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-   -   Fuel Gauge Not Lighting All The Way UP (http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-warranty-scheduled-maintenance-servicing-repairs/26917-fuel-gauge-not-lighting-all-way-up.html)

Cmike2780 06-26-2012 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XwChriswX (Post 1792242)
Was this for the 09's only, or for all year models? Mines a '10 and this only happens if I haven't opened the hatch for a while, or after it's rained and its sticky. I just hit the button again and it releases, so it's more just an annoyance than a real problem to fix...

What would a person need to have with them walking in the door asking to have it fixed?

Here's the thread. Not sure if it applies to 2010, but the original ones on mine were almost 1/4" shorter. It's over $30 each, so I would try to get them to cover it under warranty. I would print out the TSB and bring it with you and see what they say. They actually gave me a hard time at first.

XwChriswX 06-26-2012 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 1792659)
Here's the thread. Not sure if it applies to 2010, but the original ones on mine were almost 1/4" shorter. It's over $30 each, so I would try to get them to cover it under warranty. I would print out the TSB and bring it with you and see what they say. They actually gave me a hard time at first.

I will have to see what they do, when I have a chance to take care of it.

G Fo12ce 07-02-2012 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 1792235)
There's a TSB for it. They need to replace the springs. The new ones are taller.

This last time around they did replace the springs and it's better. But it still sticks after not opening it for a while. The writer suggested lubing the rubber seal with silicone spray occasionally because it can stick, but its already doing it just a few weeks after so ymmv. I filled up a few days a go and the gauge is working as of now, but it took a while for it to fail the last few times. We'll see. :ugh2:

spoolio 08-06-2012 06:58 PM

looks like I'm having the same problem now. second time in a few months. 1st time I had just filled the tank, left the station and it only read a half tank...pulled into the next station to top it off but was already full. went back to normal after jostling around a bit at an autocross.

now it's happening again. filled it up yesterday before an event, on the way home it registerd zero LEDs, was flashing the warning light at me telling me I only had 125 miles to go, then thru a CEL?!? Tried restarting a few times, refilled today, read/cleared the CEL (misfire) and still having the same problem.

I'd bring it to the dealer but quite frankly I've been 4 times in the last 2 months and 2 days just last week (for a separate issue) and don't feel like going back any time soon. Hoping it starts working properly before my 19 hour road trip in a few weeks!!

ukmastermind 08-07-2012 04:20 PM

Do let us know what happens.

Sounds like you have a much more complicated/serious case than just a defective Fuel Sender Unit (e.g. CEL)

*My new sender unit has been working well for 6 months now....knock on wood:bs::bs:

Cmike2780 08-08-2012 10:36 AM

After a few months now, my last light still doesn't light up after filling up, but it's gotten slightly better. The cluster replacement didn't really fix anything obviously. The 2nd start after filling up shows all of the LED's lighting up, so I'm just going to let it be for now. I just don't trust that guage anymore.

crazyyankfan 08-21-2012 06:29 PM

After a year and 3 months of my 2011 Z, it finally happened yesterday. I thought this only happens on the 09' model. Anyway, the last light came up after I drove around today. So weird...

Cmike2780 08-22-2012 02:07 PM

The JX has a somewhat similar issue and was issued a recall. With all these incidents, I think we should report it to at least have Nissan's attention. If you've had a fuel guage issue or the issue with the car stalling with low fuel making a turn, please go to the site below and fill out the info.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

crazyyankfan 08-22-2012 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 1881434)
The JX has a somewhat similar issue and was issued a recall. With all these incidents, I think we should report it to at least have Nissan's attention. If you've had a fuel guage issue or the issue with the car stalling with low fuel making a turn, please go to the site below and fill out the info.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

But now it's gone. Could be just a glitch. I will see if it re-occurs.

Cmike2780 08-22-2012 07:24 PM

It's gonna come back on your next fill up. I thought the same thing.

rudi 08-26-2012 10:02 PM

The only fix is to change the fuel sender. It happened to mine

crazyyankfan 09-08-2012 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 1881862)
It's gonna come back on your next fill up. I thought the same thing.

