[justagirlinCO]

Hello Gentlemen

Just recently the fuel gauge on my little 2004 Accent has decided to throw some fits. I will be driving along with 3/4 full tank and the guage just goes to empty. Then after a stop light or a strong turn, it goes back. What do you think I should do? Think it could be something that might get worse? I am good at keeping track so if its no big deal, I can do without spending any money to get it fixed.
Your opinions please...........................

thanks

just a girl in Colorado

 

[jsinton]

A 2005? When did you replace the battery last? I'd have my car electrical system load tested.

 

[Tenrilid]

the floater could be going bad, or whatever device that's in the tank to measure the fuel quantity could be going bad.

 

[justagirlinCO]

THank you both very much. I will have the suggestions checked.

 

[Alfons]

I think that you have an electrical issue. I'm not sure how the Accent gauge is wired, but I'd guess that you're loosing power to the gauge intermittently & this causes it to show "empty" when you do things that might jostle a connector or contact (like a hard stop or turn). To find the problem area, you'll need a wiring diagram showing the connectors (you can also find them with a bit of exploration) that provide power (and ground) to the gauge. To assist in the testing/diagnosis, a multi-meter can be very helpful.

The fuel level sensor is generally a variable resistor that influences how much power is applied to the gauge needle for deflection.

 

[rsquared]

More than likely it's a bad ground at the sending unit. Or a bad sending unit.

 

[Alfons]

QUOTE (rsquared @ Jun 27 2010, 01:25 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=336461

More than likely it's a bad ground at the sending unit. Or a bad sending unit.

I haven't been able to find any schematic or details on this, but unless the Hyundai system is the reverse of others I'm more familiar with, a bad ground to the sender (no sender signal) would give you a FULL indication. A bad sending unit might do the same if there was no signal.

 

[Tenrilid]

sign up on hmaservice.com that site is freakin awesome. it's basicly where a hyundai tech could go for details on parts and such. It may even have a troubleshooter for your particular issue.

 

[rsquared]

QUOTE (Alfons @ Jun 27 2010, 08:35 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=336623

I haven't been able to find any schematic or details on this, but unless the Hyundai system is the reverse of others I'm more familiar with, a bad ground to the sender (no sender signal) would give you a FULL indication. A bad sending unit might do the same if there was no signal.

Strange, what I'm familiar with...a bad ground=an open circuit and that means the fuel gauge doesn't move.