I have a problem with the fuel gauge and the check engine light on my '99 Cherokee Sport 4.0 that seems to be connected. The fuel gauge went to empty and the check engine light came on at the same time. If I disconnect the battery, when I reconnect it, the fuel gauge goes to full, but drops back to empty in a few minutes. These readings, of course, are not related to the amount of fuel in the tank.



A friend who is a retired mechanic has tried to deal with it. It is definitely not the sending unit. He has been able to get them to work properly for short periods by playing with wires one time, and by removing and replacing the instrument panel another, but the fixes only last a few minutes. At those times, the fuel gauge reads properly and the check engine light goes off. He is pretty much stumped. I have opened some wire looms to look for shorts but did not find any. Does anyone have the magic solution?

 

Next time you have the cel come on have the codes read to give you an idea what to look for.

 

Finally got the codes read. I was told it indicated low voltage from the fuel sending unit. The sending unit is new since we replaced it when the gauge stopped registering, so it would seem that the signal being sent to the unit is low. Does that make sense?

 

Need the actual code number.

 

The code is #462. It reads, "Fuel sender unit volts too low." Thanks

 

A guy I spoke to suggested changing out the instrument cluster as the most reasonable fix. Does that seem like the right course?