Crap...you're right. It just happened again on my next fill-up.:facepalm:

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudi (Post 1887934)
The only fix is to change the fuel sender. It happened to mine

Do they need to open up the interior panel to fix this?

Huan'z 09-08-2012 05:19 PM

Same thing happened to me. And show them a proof and they checked it out. The fuel sending unit was bad. They ordered the parts. Will call me to come back and have it replace. Took 3-5 days for the parts to arrive. They also need almost empty tank before bring it in. What I did is filled it up. (topped off) with the receipt indicate when I filled it up and told them how far the gasoline station from the dealer. I have no choice because I went there last couple of weeks but the result was normal. So there's no evidence or proof that showing it was bad.


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spoolio 09-19-2012 08:16 AM

update to my situation:
brought the car in and was told the sending units were bad and had to be replaced. So I paid to have that done.

Then ended up fuel starving on the highway (after getting off a right hand exit ramp) because apparently the gauge was reading that I had more gas than I did.

Returned to dealer and they said they screwed up the grounds on the connectors.

Problem occured again...brought back in and this time found that the gas tank baffle was compleletely snapped off and has been floating around in the tank!! How in the hell does that happen?! And why didn't they notice this the first 2 times??

Was given an outrageous quote to get a new tank put in. I argued that the $600 I spent on the sending units, which apparently were fine, should be credited so they knocked that off but it's still over $1k.

But the more I think about it the more I think this should be covered by Nissan. I might be at 50k miles but this is not a wear item. This is not something that should ever break on a car. Planning on talking to the dealership today so we'll see....

edit: Called dealership, was told to call Nissan Consumer Affairs to get a case started. Did that and should have their solution by COB tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Huan'z 09-19-2012 09:42 AM

I got a feeling your situation will be covered. Since most of our z had same problem.


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Huan'z 09-19-2012 09:42 AM

Good luck buddy!:)


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spoolio 09-19-2012 03:20 PM

Just got my response from Nissan Consumer Affairs...they basically said screw you. They said the $600 that they knocked off initially was goodwill and had already been authorized by Nissan when the dealership had contacted them initially...and that's the best they'll do. I said no, that $600 was the credit towards me paying for work that didn't need to be done in the first place and her response was they didn't have to credit that so that's the "goodwill".

I told her this is the last Nissan I'll own and hung up.

Cmike2780 09-19-2012 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoolio (Post 1924283)
Just got my response from Nissan Consumer Affairs...they basically said screw you. They said the $600 that they knocked off initially was goodwill and had already been authorized by Nissan when the dealership had contacted them initially...and that's the best they'll do. I said no, that $600 was the credit towards me paying for work that didn't need to be done in the first place and her response was they didn't have to credit that so that's the "goodwill".

I told her this is the last Nissan I'll own and hung up.

Do you have an extended warranty? The B2B warranty is only good for 3 year/36k miles and this isn't covered under the 5 year powertrain warranty. I think your only avenue is to prove that the baffle was somehow damaged when they installed the fuel senders if that's even possible since the dealer usually warranties thier work. If they damage your wheels while fixing your brakes for example, they should/will replace or repair your wheel. You already have some proof that the dealer didn't install the senders properly when you had to go back because they screwed up. I'm not sure where baffles are located in the tank or part No. so I can't really say for sure how it would be affected.

The tank itself is about $500 If you have to replace the whole thing. I think you have to bite the bullet on this one since you are no longer under the bumper to bumper warranty. If they knocked $600 off the new tank and install, it's the same as getting the senders replaced for free. The fact that it's not something that wears doesn't really matter in this case and would only apply if you were still under warranty. That's kind of why I encouraged people to file a complaint which could trigger a recall if enough people actually report the issue.

How did you come to the conclusion that the senders were fine?

