How to Reset Gas Gauge Needle ?

How to Reset Gas Gauge Needle ?

You're driving along and you notice your gas gauge needle moving erratically. It needs a reset, but how do you do it? Resetting the needle is a quick and straight forward process that doesn't require a mechanic. The exact steps may vary depending on the make and model of your car, but the procedure is typically the same for most vehicles.

We've put together a thorough guide to resetting the gas gauge needle yourself, plus signs that there may be a problem with your fuel gauge and how to diagnose the issue. Keep scrolling to get back on the road without fear of running out of gas!

To begin, remove the negative battery cable's connection from the terminal by loosening the nut that attaches it to the terminal. Locate and disconnect the wire that connects your gas gauge to its sending unit. Connect this wire to a metal surface on your vehicle for grounding purposes. The pointer on your gas gauge should return to “Empty” and you can now reconnect the battery.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of how to reset your gas gauge needle. This is a process that can be done in just a few minutes, and it could save you from running out of gas in the future!

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How Do I Test My Fuel Gauge?

It is not unnatural for your fuel gauge to malfunction. It could sometimes be due to the aging of your vehicle or maybe a bad sending unit.

One of the common experiences car owners have concerning their car's fuel gauge malfunction is to find the gas gauge stuck on full or empty. If you ever experience this situation, you could first and foremost test your fuel gauge.

Follow the steps below to test your car's fuel gauge.

Step 1: Ascertain whether all the wiring connections on the sender unit and the gauge are tight, clean, and dirt-free, as well as corrosion-free.

To check the wire connection on the sender unit, in most cases, it's located beneath the back seat or trunk. You would have to lift the back seat or remove the trunk carpet.

Meanwhile, the wire connection on the back of the fuel gauge can be located below the dashboard. You can remove the instrument panel or remove the gauge from the dashboard.

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Step 2: Turn on the ignition and turn it off repeatedly to note whether the needle moves or not. If it doesn't move, you likely have to check the fuse. It is located under the hood or the dashboard. Then carefully ascertain the fuse that controls the fuel gauge.

If the fuse is bad, kindly change it and ensure the correct amperage rating for the fuse replacement.

Step 3: Connect the terminal on the back of the fuel gauge and the jumper wire on the ignition switch. After that, turn on the vehicle. If the gauge works, then replace the faulty wiring between the ignition switch and the fuel gauge.

Step 4: Ground the fuel gauge by soldering and clipping the jumper wire's end to the grounding terminal of the fuel gauge and the other end of the jumper wire to a clean contact point on the car's frame. After that, turn on the vehicle. Once the gauge works, replace the grounding wire of the faulty fuel gauge.

Step 5: Use the instruction in step 4 above to ground the sender unit with the jumper wire. You can ground the jumper unit by fixing the jumper wire to the vehicle's frame or the fuel tank's exterior. Once the gauge works, replace the sender unit's grounding wire.

Step 6: Finally, disconnect the wire connection between the fuel gauge and the sender unit. Then turn on the car. If the gauge reads full, the problem is likely with the sender unit or the vehicle's in-tank mechanism. If the fuel gauge consistently reads empty, you would have to replace it because it is faulty.

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