2000 Camaro SS faulty fuel gauge?

DRGNFYRE

MEMBER
2000 CHEVROLET CAMARO

I have a 2000 Camaro SS with 60,000 miles.
I've only owned the car for 2 weeks now, and am on my 2nd tank of gas. After I got this fill-up, I went into the trunk and dug out the CD changer connection to hook up to a factory Delco changer I picked up. After I moved all the carpet pieces around (It's a convertible, not sure if the hardtop has these pieces lining the trunk, I'd hope not) and found the wire and put everything back together, I now notice that my fuel gauge wants to read over full all the time when it is on now (whether it be running, or just have the key turned to ACC). It will still go to empty when turned off, and this morning it actually moved down to under full for a little while, but I drove it later and it was back to over full again. I don't think that there are any wires in the trunk that are connected to a fuel gauge sensor, but I don't know what else would be different now since it didn't do this until I dug around in the trunk. It could just be a coincidence too, but I don't know what else to attribute it to.

Also, in the convertible where do you hook up the mounting brackets for the CD changer, I cannot find anything to hook them up into.

5 Replies

KENVCR

MEMBER
105 POSTS

If you have an in tank fuel pump, the fuel pump is actually connected to "the sender "unit which moves up and down with the level of fuel. Since this is an electrical connection that is grounded outside the tank it is possible that the aftermarket stereo was installed using the ground for the fuel pump. Unfortunately you just have to go over all the wire harnesses under the car to find the broken connection. Start at the tank and follow the wires.
Sorry I cannot help with the stereo question.
Kenvcr
PS the sender unit might cost about 50 to $80, depending on where you are. The tank must be removed to install it. If you have a faulty ground connection I have noticed that most Chevy cars & trucks will show the fuel level over the full mark at all times while engine is running.
Carry a gas can until you get it fixed.
Ken

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Tuesday, December 26th, 2006 AT 6:50 PM

DRGNFYRE

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5 POSTS

Thank you for the reply.

Actually, the CD changer is factory and I used the factory hook-up in the trunk to connect it. So nothing was changed, other than the fact I used a connection that was sitting un-used prior. Do you think it is possible that the factory connection is incorrect, and I didn't notice it until I actually made the connection go live when I hooked up the CD changer?

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Wednesday, December 27th, 2006 AT 7:52 AM

KENVCR

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It is possible. Try unhooking that particular wire only and see what happens when you turn on the ignition.
What colour is that wire by the way?

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Wednesday, December 27th, 2006 AT 7:10 PM

DRGNFYRE

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Sorry for not replying sooner, but I had the SS in the shop to get the alternator and main belt replaced. Now it's back, and un-hooking the CD changer didn't make any difference (and not sure what wire you're referring to, since it is an entire wire harness that it hooks up with).

I notice now that the gas gauge is moving, but not always as far down as I think it should be. For a while today it was reading 3/4 tank, then later 7/8, and now it is hovering a bit below 3/4 (I've got 90+ miles since my last fill-up so I'm guessing that right below 3/4 is about right, but haven't had enough fill-ups to know for sure).

Any idea why it appears to be jumping around now? If I sit in the car and just put the key to ACC, it sometimes goes to over full, then if I wait a couple of seconds you'll see it moving back down (but not always the same spot, and I've done it a number of times in a row to see if it does read the same, but not really).

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Saturday, December 30th, 2006 AT 8:35 PM

KENVCR

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105 POSTS

OK by what you have described, your problem with the fuel gauge is a faulty SENDER UNIT.
This part is located inside the tank. It has a float arm on it that rises and falls with the level of fuel. Over time they can get rusty from moisture in the tank.
The wire harness that we are referring to has 3 wires plus a ground wire. There should never be anything spliced into these wires for any reason and you will notice that the ground is bolted to the frame by itself.
The Sender Unit is available from most auto part stores. Call around to get the best price. On installation you must follow the directions to prevent any fuel leaks.
Also ensure that you disconnect your battery first. Since this is an electrical part and you are working around the gas tank, you want to elimanate any possibilty of a spark.
Good luck.
Kenvcr