Fuel Sensor Fail... should I fix it?

[b-rad95]

I have a 2014 Ram 1500 with just under 60k miles on it. A couple weeks ago the check engine light came on, followed by a Fuel Sensor Fail warning. Took it into the shop today and they quoted me $1,200 to replace the fuel pump.

I've read other threads on here where guys just fill up their tank, reset their trip odometer, and watch that to know when to fill again. That's what I've been doing and don't mind continuing to do it. It's been driving fine, even towed with it up and down a mountain last week with no issues.

My question is: will there eventually be a mechanical failure with this? Or will it always just be the sensor?

For those who have this problem and haven't fixed it, how long have you gone without a fuel gauge, with no other fuel related mechanical failures?

For those who have fixed it, is there an upgraded part out there that prevents this from happening again someday?

I'd rather not spend the $1,200 if I don't need to at the moment, but also don't want to set myself up for a bigger bill in the future. Thanks!

 

[mikeru]

I remember driving around without a functioning fuel gauge in my first car. In the three years I owned it I ran out of gas four times. Never again LOL. But then again I was a poor teenager and only ran on the bottom half of the tank because I couldn't afford to fill it. I doubt anything else will fail because of a bad fuel sending unit. $1200 is a lot to spend but if you can't do the work yourself it would be worth it for me to have the convenience of a fuel gauge LOL.

 

[Daw14]

Just make note of your mileage when you fill up ,then keep it about 300 - 350 miles till the next and you should be good .

 

[jawzs2]

I'd get a second estimate. $1200 seems way too much for that repair. The OEM pump from Mopar is around $500, (aftermarket around $200 - $250), generously giving them 3 hours labor to replace @ $150 an hour works out to around $950.

 

[GTyankee]

IF,
i were in your position & only 60 years old,
I would wait until the tank was about a 1/4 full & have a Fuel pump in hand.
Then i would call a friend or two & tell them that i had a case of beer,

When they showed up, i would hand them a wrench, right after driving the Ram up onto the ramps.
I have every tool that i could possibly need , except the Fuel Line Master Disconnect Tool & a Autozone 2 blocks away & a Harbor Freight about 3 blocks away

 

[Burla]

If they are replacing the entire sending unit and pump that is a steal 1200, I wouldnt do that for 1200 in my driveway. It is a scary job, ever hear about static electricity? You have to drop the tank or raise the bed, either of those for 700 dollars labor? Guys pay twice that for transmission flushes, I'd make sure if that is the case you watch the work being done. The one thing I'd never mess with, gas tanks, old broncos you had to take the pump out while being in the back of the bronco. There were horror stories of dudes being burned in their bronco's attempting this one by themselves. The trap door is covered with carpet, what could go wrong?

Writing is on the wall and this is a pretty well known issue. I just hope it is not the TIPM on the fritz, which is even a more known issue. If the TIPM frying the sending unit and you put a new sending unit, and the TIPM wasnt replaced, it will fry the next sending unit as well, and you would have to pay for BOTH again. If it were me, I'd learn to test my own fuel pressure on the rail, and I'd keep driving it until the problem reveals itself more clearer. Ask the dealer if the labor and sending unit both have a one year warranty if the TIPM fails frying it again. The sensor and the code is basically a warning something is up, but in this case I'd verify a lot of stuff before replacing, and if it is only 1200 for the fuel pump, let them deal with it, you life is worth not the risk for 1200 which is basically like 600 last year.

 

[EagleChief]

I have a 2014. My fuel gauge went out and I drove around like that for about 1.5 years, maybe 2. No issues to the truck. $1200 seems high for a fuel pump replacement - but, I guess it depends on location. I had a local mechanic change mine out. $450 for a new fuel pump + $200 for labor. $650 out the door and I was good to go.

 

[EdGs]

The level sensor in my '15 has been on the fritz since New Year's Day. I bought a new fuel pump, but haven't installed it yet.

Truck runs fine so far, it seems to glitch between 3/4 and full. 169k miles on truck.

 

[EdGs]

The level sensor in my '15 has been on the fritz since New Year's Day. I bought a new fuel pump, but haven't installed it yet.

Truck runs fine so far, it seems to glitch between 3/4 and full. 169k miles on truck.

Funny that as soon as I posted this, my level sensor acted up more, and then quit working completely.

I finally got off my ass after running out of gas crossing the river on I-75. Coasted about a 1/2 mile, and stopped on the off ramp. Luckily there was a Love's nearby where I was able to fill a small can.

Just got through installing the pump I bought back in Feb (I know, I'm a procrastinator.....lol).
All is well so far, save for a right turn signal out.

I did pull the bed, and found that the lock on the fuel line at the pump was missing, Lord knows when that occurred, and how. The pump I bought was a Delphi from RockAuto, fingers crossed.

Sure sucked to have to replace the pump for a bad level sensor, but I guess I can't complain, my '15 SLT has 172k miles as I write this.

 

[Atcer2018]

With all due respect to Burla the fuel tank and pump on a 4th gen 1500 isn’t a bad job. It’s four bolts holding the straps for the tank, a heat shield, couple of connectors, two hoses and an electrical connection on the pump and evap canister. The tank is plastic so no sparks although you should use something to ground yourself for static electricity but being summer it’s less of a concern. It’s a couple hour Saturday afternoon job. Several YouTube vids on how to do it. If you run out the fuel the tank is not heavy at all. Worst part is the tight working space above the tank disconnecting the electrical connection and lines. The band clamp on the filler hose will elicit several foul words so keep the kids away. The sending unit I believe is part of the fuel pump so the whole thing needs to be replaced. If you have tools and are a DIYer you can save a small fortune doing it yourself.

