This worked great, right up until my wife filled the gas tank..... That changed everything! Remember, the system half way works with a fuller tank, so adding resistance as I did changed all of that. I had to do the one thing that I didn't want to do, which was cut wire! I did it nice and neat off camera in heat shrink now tucked up under the trim along side the rear seat. I did ultimately use my 10k pot, I dialed it in and locked it in static (could still be adjusted with a twist of the wrist in the future). I had to cut and splice some wires to do it and I'm not happy about that, but it is locked in and no change in fuel level will ever set this CEL again! Here is the complete playlist on this Project Nissan -- ruclips.net/video/7TWMGWO9WCA/видео.html Equipment used in this video: 10k Pot -- amzn.to/3uMsRfK Multi-Meter -- amzn.to/3LzuqnM Anybody that wants the actual factory service manual for this car direct from Nissan, well, you're in luck cause I have it. Download it from my Google drive and you will have it too: drive.google.com/file/d/1wIe7CcKxGlOSGmlDFboGxkdAHfhrntqd/view?usp=sharing Cheers 🍻
So the 326 ohm resistor didn't work? You ended up just using the 10k pot to variable adjust it as needed for the CEL? PA guy to. Funny enough same car color and all lmao!! I'm even a Nissan tech and refuse to dump money in this daily.
@@98durangopack: No the resistor works just fine, but when my wife filled the gas tank all the values changed. I ultimately did the one thing I was trying to avoid, which is cut wires. I took the fuel sending unit completely out of the picture, that circuit is now just a 10k pot and the value never changes. I decided to solder in the pot just in case it needs a slight tweak some time in the future. But a resistor will work just fine if you choose that method. My car has a bad cluster so this works for me. This may or may not work for you depending on your actual malfunction. But it's easy enough to back probe with a 10k pot to find out. Cheers 🍻
The scabbed in resistor in combo with the sending unit is about 18.8 ohms which is close to what the sending unit was putting out anyhow, so it's got me stumped. My gauge goes down to 1/2 tank then just hangs. 2nd pump/sender installed. I think I'm going to tape over the gauge and install a dip-stick.
Lol, good idea 👍! They're all a little different it seems. Mine for example has a bad cluster. I know this because the digital readout say's I'm going 35mph while I'm sitting still. No further testing required on that one. But for me, increasing the circuit resistance was enough to stabilize the fuel gauge just to keep the check engine light off. I can't get a new cluster even if I wanted to, the car is too old and they're just not made or stocked anywhere. I thought about sending it out for repair, but again, the car is too old and I just can't seem to find a reason care about that fuel gauge. Cheers Carl 🍻.
With all due respect, a bad cluster DOES NOT produce trouble codes. Trouble codes and CEL are sent from the ECU (computer). The cluster is nothing more than a display. It takes orders from the ECU. It's easy to check the cluster: just hold down the trip meter button as you turn the ignition to the 'on' position (don't turn the car on, just turn the key to the on position). Hit the button 4 times quickly. All the odometer lights will be displayed. Now hit the button once. If the cluster is good, all the dials will bounce up.
With all due respect to you as well, I can't be doing 35 MPH while I'm sitting still..... Just sayin! Please don't assume you know the whole story when I've only shown a tiny portion of it for one specific video. And,,,,, Cheers Butch 🍻
@@Finite-Tuning I apologize if my posts come across as snarky. It wasn't my intention. Just trying to spare someone the frustrations that I've ran into. I'm just a DIYer that learned a tiny bit about a tiny bit.
@@kjhgfdsd76654: No worries, you said with all due respect and that's exactly how I took it. I know how hard it is to find good information when the world is so full of misinformation. But I have a cluster telling me in the digital read out that I'm doing 35 MPH the moment I turn the key to the on position. The odometer and speedometer work just fine, and yet, somehow I'm doing 35 sitting still according to the digital read out. Ya want the factory service manual on this car straight from Nissan? I have it. Give me a minute and I'll upload it to my Google drive. Look for my pinned post at the top of the comments, I'll put the link to download it there. And cheers Butch 🍻
I have the same problem. 2006 Altima, died & left me stranded. Didn’t know the fuel pump was so easy to change so I had a shop do it ($900 with towing!) A year later, same thing. This time I took out the pump and found a loose connection on the sending unit wire inside the pump. Soldered it on good, six months later, it died again. Replaced the whole pump module again, same thing happened. Found out that there was NEVER anything wrong with the fuel pump or the sending unit. It’s the gauge (IOW I just ran out of gas each time!) Because when I replaced the pump & sending unit the last time the gauge did not read right (still). Did the trick where you hold down the trip odometer reset button before turning the ignition on, then turn it on and press it four times fast. The displays goes to all 8888888, then your press the button again. If all the gauge needles bounce when you press the button it means the gauge cluster passed it’s self-test. So it’s not the pump, or the sending unit, or the gauge cluster. In other words, I give up. I keep a two gallon gas can in my trunk and reset the odometer when I fill up and refill before it hits 340. Unfixable..
