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Recently bought a 2004 Pontiac Vibe (base). The seller did not disclose that the fuel gage does not work :angry: Moving on. The gage stays at 1/2 tank no matter how much gas is in the tank, but the needle does go to “E” when car is off. I’ve checked the resistance for the fuel level meter and the results are: 110 ohms down (empty), 6.5 ohms up (full) and changes as expected in between the two extremes. To add to the story, the “low tie pressure” symbol also resides in the same gage cluster as the fuel gage and it is always lit, regardless of actual tire pressure AND THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE A TPMS.
How do I trouble shoot this? I’m wondering if the PCM is messed up? Ideas? Thanks!
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Are you sure your Vibe is a 2004? The clusters in the 04s didn’t even have lights for tire pressure. The 05’s did. Below I will post pics of the 04 and 05 clusters. Check your VIN number to verify the year. If you have an 04 vehicle with an 05 (or later) cluster, that is why the TPMS light is on and why the fuel gauge is not reading correctly. There are wiring differences between the clusters.
2004
2005
Son of a bum, good catch cap269. The VIN (5Y2SL62824Z462244) & Title show 2004, yet I definitely have the tire pressure light. I see there are other light/indicator differences that I can cross check as well. My daughter has the car in another state at the moment so I’ll need her to take a picture for me to confirm. Nevertheless, it’s looking like the cluster has been switched (argh). Crap, I guess that means I have no idea how many miles are really on the car (or what else was done to for that matter), and I’m assuming finding a used ’04 cluster is my only option.
[quote=”mtdineen” post=138610]Nevertheless, it’s looking like the cluster has been switched (argh). Crap, I guess that means I have no idea how many miles are really on the car (or what else was done to for that matter), and I’m assuming finding a used ’04 cluster is my only option.[/quote]
Yes you are correct, you’ll need to swap the clusters to cure the issues. As for the mileage, I have a couple of ideas.1) I’m not sure about the 2004, but I know that 2005 and later store the mileage in the computer and the dealer scan tool can read it. You could call the dealership service department and tell them you bought a car that had a cluster swap and ask if the 2004 models store the mileage in the computer.
2) You could run a carfax on the VIN and look at the mileage recorded each time the title was transferred previously. If you see a suspicious jump in the numbers you might be able to estimate the current mileage with some arithmetic, but you wouldn’t know for sure.[quote=”mtdineen” post=138611]cap269, do you happen to know if the vehicles mileage is stored on the cluster or in the PCM?[/quote]
Haha, I was writing my previous post while you wrote this one.
I wonder if this vehicle has a gauge sweep test. You may need a high level scan tool though. I have a 2000 Ford mustang, and there is a built in option to test the gauges. It sweeps them all through.
I had an issue with my fuel gauge not working when I bought the car. Upon inspection at the fuel pump housing, the lever makes electrical contact with resistors, and sends the signal up front. I ended up replacing just that side part, and now it mostly works. Unfortunately my gauge registers 0 when the tank is completely full, and seems to catch up about 60-70 miles burned off. And my empty is just under 1/4 mark instead of at E. I wanted to change the entire assembly but couldn’t for the life of me get the plug disconnected.
My guess is that seeing as you are getting different ohm readings, the sender is working properly. However you might want to inspect it anyway. If that’s ok, my guess is there’s something going on with the gauge. There are windings and stuff in there, not really repairable unless you send to a specialty shop. Maybe bad gauge cluster?
Yep. It is. So, the choice you have to make is: can you live with it the way it is, or get the cluster swapped to the correct model? Then there is the mileage issue. Check your title and see if it states the mileage is reported as actual. If it does, the seller broke the law without disclosing that the odometer was inaccurate. If the title does indicate the mileage is actual, whether you keep or swap the cluster, you have one of two things to do. Call or visit your local DMV and tell them you discovered the cluster was swapped before you bought the car and the title is incorrect because the mileage is NOT actual and the actual mileage is unknown, OR, when it is your turn to sell the car, you will have to disclose to the buyer that the mileage is not accurate and mark the appropriate box for ‘not actual mileage’ when you transfer the title.
cap269 you wouldn’t happen to know if the gauge clusters are unique to the options on the car, would you? For example, I’ve found 2 used 2004 clusters, one came out of an AWD vehicle, and the other from a FWD with out ABS. My Vibe is FWD with ABS. Just wondering if any ’04 cluster will work?
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