ted_pulliam

At around 1/2 tank my fuel level gauge will drop to 1/4 tank, and the next time I start the truck the fuel level on the gauge drops to nothing and the low fuel light comes on. Then if I drive it it will come up to 1/4 tank and on subsequent restarts will go back to where it is supposed to be at 1/2 tank. It's really bothersome, and since I am on the road alot I end up stopping for diesel way more than I need to.

My question is, is the fuel level sender on my 01.5 still in the 35 gallon diesel tank itself? It was on a '97 3500 Cummins I used to drive. I had similar problems on that truck and dropped the tank, replaced the sender and had no more problems. If it still in the tank, what is the p/n for this sender? Is it around $50 bucks and only available at the dealer?


Ted

BRO

I replaced my sending unit a couple of months ago and yes it is still in the tank. The unit that fit my truck had a part number of 4897669-AB and it cost $79.00 dollars. But I would give the dealer your vin number and have them look it up for you. Good Luck, BRO

infidel

Beware, the dealer will probably tell you the only part available is the entire module with a pump.
Tell him no way and use BRO's number.

littlebuddie

There were two sending units used in the 2nd gen Ram. The part number mentioned above is the sender that was used for only a couple of years so make sure you get the right one. Sorry, I don't have the number for the alternate sender but I am sure a search of this forum will mention it somewhere.

ted_pulliam

Thanks guys, I should be able to get this resolved with the information you've provided. :-)


Ted

Clayten

There is a fix for this. It might be better than a replacement, I replaced mine a while back and it starting to act up again

http://dodgeram.org/tech/repair/fuel_sender/sender.htm

littlebuddie

That's a worthwhile article Clayten and I am sure it does the job if the pivot pin is the problem but the rheostat 'windings' on my sender were worn out from the constant up and down movement of the float so that fix wouldn't have worked in my case. I had to buy the sender, I think it cost 70 dollars and even if it were $19.95, it would be overpriced. The mechanism is so cheaply made, I wonder how it made it through 10 years of service on my truck. They just don't make things like they used to......

infidel

The only fix that works for pre 2000 is a new sender.
Previous to 2000 the circuit board on the sender seems to be partially incompatible with diesel and gets soft.
New sender circuit boards are a different material.

littlebuddie

That's good to know about the pre 2000 sender infidel, maybe my replacement will be more durable than the original one. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

wyododge

Mine was acting funny, and I pulled it. The dealer told me I had to replace the whole unit. I asked what the specs were for the resistor in the sender and checked them. They were fine. Put it back in and it has worked fine ever since. Only thing I can figure is that it was hung up or something. Point is, you are going to have to pull the unit one way or another. Check out the resistor on the sender and make sure it is fine or not. May save you some money.

littlebuddie

Resistance is 20/200

ted_pulliam

Yeah, I was going to drop the tank and give it that resistance check. It's nothing I haven't done before, only now since my "better half" split on me I have to commute about 160 miles/per day to and from work on my off weeks with my kids, and it is a lot harder to get a window of down time for the truck to do this. I hear a tiny violin, lol.

Anyway, I'll be doing this soon. Right now it is mostly an annoyance, but a big one. I'm really happy with my truck but I find myself wanting a Jetta TDI around '03 or so to make into my mileage champion.

Thanks for the input guys.

Ted

dguru

The sender is easy to repair on pre 2000 models. The resistance wire does not wear out. The pivot is the problem. This is an easy fix and it will last longer than a new one. remove the fuel pick up canister and you will see a metal plate with 2 screws holding the sender on the canister. remove the 2 screws and the metal plate. First look at the back of the sender and you will see a tab holding the sender on the pivot. Use care and pry the tab to remove the pivot part. Then bend the contacts so they will apply more pressure to the resistance wire. Now before you reassemble flip the metal plate the other way and mark it where the pivot shaft contacts the plate. Grind a "C" shaped area out of the metal plate where it is marked so it will clear the center part of the pivot but don't grind it much bigger than 3/8 of an inch. Assemble it with the metal plate flipped holding the pivot assy in place. It works much better than new. If the pivot is too tight you can bend the metal plate slightly to allow enough clearance for the pivot to move. It takes about 10 minutes once you have the canister removed.

BTW I have a 1984 Lincoln Mark VII with a BMW 2.4L turbo diesel pushing a ZF 4 speed + CL. It gets 45MPG Highway and 30 city. The same engine and tranny can also be found in the 85-87 BMW 524TD.

littlebuddie

No pivot pin problem in my case, the 'windings' on my rheostat wore out.

dguru

That is a different sending unit. Must be that the one I am talking about is 94-98.