yabod4lyf3

Ok, I have been having issues with my fuel level. My gauge was always showing the wrong amount of full so I replaced the whole fuel pump but it still shows the wrong amount of fuel. What else could be causing this? or is there a way to test the fuel level sending unit? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

slo-ryde

There's a member here having problems with his fuel gauge, it turned out to be an aftermarket stereo. Do you have the stock stereo?

yabod4lyf3

Thats weird lol. I wish it was that simple for me but everythings stock in my car.

fishtale6spd

iTrader: (13)

Hey man my fuel guage does the same thing. We need to figure this out you say you replaced the fuel pump already? The whole drop in assembly?

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

Run the self diagnostic on the instrument cluster and check where the gas gauge needle points to. If it isn't approx center as the picture shows, you have a bad cluster/gauge.

See page 122...

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/2002/EL.pdf

And like it says at the end of the instructions, be patient and wait a bit for the needles to stabilize.

DjHackStyle

Its the gauge cluster. Find a used one on ebay, its a hit or miss.

LongoTE

I did the diagnostic myself (and found out our cluster is somewhat TPMS ready) just for fun. I have never had a problem with my fuel gauge besides always seeming to drop faster when it's in the bottom half. When testing with diagnostic, the fuel gauge is a 1/8 marking below center. This seems to explain why my gauge acts the way it does. I thought it was a common trait of the car but now it seems like it is a common malfunction. I think everyone should go test their gauges and report back.

slo-ryde

Hey, this is pretty cool. I just ran the diagnostic on my '02 and here are a couple shots taken this morning. The first shot is the cluster in diagnostic mode, the second one is the analog gauges while holding down the odo/trip button. Sorry about having to click through on the links but I'm a bit foggy on how we post pictures here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/russell...in/photostream Cluster in Diagnostic Mode

http://www.flickr.com/photos/russell...in/photostream Diagnostic Mode with odo/trip button depressed

Based on the diagram in the shop manual (big thanks to Dennis for the link) my fuel gauge is also reading wrong. I've noticed since day one that the gauge drops slowly until it gets to half full (half empty for the pessimists) and drops quickly from there. The low fuel indicator comes on very close to the needle hitting the empty mark and I've driven another 50 or 60 miles beyond that. And when I fill up the car after that it does appear to be very close to empty, sometimes with only a gallon of gas left in the tank.

I wonder how many gauges are off like this?

yabod4lyf3

yes the whole thing. Pulled the old one out put a new one in.

yabod4lyf3

Did this today and my gauges look EXACTLY like yours

slo-ryde

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure if the fuel gauge on my car is out of whack. I've driven a bunch of cars that have fuel gauges that drop rather quickly once the needle gets down to the halfway mark. With the tank topped off in my Maxima I have to drive 50 to 80 miles before the needle even starts to move. I get 200 to 220 miles by the time the needle hits halfway, and 300 to 340 before the low fuel indicator comes on. I can easily drive another 50 miles after that.

The most accurate fuel gauge I've ever seen was on my '98 Honda Accord.

rebelhell

iTrader: (1)

I've actually read an article on this once. IIRC it stated that manufacturers do this intentionally. If fuel gauges were accurate then you would fill up your tank and the gauge would only read full until you got around the block. They essentially lie to you to give you happy feelings about your full tank of gas much longer than you actually do. Most vehicles fuel gauges are slow to reach the half marker and then faster toward the E. Some are worse offenders than others. From my experience the digital gauges are the worst.

I had an old Lincoln Continental with a digital dash that read F at full and then would count down the gallons. The owners manual actually admitted to lying. It said it would read F for the first 50 miles after filling up before reporting how many gallons remained. The damn car only got 16 MPG.

slo-ryde

Yeah, I suppose there might be some type of game being played by the manufacturers here. I'm thinking it's more of a design problem, the way the tank is made and how the fuel sender is mounted. It looks like the fuel sender reaches the upper end of it's travel long before the tank is completely full of gas. That's why we can drive around for 50 to 80 miles before the needle ever moves, burning off the fuel until it drops enough for the fuel sender to start dropping too.

IceBerg

Its your cluster i changed mines because of the same reason and also had a p0462 which also cleared upon replacing cluster.Btw i don't think the cluster image in the fsm is suppose to be the exact reading of your cluster because i performed diagnostics on both malfunctioning and function cluster and both read the same as previous pictures from members

DoonBusy

iTrader: (3)

Im having the same issue, I was told to change the fuel level sensor, from my understanding this is different from the actual pump.. Reading different posts some say its the cluster, has this been verified?? I need to get this fixed quick

DjHackStyle

Change the cluster. Beware it's a hit or miss for a used one. Go with low mileage for a better chance

IceBerg

95% OF THE TIME Its the cluster just did mines changing fuel sending unit will do nothing

dddanielek

I had the same problem with the fuel gauge always showing high readings and the car would be close to empty and the gauge would show approx a 3/8 of fuel in the tank.. So i purchased a used Cluster off a 02 for $65 with lower mileage off Ebay and hooked it up this morning and guess what, the gauge works perfect..Wow, i was so fricken happy. No more guessing...replace your cluster and it will work..

tseng1023

iTrader: (9)

,,

slo-ryde

When the cluster enters the diagnostic mode all of the segments in the lower left window (odometer and trip) should be on, reading all eights. The analog gauges will only move while the trip reset button is held down.

