I have an issue with my fuel gauge. It goes to full when I fill the tank but it seems to stop at half on the way down. I see my mileage tick up on the trip gauge but the needle never goes below half. I have filled my tank up with 19 gallons of gas with the needle at half.

What should I check? Is it a sign that I need to replace the fuel pump assembly?

 

Yeah, I'm thinking you do need to replace the in tank fuel pump and fuel level sending unit assembly. You may be able to buy just the fuel level sender for your XJ but, I have a 87 and I couldn't get just the fuel sender by itself for mine. Sounds like it has a bad spot or that it hangs up some how at the half a tank spot on the float sender assembly.

 

This happened to me and it was the arm was not staying in contact with the resistor,so it just thinks it is at half.

 

...and the solution was?

 

sorry about that,I replaced it with a spare I had.

 

Haha, no problem. It just grinds my gears when I search forums for solutions to problems only to find someone saying they fixed it and they never bothered to say how!

 

Here is a pic of a spare I carry,if the arm does not stay in contact with the resistor it will stop reading where it is,you may be able to fix it without buying a new one,or used.

 

Hmm...ok. This is something I have to drop the tank to do then? Thanks for the pic, btw. It really is worth a thousand words.

 

On yours you do have to drop the tank,or lift up your carpet and cut a hole in the body.lol,or not I read where someone did that,and alot of cars actually have that built in,I have no idea why jeep is not that way,it just seems like the smart thing to do.

 

Wow, replace the pump? Cut holes in the floor?

Seriously guys?

First things first. Got out to your rig and get your registration. Now call your dealer and ask them to check on open RecallNotices for your VIN Number. This might help:
http://www.automotive.com/1998/12/je...lls/index.html

Now if you have to make the repair:

Easy fix but it involves a little labor.

Relieve the pressure in the fuel line at the schrader valve and then disconnect the fuel line. Yes you'll need the special tool from your favorite auto parts store that costs about $10. Connect a rubber or vinyl hose to the fuel line and the other end into a suitable gas can.

Disconnect the electrical connector under the heep at the fuel pump. Using some spare wire (enough to reach the bateryt, or put a battery under the rig) connect the positive terminal to pin #1 and the negative to pin #6 on the fuel pump connector. This will energize the pump. Keep pumping till the tank is drained.

Drop the tank and remove the fuel pump assy. Using a fine grit sandpaper clean the contacts for the fuel level sending unit. You shoulso make sure that there is good contact for the full sweep of the float arm.

Now is a good time to replace the filtersock too.

Re-install the pump and fuel tank in reverse order.

Done.

 

It was a joke frank,late night one at that,i would not profess to cut holes in the body,however I did read where someone did.

 

You're a smart guy Frank and I read a lot of your stuff. You definitely know these vehicles. Far better than I ever will.

Here's my take on it though. This guy's Cherokee is how old?

If I do the troubleshooting and find the pump, sender assembly is having issues and I need to drop the tank for whatever reason............I'm replacing the whole pump assy. Although it may be repairable I can't see messing around with trying to repair what could be a 16 year old part. You could conceivably put it back together only to find out you need to pull it out again.

Had to do one recently and personally, I'm not going through all the work without putting in a brand new assembly. It's $100 for a new piece and peace of mind.

 

Hey guys, I found this thread with Google seach. I am in the process of replacing my sending unit. I'm having a problem getting the seal to fit properly The seal goes between the tank and the sending unit flange right? Its a 91 xj.

 

Put a little grease on the rubber piece. Mine was a bugger to get in too.

The old one I removed along with the bad pump was torn in two (probably because it got hung up when they tried to install the lock ring) the guy goobered silicone on everything to stop the leak it created.

I put mine in with the tank removed. If you're trying to do it while the tank is still in the Jeep I could see where that might be a little more difficult.

 

Thanks for the idea, I globbed vasoline all over it and finally got it! I started with the tank still installed, but ended up dropping it this morning. everythings back togather now and seems to be working fine