The worst thing you can do is hang up and give up. Tell them that this problem is dangerous and that there should be a recall. Tell them that if you can't tell how much fuel is in the tank and the car dies on you while driving, it could cause you to crash. Nissan has other instances where a recall was inacted for a similar issue. Keep a record of who you talk to. The last thing they want is a lawsuit especially when a complaint is on record.

jikhead 09-20-2012 05:32 PM

You need to take it to another dealership, explain it them, discuss calling Nissan USA back. The consumer affairs dept. doesn't know jack and they are basing their decisions on what that particular dealer is telling them. Believe me, I dealt with this at the beginning of the summer with fuel senders going out right at the end of my warranty.

Another dealer needs to explain to corporate what happened. You are not at fault for any of these. The problem was made worse by the mechanic that did the work. The most I would pay is for only the parts that were the original problem and the normal labor amount to fix that. All the additional parts and labor that got tossed in due to poor service manager and mechanic not properly inspecting the problem should be picked up by Nissan USA.

To explain what happened to me: dealer said nothing was wrong with my senders, I physically showed them proof via pictures of fuel gauge after filling up and as well when the low fuel light came on with 1/4 tank left. So then they said you're out of warranty, even though I brought it in at the warranty limit; they told me to come back 2-3 times. Service mgr. denied service. Called Nissan USA, they spoke to mgr, and denied me service because of what the dealership said. Took it to another dealer; explained what happened; showed them same proof; believed me there was a problem; replaced full sender unit; replaced the low sender unit week later cause they weren't for sure on it; they told Nissan USA yes, they were bad and they picked up all the charges.

Keep fighting it bro.

Huan'z 09-20-2012 09:03 PM

I agree with above!:) I went to same dealer but diff service manager. All we need is fighting and show them a proof that was bad. Don't give up buddy!


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crazyyankfan 09-20-2012 11:02 PM

My fuel gauge indicator is back to normal again after couple fillups. So weird...

Huan'z 09-21-2012 06:55 AM

Mine happening this morning even worst.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/21/2eba2y8e.jpg

Got 1/4 tank left so around 4-5 gallons. But showed 23 miles left. Lol


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crazyyankfan 09-21-2012 12:58 PM

I'm suspecting the mileage range left is not calculated by how much fuel you have left, but by either your mpg from recent driving or your recent driving habit. I've monitored it during a long highway drive starting from full tank. After a few miles on the highway, I actually saw the range went up compared to the moment I just pulled onto the highway from "local" roads. So if I actually had less gas than what I'd had half hour ago, how was it possible that the range increased?

theDreamer 09-21-2012 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyyankfan (Post 1926233)
I'm suspecting the mileage range left is not calculated by how much fuel you have left, but by either your mpg from recent driving or your recent driving habit. I've monitored it during a long highway drive starting from full tank. After a few miles on the highway, I actually saw the range went up compared to the moment I just pulled onto the highway from "local" roads. So if I actually had less gas than what I'd had half hour ago, how was it possible that the range increased?

It is based on past MPG calculations, current fuel level and the injectors.

crazyyankfan 09-21-2012 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theDreamer (Post 1926372)
It is based on past MPG calculations, current fuel level and the injectors.

I guess that explains why it varies A LOT. Overtime, I've learned not to trust the range calculator much.:facepalm:

Huan'z 09-25-2012 05:16 PM

Got a call from my service manager and he said they replaced my sending unit but the problem still there and they will also replace the fuel pump or something that send to gauge. They direct working with Nissan tech.


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Huan'z 09-25-2012 08:06 PM

Whoever in the forum got same issue and having hard times to diagnose and have the dealer fix it. U can contact my service manager. His name is "bob Harris at mossy Nissan" on Katy freeway Texas. Or I-10. Here his phone number. (281) 589-5360


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Huan'z 09-29-2012 08:05 AM

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/30/vyjy2e4e.jpg


This is what they need to replace to fix the fuel gauge problem.


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Cmike2780 09-29-2012 11:03 AM

Dude, thanks for the post, but you should black out your personal info. That thing has your name, address, e-mail and all your phone numbers.

