2002 Chevy Cavalier Fuel Gauge

2002 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
120,040 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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EB128
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Lately the gas gauge on my dashboard has been weird. When I fill my car with gas, the needle on the gas gauge will drop and rise intermittently, and the "check gauges" light will turn on when the needle starts to drop. It will do this for about 24 hours, then everything is fine and it reads accurately until I fill it up again.

Someone suggested that is because Colorado changes their gas frequently, and that my fuel sender is having difficulty reading the level of the "new" gas.

Any ideas?
Mar 13, 2009 at 7:55 AM
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MMPRINCE4000
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 8,548 POSTS
The sender is a float type device, so the formulation of the gas would make no difference.

It is usually either the sender or the gauge itself that is bad. If you disconnect the sender connection from tank the needle should go to empty, if not then the gauge is suspect, if it does go to empty, then sender is suspect.
Mar 14, 2009 at 2:07 AM
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