 

[EdGs]

Yeah, it wasn't really that bad. My FIL has a lift at his place, so pulling the bed really wasn't too hard. I did have gas in the tank, so dropping the tank wasn't an option. My Son was able to help me finagle the bed back far enough that I could change the pump from in between the bed and cab.

Disconnecting the fuel line took a bit to get the connection squeezed the right way to release it. Not sure I could have gotten it off from the bottom if I tried to drop the tank. But it is done and all good so far, thank God.

My FIL has cancer that is through his bones, he has helped me so much and shared some of his knowledge with me. It is very hard watching him go through it and not being able to do the things he once could. Just having a place to work and access to tools is a big blessing for sure.

And knowing there are so many awesome people here who are just a post away is a blessing, too. If I hadn't gotten it released, I would most likely been posting for help. I'm still not quite sure how that fitting releases, but it's all good.

 

[Squirrel1270]

Mine has been acting like it's bipolar for the past couple of months. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it reads full, sometimes it reads empty. I religiously fill up every Wednesday and Sunday. I don't need to be that OCD but I'm not going to end up running out of gas and getting stuck walking to the nearest gas station... I'll get it changed soon enough.

 

[Wild one]

Mine has acted up for several years now,once it hits 110 miles to empty,the fuel gauge drops to 0 ,it's never bothered me or the truck,and i'm not overly anxious to fix it,as very seldom do i let it get below 110 miles to empty,lol

 

[JW2 Innovations]

I've had a couple vehicles that the gas gauge either stopped working or wasn't accurate leading you to believe you had more gas than reality. Each one of those situations I figured out how many gallons the tank was, odometer for how far I drove, and how my mpg was by keeping track of how much I pumped in on fills. Same thing I did when I had a motorcycle cruiser. No gas gauge there either for what I owned at the time!

 

[EdGs]

I've had a couple vehicles that the gas gauge either stopped working or wasn't accurate leading you to believe you had more gas than reality. Each one of those situations I figured out how many gallons the tank was, odometer for how far I drove, and how my mpg was by keeping track of how much I pumped in on fills. Same thing I did when I had a motorcycle cruiser. No gas gauge there either for what I owned at the time!

Yeah, thats what I was doing.......Until I got sidetracked and passed my gas stop, then said, "I can make it to the truckstop." Nope. Lucky I only had to walk about 1/4 mile for gas.

If it had been just my disabled wife, by herself, I would still be hearing about it a month later......lol. Glad I got off my ass and changed it, but pissed that the pump was still good, would've beeen nice to be able to fix just the level sensor. But then again, while it is opened up might as well. Especially with the 170k miles on it.

 

[abouttobeglue]

I just had mine done last week, cost me 900 parts and labor, also had to pay for a rental car for a few days. The whole pump wasn't bad, but the sensor is built into it. Either way makes sense to replace the whole thing to me than have to go back and replace the pump later.

 

[jmc921]

Mine just went up also. The crappy part of it is Mopar used to have the sensor available as a stand alone part for something like $185. The quote I got from the dealer was $1,325 plus they also charged me $175 for the computer scan since when I brought it in, the CEL was on but the gas gauge was fine. I had done an AlfaOBD scan and it gave me a totally different code U0264 which is a communication error related to the rear camera module. Their scan didn’t come up with any of that.

About 3 years ago, I had the tank replaced after some critters chewed through the vent lines and parts of the plastic connectors on the tank. Labor then was about $400 but is now almost $800 plus the over $500 for the pump.

Bottom line is that dealers are a PIA but fortunately, my son is a mechanic and is going to help make the swap.

BTW, I agree with the earlier response that this is not a scary job with just a little care.

 

[BenWade]

Funny that as soon as I posted this, my level sensor acted up more, and then quit working completely.

I finally got off my ass after running out of gas crossing the river on I-75. Coasted about a 1/2 mile, and stopped on the off ramp. Luckily there was a Love's nearby where I was able to fill a small can.

Just got through installing the pump I bought back in Feb (I know, I'm a procrastinator.....lol).
All is well so far, save for a right turn signal out.

I did pull the bed, and found that the lock on the fuel line at the pump was missing, Lord knows when that occurred, and how. The pump I bought was a Delphi from RockAuto, fingers crossed.

Sure sucked to have to replace the pump for a bad level sensor, but I guess I can't complain, my '15 SLT has 172k miles as I write this.

How is the Delphi pump from RockAuto holding up?

 

[EdGs]

How is the Delphi pump from RockAuto holding up?

So far so good, no issues.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I have a 2014 Ram 1500 with just under 60k miles on it. A couple weeks ago the check engine light came on, followed by a Fuel Sensor Fail warning. Took it into the shop today and they quoted me $1,200 to replace the fuel pump.

I've read other threads on here where guys just fill up their tank, reset their trip odometer, and watch that to know when to fill again. That's what I've been doing and don't mind continuing to do it. It's been driving fine, even towed with it up and down a mountain last week with no issues.

My question is: will there eventually be a mechanical failure with this? Or will it always just be the sensor?

For those who have this problem and haven't fixed it, how long have you gone without a fuel gauge, with no other fuel related mechanical failures?

For those who have fixed it, is there an upgraded part out there that prevents this from happening again someday?

I'd rather not spend the $1,200 if I don't need to at the moment, but also don't want to set myself up for a bigger bill in the future. Thanks!

The computer will suspend monitoring. This can mask a major problem and you won't know it's coming. This ties into the fact that the gauge isn't the only dynamic at play. The Computer uses fuel level percentage calculation for I/M monitoring. Fix the truck.