Huan'z 09-29-2012 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cmike2780 (Post 1937454)
Dude, thanks for the post, but you should black out your personal info. That thing has your name, address, e-mail and all your phone numbers.

Yeah I guess. Thanks brother for pointing it out!!:) btw those info i no longer live there. that address is my nightmare. Someone broken in my apt twice in 21 days at that address. Lol!! Btw hope it's help the community to easier deal with the dealer.
And i will crop the picture to show the parts only. Thanks brother!!:)


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crazyyankfan 09-29-2012 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huan'z (Post 1937698)
Yeah I guess. Thanks brother for pointing it out!!:) btw those info i no longer live there. that address is my nightmare. Someone broken in my apt twice in 21 days at that address. Lol!! Btw hope it's help the community to easier deal with the dealer.
And i will crop the picture to show the parts only. Thanks brother!!:)


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How did they do the repair process? I heard they needed to open up the interior panels around the passenger-side rear area in order to get this done. Is that true?

Huan'z 09-29-2012 04:49 PM

Honestly. I don't know. But I think they have to remove the dashboard for the sensor? Took them like 3 days to done the job. All I want is just fix all the problems before I'm run out of warranty. But luckily the service adviser really nice.


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Huan'z 10-14-2012 05:09 PM

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/10/15/tenupu7u.jpg

This is my first full tank 18 gallons. And the dots showed full bars. So far it's working. But don't know if the issue come back. Hope not anymore because my warranty about to run out. Lol


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Wabbyyy 04-16-2013 02:30 PM

I got the same thing boss

thispecialk 04-17-2013 02:20 AM

Not sure if I ever gave an update on.mine but mine got fix by the stealership for free. The fuel guage moniter inside the tank was getting.caught on something thats why I was always missing that first light whenever had a full tank. everything now is good I got it fix I think back in 2010 I think.

Mitco39 04-17-2013 08:41 AM

Happens on mine, I just ignore it. As long as its accurate down the range I am ok with it not fully lighting up.

crazyyankfan 04-17-2013 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitco39 (Post 2271016)
Happens on mine, I just ignore it. As long as its accurate down the range I am ok with it not fully lighting up.

It first happened to me a year ago. Then I began to use some fuel system cleaner (i.e. Chevron Techron). It doesn't seem to happen any more (fingers crossed). You should give it a try.

sofaonasock 04-21-2013 11:56 AM

Had it fixed a while back and the same issue is back...

LennyZCSD 05-06-2013 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G Fo12ce (Post 782314)
So the other day I filled up my tank and I noticed the last full light was not lit. I was cleaning the windshield so I though maybe the pump auto shut down to early and I didn't notice so I swiped my card again and topped it off. When I left the station the top light still was not on.

I'm going to give it a tank and see what happens next fill up. If it's not working I guess it's off to the dealer. I scanned the TSB list and didn't see one for fuel level sensors. Anyone else have this problem? I know the 350's have it after some age but I only have like 12k miles...

Not to worry,, you are not alone with this issue. I have the problem, what I really don't like is at a 1/4 tank it is much less that it states. The issue with this is that that fuel pump is cooled bythe fuel and below a 1/4 it's really no doingthe job, it gots hot and will fail..

crazyyankfan 05-07-2013 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LennyZCSD (Post 2303819)
Not to worry,, you are not alone with this issue. I have the problem, what I really don't like is at a 1/4 tank it is much less that it states. The issue with this is that that fuel pump is cooled bythe fuel and below a 1/4 it's really no doingthe job, it gots hot and will fail..

Agree. The fuel level sensor starts to get funny once it's below 1/4. I have personally pushed the limit to almost starvation. When there was 2 lights left, it should get you roughly 50 miles left to go in suburb driving (~40 to 50 mph with only a few stops). I filled up that "NEAR" empty tank for 18.6 gal. Pretty scary. Do NOT attempt this on the highway!


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