I am a owner of a 2003 Range Rover HSE, I recently filled up the vehicle with a full tank of gas. However, the gas gauge does not register the full tank, and continues to show it on empty, with the yellow light on. I had replaced the fuel pump in august and it was working fine up until yesterday. Any thoughts/ideas on how to fix? I have no idea how much gas is in my tank I tried to disconnect and reconnect the battery but the gauge just dropped lower.

Thanks in advance,
MisterCee

 

The connection to the pump for the level may have just come undone. I would open it back up and see what you find. It may be very simple since it is more often than not an intermittent thing before it really goes.

 

I was told by a rover mech mine is probably a sender switch

 

The sender switch has 2 wires on it, if one gets loose while putting the pump back in then it will stop working. It is about a 10 minute check to see if it is attached.

 

The easiest way to know when to fill up, is to reset your trip computer and fill up at 250 miles to be safe . If you know your average fuel consumption, say 15mpg, multiply it by the fuel you put in, say 20 Gallons. That is a 300mile fuel range. Your rover should still be able to compute fuel economy. Correct me if I am wrong!

The failure, is probably due to what was listed above. Bad sender, loose/broken connector(s), stuck/disconnected float. You could try an additive to clean things out or bounce the rear of the car around to free the float if it is stuck.

 

i have this same problem with my 95 county. however it actually went through the motions of running out of gas. should i just go ahead and replace the pump? or could it be something else... the gauge doesn't go above 1/4 of a tank....when the light comes on its not long before it starts puttering....

 

Hi all,
I had exactly this problem on a 2004 Discovery 2 SE. After replacing the fuel gauge sending unit in the fuel tank w/ a known good junkyard replacement, this comparatively quick, cheap, high probability fix did not solve the issue: namely, I had no fuel delivery issues (truck ran fine), just a thoroughly annoying needle gauge pegged at empty w/ the yellow light on despite a half full tank of gas. I reasoned that since it clearly wasn't the sending unit (as >>all<< the mechanics and Youtubers insisted it was--NOT!), I saw that the only thing left was either a wiring problem, or the dashboard fuel gauge itself. Wiring was the more logical culprit, so I tested the fuel gauge sending wires for resistance at the sending unit (accessed in the rear cargo area, above the fuel tank, via a small access panel under the rear carpet), and it showed an infinite ohm reading or an open circuit. On RAVE, p.405 sec.19-2-8, we see that the correct fuel gauge sending unit values vary from 15ohms (full) to 245ohms (empty) courtesy of a resistor on the float arm of the sending unit. The wires from the fuel tank sending unit run along the entire truck and then terminate in the engine bay drivers side wiring harness plug alongside the coolant reservoir (absolutely terrible location for these leaky cheeky britwagons, no?). I ran a pair of hastily constructed alligator-clipped test wires outside the truck along the pavement from this location in the engine bay all the way back to the fuel sender wires in the rear cargo area -- voila, on startup, my gas gauge was working showing half a tank. So, with full knowledge that determining the precise location of the open circuit would be a major pain in the behind, I ran a pair of new replacement wires under the truck along its belly, properly fitted, gauged, and insulated, from the fuel tank along the drivers side frame rail installing it alongside the existing lengthwise wiring harness w/ nylon ties and using shielding where it crossed along next to the exhaust pipe. Since soldering the connections above the fuel tank would be monumentally stupid, I instead twisted the wires together very carefully and cleanly and taped them up and said goodbye to them closing them up forever(?) in the access hole panel to the fuel tank where they belong (note to the wisenheimers: I taped the heck out of the wires and separated them ensuring there was not even the slightest infinitesimal chance of the wires touching / arcing over an active fuel tank). In the engine bay, at the multiwired service plug next to the coolant reservoir, I soldered the connections and properly shrink-wrapped the new wires onto 3" stubs of the existing fuel gauge wires. Been working for some months now with no issue. Problem solved.

The troubleshooting was relatively quick -- you need the RAVE and the electrical diagram to ID the two wires -- they're the two skinnier ones relative to the fuel pump wires, a total of four wires, but ID them by color code carefully from the circuit diagram don't be a cowboy. Running the new wires took some patience, though not an issue if you don't mind working in tight spaces under the truck and are familiar with the safety requirements of working under a 6000lb truck on jackstands or ramps. Wasn't all that bad of a task -- it's doable, you need the right mindset though and, if you're like me, you need to be left alone for a while by the Mrs. and the kid and the phone while you figure it out. Slow and steady and careful and thorough. Great opportunity to inspect under there as you're going along, which led to a complete rebuild of the rear driveshaft (found a grease starved U-joint, and emerging cracks in the old rotocoupler). I hope this helps someone. I'm far from a professional nor do I know too much about electrical, but it's not that difficult if you are motivated and pay attention. Oh, and always use the sweeper before the creeper: it's really annoying pulling yourself along under the truck when a creeper wheel skids and then stops on a tiny kitty-litter sized pellet on the garage floor. You become a flailing turtle. Ain't no fun

Rover cheers and happy trails

 

1995 Land Rover Discovery with 195,000 mi.+

I have a 1995 Disco and am having problems with my sender. I took out the old unit and found a wire broken or disintegrated on the sender. It was an odd looking one, almost a cloth type material. I see from other sending units for other vehicles it is a resistance wire and are usually an uninsulated wire. The question is, can I replace it with another wire, just solder it on? Does it need to be a specific type of wire? I really don't want to replace the whole unit. I already bought one but it looks cheap and I have had no problems with my pump, just the sending unit.