Finding the bottom of my gas tank

[familymopar]

My Charger has had a small fuel gauge issue since I got it that never seemed like a big deal.  At full tank the gauge reads 3/4 tank, then tracks down just fine.  Having owned very few cars with fuel gauges, I just fill it up every weekend (when I drive it) to make sure all is good.

Last week I was taking my 6 year old to a local cruise in.  We were in a hurry to get there so we just went and I figured I would get gas afterwards.  Gauge was reading a little over quarter of a tank and I knew I had not run out anywhere near 19 gallons.  Since the gauge tracked well from 3/4 on down, I always figured the tank would be empty when the gauge said it was, or maybe even have another quarter tank in there.  I had just assumed the float on the sending unit was hitting the top of the tank or something.

So, we are on our way home and I was paying attention to my son and passed a station.  I looked at the gauge, reading 1/4 tank, and decided to hit the next one.  Just then, about a half mile past that station, the car went to sleep.  There was no puttering and sputtering it just quietly went to sleep..

Now we are on a very rural road.   No street lights, no anything, except the station about 1/2 mile back.  We coast on to side road that was just a little inlet with a median, maybe 100 yards deep until it runs in to a field (presumably someone dug it in there in hopes of putting a new development there.  We made it right past the turn, butt facing the main road.

I get my son out and we start walking back to the station, late at night, on a very dark rural road, but one that can be relatively busy.  So we wwalked down in the weeds in the ditch and tried to keep a very good eye out.  He was not happy and I felt terrible.  We got to the station and I bought their largest tank (2 gallons) and 2 gallons of gas and we start the trek back.  It was not a long trek, but it was scary out there with my little boy.

About halfway back to the car a truck (a big Dodge truck full of younger guys) pulls up and asks if we need a ride.  I say no, we are just fine, and send them on their way.  We then see them pull up to where my car is.  They unload from the truck and stand around.  Never approached my car, they just stood around their truck, maybe 10 feet away from my car.  This made me very nervous, as I had politely, but in no uncertain terms, sent them on their way.  Now I get on my cell and call a couple friends in the area and tell them where I am and that they need to get there asap.  As we continue walking another truck pulls up, man and woman, and asked us if we needed help.  At this point we are very close to the car and the truck of guys.  I told them that the guys had just asked me if we needed a ride, I had told them no, and now they were waiting at my car.  I asked the man and woman to keep their cells out, stay in their car, and if anything looked funny to call 911.  This is exactly what they did.  As we approach the little side street we walk past the truck and the guys.  I go straight to the Charger without saying a word, put my son in the back, lock the doors, and tell him not to get out.  I then proceed to put the 2 gallons in my tank.  The guys have said nothing and I have said nothing to them until I am almost done (that tank took forever being one of those safety jobs where you have to pull back on the nozzle sleeve to expose the opening) and the driver, standing nearest me, said "does that have the 440 in it?" I turned and said yes and turned back again.  He said something along the lines of "I told you so" to one of his buddies.  Once I finished with the tank I threw it in the trunk, unlocked the door, fired the motor and walked near those guys, told them we were fine and they could move on now.  they said ok, just wanted to make sure, loaded up their truck and left.  I think they really meant well, but on a dark road at night with my son I was scared to death.  When they left I went up to the truck with the man and the woman and thanked them.  They could tell I was worried and agreed it was a very strange scenario happening.  Then they left too.

Now we are back to my son and I.  I get in the car, throw it in gear, go around the median and the car dies again right as my nose gets to the main road.  It won't fire back up (very slight incline).  I call my friends who were making their way there.  They were at the station a half mile up not sure exactly where I was.  I told them and they came immediately.  We got in my friends truck, with the 2 gallon tank, back to the station, bought another 2 gallons, back to the car, and put it in the tank.  The car fired right up again.  I drove straight back to the station with them following me and filled it up, it took 10 gallons.  No more problems.

So that was a long story of how I won worst father of the night because I wanted to get it off my chest.  The issue at this point for this post is this:  The car runs dry.  I put in 2 gallons and it gets me about 50 yards.  I put in another 2 gallons and it gets me back to the station (or further, I don't know since I stopped at the station).  Then it took 10 gallons.  I tried to top it off but 10 gallons was all it was taking.  Then my gauge was back at the 3/4 mark, which is full for me.  So I put a total of 14 gallons in the 19 gallon tank, which tells me there was approximately 5 gallons in it when it ran out of gas.  And tells me the gauge is ok so long as I know 3/4 means full and 1/4 means empty.

Do you think this is simply a matter of the pick up on the sending unit being set up too high?  Can I just bend it down?  I seem to remember someone on here talking about removing the sender without dropping the tank, is that possible?  It doesn't seem to me like there is room to get my arm in there, so I would think dropping the tank would make it a lot easier even if possible.  Before I do any of it, does everyone agree that I have a sending unit positioning problem, or are there other ideas?

I apologize for the long story, the irrelevant part of this post has been weighing on me heavily.

[myk]

There's nothing irrelevant about your post. You experienced something with your Charger and your son; you're a member of this community so we welcome your story without question.

With that being said I'm glad that you, your son and the Charger are good and safe.  Yes, you could have been more prudent about your fuel level but we all make mistakes.  Also, don't feel too guilty about putting yourself in a bad situation; the Charger could have died on its own and you would've been in that situation anyway.

[kab69440]

Sounds to me like the bottom of your pickup has broken off. You don't have access to those last few gallons.

[don duick]

Great story I found it more entertaining than the original issue. Yes you can remove the sender unit. When you have it out you can connect the blue wire with  a few meters of wire to the sender turn on your ignition  ground  the sender unit  and look at fuel guage and move your float up and down  and you will see your guage move. you will find that it is accurate. Check that your fuel line is bent far enough to reach the bottom of the tank.

