I am a 37 year old female who LOVES Dodge Cummins Trucks.. BUT I find myself being an idiot when it comes to problems. I have noticed that when I fill my truck up and when it reaches about 3/4 full.. The fuel guage will go haywire on me. It keeps going to empty and it dings and then it goes back to normal. It will do that the whole time I am driving the truck.. What does that mean? Please help.. I don't want to get rid of my "little guy".

 

Depending on the year of the truck there are some possibilities- one is that the fuel gauge sending unit in the tank is going bad. There is a float on a lever that actuates the potentiometer of the module- in some cases the resistor is worn in other cases it just needs tightening back together because the lever has developed too much play.
You will need to remove the fuel module from the tank- either drop the tank or lift the bed.

HTH

AlpineRAM

 

Thank you for that. I was reading similar remarks about the same thing and you are spot on.. I guess its time to take in the "guy"...

 

Prepare yourself for sticker shock.
Not only is the sending unit a large chunk of change, the Dealership labor will also be a big hit on your pocketbook.

Best to find a nice guy willing to tackle it for you for a couple beers.

Oh, welcome to the forums by the way, female owners are few and far between in these parts.


phox

 

I had the same problem and the dinging bell will drive you nuts.

It is about 1 hour of work and $35 to $40 for the part from the dealer. You only have to replace the sending unit which is part of the fuel pick up assembly in the tank.

The fuel sending unit is Mopar part number 04897670AB.

Best way to do the job is to remove the bed bolts on the drivers side and loosen the bed bolts on the passenger side so the bed can be tilted up. Be sure to remove the cab to bed ground strap and the 3 screws that hold the fuel filler hose before you tilt the bed. Also, you may need to disconnect the wiring harness for the tail lights to allow the bed to tilt for access to the fuel tank.

When we did mine, I took out all the bolts except for the rear bed bolts and loosened them. The bed was then lifted like a dump truck bed and the only thing I had to remove was the cab to bed ground strap and the screws holding in the filler hose assembly. Held the bed up with a couple of 2 X 4's while working on the unit.

I helps to have a strap wrench when loosening the plastic retaining nut that holds the fuel pick up unit in the tank and is also part of the seal to keep fuel from sloshing out. That sucker is about 4-5 inches in diameter. Remove the fuel lines, the plastic ring nut, and take the fuel pick up assembly out of the tank. Be careful because it contains about a quart of fuel that you need to drain into a container.

It's really a fairly simple job and you can save yourself big $'s by doing it with a buddy or two.

John (DH)

 

If you can find a Dealership willing to find and sell you just the sending unit and not the whole pickup assembly ($300+ I believe)


phox

 

I had no problem at all just buying the sending unit. That is why I provided the part number.

John (DH)

 

There is also a reman fuel module, about $125, but sending unit is the cheapest way to go.

 

Racer9,

Got a contact for that reman unit? Is it a complete unit for unit swap?

Thanks,

 

Part# R4798671, list $124.37. $20 core charge, returned with old one.
Direct replacement on my '96.

 

Make sure that you ask just for the sending unit. Otherwise they will try to sell you the whole assembly.