the sender in the fuel tank. This treatment has been known to help correct the corrosion caused by sulfur and ethanol in gasoline. No guarantees. For regular fuel treatment, I use Lucas fuel system treatment every 5,000 to 10,000 miles when the idle quality deteriorates in our everyday drivers. This message has been edited by RPL on 08-01-2017 at 06:05 PM |
| StingRay | Was just in Advance Auto Parts getting headlight bulb for everyday car and saw they have Tehran on sale as BOGO (buy one get one free) ... no limit. This is a GREAT deal .... just an FYI |
| MattG | Good to know. I'll have to watch for sales. I just bought some Techron yesterday and at $8.99+tax for the size that treats 12 gallons on top of the cost of premium fuel that is pushing the fuel price to something around $3.50 a gallon. :-( |