[familymopar]

There's nothing irrelevant about your post. You experienced something with your Charger and your son; you're a member of this community so we welcome your story without question.

With that being said I'm glad that you, your son and the Charger are good and safe.  Yes, you could have been more prudent about your fuel level but we all make mistakes.  Also, don't feel too guilty about putting yourself in a bad situation; the Charger could have died on its own and you would've been in that situation anyway.

Thanks myk, I really appreciate that.  I guess it wasn't "irrelevant" so much as I do find that hiding a question in a wall of post is not the best way to get answers.  It also wasn't real charger specific, insofar as the story goes without the sender question.  It was something that happened to me, and was one of those few times when I had no fear of what happened to the charger.  Had they wanted it they could have had it, and the boy and I would be running the other direction.  Now had he not been there, they likely still could have gotten it but it would not have been quite as easy to take.  As it all turned out, all was fine.  I have spent a few nights wondering if that was so because of the second truck.  I suspect not, but I'll never know.  And I was mighty appreciative of them.

As far as feeling guilty, I do for putting my kid in that situation.  Don't get me wrong, these things happen.  Last year I pushed that car a long long ways with him sleeping in the back when I blew an orange box (now I always carry an extra).  But it was a well lit area with lots of people around and such, and I had my brother with me.  Did it suck?  Yes.  Was I in fear for him?  No.  So no big deal.  These things happen once in a while with old cars.  But getting the car home is always a distant second to getting the kids home.

Sounds to me like the bottom of your pickup has broken off. You don't have access to those last few gallons.

This may be the case.  Thank goodness Dixie Restorations is about to start getting those things out I guess.

Great story I found it more entertaining than the original issue. Yes you can remove the sender unit. When you have it out you can connect the blue wire with  a few meters of wire to the sender turn on your ignition  ground  the sender unit  and look at fuel guage and move your float up and down  and you will see your guage move. you will find that it is accurate. Check that your fuel line is bent far enough to reach the bottom of the tank.

I will follow this procedure and, so long as the sender is not broken as kab69440 suggested, I will bend it back for now.  I meant to go out tonight and crawl under to look better at the clearance, but it sounds like you are telling me I can remove the sender without dropping the tank.  Is that the case?  If so, in putting it back again wouldn't it be getting all bent again?


Thanks everyone.

[1965gp]

Sounds like you were on the side of Spring Cypress- dangerous road at night even in a new car with HID's!
I always hated driving home on that road at we the cruise. Glad we live closer now.

We need to hook up because that is not to far from me at all. Glad everyone is okay.

That feeling that something bad is about to go down is a scary one- especially when kids are around.

Hit me up if you are going next week- would love to show the general and a few other toys off. Was going to take the 69 TA out but our neighborhood had fireworks that night.

One more thing- don't beat yourself up about the dad thing. You did exactly what you should have.

An intersting perspective is that if the kids in the truck had the sense to say 'okay- but we are going to go shine our lights on the car so people can see it' the scenario would be completely different.

[don duick]

the sender unit can be removed and installed without removing the tank or bending the sender tube. I have done this no problem. Reverse the car onto a pair of ramps you have plenty room to work.

[familymopar]

the sender unit can be removed and installed without removing the tank or bending the sender tube. I have done this no problem. Reverse the car onto a pair of ramps you have plenty room to work.

Yea I went out and took a look.  Seems like it will be much easier to remove the sender without the hassle of dropping the tank.  Thanks for the info!

[familymopar]

Sounds like you were on the side of Spring Cypress- dangerous road at night even in a new car with HID's!
I always hated driving home on that road at we the cruise. Glad we live closer now.

We need to hook up because that is not to far from me at all. Glad everyone is okay.

That feeling that something bad is about to go down is a scary one- especially when kids are around.

Hit me up if you are going next week- would love to show the general and a few other toys off. Was going to take the 69 TA out but our neighborhood had fireworks that night.

One more thing- don't beat yourself up about the dad thing. You did exactly what you should have.

An intersting perspective is that if the kids in the truck had the sense to say 'okay- but we are going to go shine our lights on the car so people can see it' the scenario would be completely different.

Yes we were on Spring Cypress and it can be a dark and scary road in some parts, although I usually enjoy its openness and gentle curves for a nice drive, just not that night.  I used to live a couple lights away from where the show currently is, but we moved over west when it was still at the previous location.  Then, of course, I moved about equal distance from the old location (just the other direction) and they moved to right by my old house.  Figures.  I honestly don't usually mind the drive though, that's what it's all about.  And it is still a pretty short drive.  We usually take some detours to make it longer.

We should definitely hook up over there.  Like I've said before, it is a great place to meet like minded friends.  Feel free to PM me and I'll shoot you my phone number so you can text when you are going there, or to any other car event.  I will almost assuredly be there this weekend.  It is a rare event that I miss it, but it does happen.

As far as the guys go, I don't know if that would have worked.  I was not on the shoulder of Spring Cypress.  I was on the inlet where they have cut Cutten through, as if they are about to do a development on the north side of Spring Cypress.  So I was well out of traffic.  And I believe there was a street light there.  The gas station was the shell at Memorial Falls at the train tracks.  My car was lit, the station was lit, it is just pitch black in between.

And the guys did not have their lights on.

Now when you drive by, you can say "hey I know a guy who broke down there!"  Feel free to hit me up when you go to the meet, I will do the same.

[smerritt]

When re-installing a fuel sending unit in gas tank of a 2nd gen, how does one get the lock ring to lock into place? Space is so tight to work in.

Thanks!

[don duick]

I used a hammer and screwdriver and a lot of hope, love and perseverance,  where there is a will there is a way.