Community Member Credit: Eddy

If you found this post, you most likely ran out of gas due to inaccurate fuel gauge readings (or you already knew the gauge didn’t work). And now you are looking to see how to fix it. Most of the time, it’s the cluster that is bad (specifically the solder joints for the fuel gauge). Don’t go too crazy in replacing parts (you can try diagnostics procedure in this post). To address the issue, you have a couple of options.

Options:

1. Get a new cluster with close mileage
2. Upgrade to i35 Cluster (Most Popular Option). You will have to get your cluster miles reprogrammed if you want to keep it close to your original miles.
3. Repair and re-solder your existing cluster (see below). You can do this yourself if you are handy with soldering. If not, you can send it to one of them cluster repair companies. Most aren’t willing to do this, so they just upgrade to the i35 cluster. It looks much better and is less prone the fuel gauge issues.

If you choose option 3, you will need to resolder the joints on the four resistors below. Over time, the joints to the board can crack causing intermittent or permanent issues with fuel readings. Resoldering the joints on the 4 resistors should solve the problem of the fuel gauge reading too high.

Resolder the joints on the following 4 Resistors: R4, R64, R124, and R125.

Diagnostic Procedures