I've got links posted a bit further up in this thread showing the cluster in the diagnostic mode for reference. And member DennisMik posted a link to the actual procedure which seems to be a bit different to the one you've posted.

IceBerg

Glad to hear,this should of been addressed by nissan

nja4k

sorry for the bump but is replacing the cluster pretty much plug and play or will i have to reprogram anything (i.e the milage of my car etc. )

my poor max is finally showing her age.

dan

IceBerg

plug and play you would be stuck with whatever mileage appears on the cluster

Fatboy98maxima

i have to try this

Tiggity618

I'm having identical problems with mine. I have replaced the whole unit. When I fill up it reads full but my "dte" does not match up with how much gas I have. I'm usually running out of gas when it says I have around 100 miles "dte"

Yigg

I have a slightly different version of this problem.

03 Maxima SE

Cheapy Sony stereo the previous owner installed by twisting and taping the connections. At least they were smart enough to not hack the stock harness.
I have since soldered the connections but the entire button cluster on the left side of the steering wheel (To wit : Radio AND Trip/Mode buttons) do nothing, so getting the cluster into diag mode is out for now.

Fuel gauge stops at 3/8. The right side of the cluster will flash through DTE, MPG then stops at TEMP. TEMP works fine, but I could care less about outside temp, I live in a freaking desert... It's always hot.

I have the original stereo.
Please tell me I don't have to reinstall it...

ktstroud

Check engine light on, says I need fuel pump sending unit. Had one put in on Friday & light went off. Last night light came back on. Mechanics this a.m., and it's saying the same thing - sending unit. Really???? Mechanic is stumped. All I want is for my car to inspect! Any insight is greatly appreciated!!!

QueensMAX

most likely a bad instrument cluster.

ktstroud

Thanks! Someone different is looking at it this evening. I tell him.
Much appreciated!

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

What was the code with the check engine light? There are several codes for the fuel level sensor, but I don't know of any code for the fuel pump.

Dlowe90

My wife 03 has started having a random fuel gauge. it will sometimes read around 1/8th when it is actually on E. it isn't a problem for her to just fill it up every 100 miles or so, but it would be preferable for us just to fix the issue. I have seen y'all say that it is usually the gauge cluster that is the problem. If I buy a used one, will it then list the mileage from the car it came out of or will the ECU in her car tell the cluster what miles to list? worried about resale here.

Will

iTrader: (2)

Is there a fix for this gauge cluster to avoid having to put in a replacement cluster with the wrong odometer reading? Is it a solder problem on the back of the cluster, or a fuel sending unit problem?

2kMaxim

I just did mine a few minutes ago. There does seem to be a fix that everyone misses..lol. Once you get it into diagnostic mode the needles will rise to approximately halfway every time you push in the trip switch....they will fall back down when you release it. It will remain this way until you turn the ignition off so you have some time. I know my cluster is totally fine but my gas gauge has been reading too high for a couple weeks. I carefully popped off the gas needle and put it back on until when i held the button down it would rise to just a hair over a half tank. Problem solved. Pretty much a no brainer when you think about it. It now appears to be representing whats actually in the tank far more accurately. Im not replacing my cluster for no reason..lol

Skicrazer

Great idea 2k!

I just had my sending unit replaced and it didn't fix the problem. Until I read your idea, I was going to go with an ebayer advertising "2003 NISSAN MAXIMA instrument Cluster Repair "Speedometer Repair" FUEL GAUGE" with 99.5% happy customers. What do you think? $60, 2-3 days of no cluster and done.

Maybe, since I have to remove the cluster anyway, I'll try 2k's fix first then send it in if that doesn't work.

Will

iTrader: (2)

So a "unified control meter" is Nissan-speak for a gauge cluster?

Sam Maxima

On my wife's 02 SE I was having fuel gauge issue and the CEL wasn't coming on with k.o.e.o and I swapped the cluster and both off my problems got resolved,so I think that ppl directing op to the right direction.

Will

iTrader: (2)

I just did the diagnosis (pretty cool!!) and all gauges read as it should when pushed, except that my fuel gauge only goes up below the halfway point, not where it should (just over half) as per the FSM.

So it sounds like I need a new gauge cluster.

Maximum Performance

I replaced the sending unit and gauge got funky, before sending unit it always showed full
so then I sent out to get the cluster repaired, https://www.ebay.com/itm/02-03-2002-...53.m2749.l2649

Cluster is back in, reset check engine, light is off so far, gauge shows fuel again
got the guy down to 60$ with make an offer, almost cheaper then getting another cluster and didn't have to mess with my mileage

only down side, car was not derivable for a week, if you drive with the cluster off it kills charging...so you run on battery only...