I ran out of gas twice before I just decided to fill the tank by mileage. I definitely know your pain. I only bothered to get the CEL off because of emissions requirements in my state. I can't pass the test if I have a CEL on. But yeah, the problem is in the cluster and you are right, it is unfixable for the most part due to the age of the vehicle and lack of parts. I did find a couple of companies out there willing to repair the cluster, but it's an expense and a hassle that just ain't worth it to me. You've seen my method for fixing this thing, and it's still working fine to this day. Besides, the car is a dinosaur with high miles, it isn't really worth anything to anyone but me. And even I only plane to go through one more set of tires before I replace the old girl, that should be another 60k miles which will put it in the 250k range. It's been a real good car though, I have nothing to complain about. Cheers 🍻.
@@Finite-Tuning Fortunately I don't have emissions where I live. My CEL regularly sends a P0462 code (fuel sensor low input) but I just reset it with a code reader. There are used dash clusters on eBay for around $100, but I have a feeling that won't fix it. I think the problem is somewhere in the wires going from the sending unit (top of the pump) to the back of the dash. Not getting involved in trying to trace that down..
@@HailAnts theres a guy that does the same thing i found it a while back he runs a wire from dash to pump. worked for me after i looked which wire it was took it to a shop for 100, short in ground for me, but pain in the ass man. good work car
@@HailAnts A bad dash cluster is not going to produce a P0462 code (or any code for that matter). The CEL and codes are generated from the ECU (computer). The ECU receives info from the pump, processes it and then sends info to the cluster. The cluster is like the monitor on your computer--it has no intelligence in and of itself.
Yeah, I’ve seen that guy’s video where he runs a new wire from the pump harness to the back of the instrument cluster. I’m gonna have to do that because I still get the CHECK ENGINE light sometimes and in NYS your car won’t pass inspection if it lights up. I’ve taken the backseat out so many times I could do it in my sleep, and the instrument cluster removal looks pretty simple..
Changed out my Fuel Pump only to find my Fuel Gauge was a liar and I was just out of gas . But with 178,000+ miles it was prolly about time for it anyway . Now to fix the rest of my LEMON PURCHASE .
There’s a video on here where I guy runs a new wire from the pump gauge sending unit terminal to the dash, and that fixes it. Gas gauge works and no more SERVICE ENGINE SOON light. That’s the problem, the OEM wire goes bad for some reason after ten plus years. Don’t replace the pump, or the gauge cluster. Run a new wire..
No. It doesn't work that way. THe wires from the pump don't go directly to the dash, they go to the ECU (computer) which then passes information to the dash.
@@kjhgfdsd76654: You've got some really bad information there... Chilton would be my guess. Look into some real service manuals before you get too cocky, like Mitchell and AllData.
It isn’t the wire from the fuel pump, it’s the one from the fuel gauge. And I don’t think it goes to the ECM because it doesn’t need to. The gas gauge is a simple device, it just reads the voltage that’s varied by the sending unit’s potentiometer. There is an mpg function, but that’s computed directly in the instrument cluster using the gas gauge and odometer reading data. I’ve seen a guy do it in a video. He has a new wire connected to the gauge running to a junkyard pump & sending unit. He moves the sending unit down and the gauge (slowly) goes down.
@@HailAnts: Correct, to simply move the needle is very easy because it's power, ground that bleeds through a variable resistor, or potentiometer. That is exactly how the system works. But in my case, I have a cluster telling me that I'm going 35 MPH all the while I'm sitting still. My speedometer and my odometer work just fine, it's the digital read out that lies, badly! I know my cluster is bad, and it's probably bad in a different way than yours because all cars are different even with the same problem or symptom. This is why we diagnose, test and prove before spending any money. I know where my problem is with this car, but I understand it well enough to fake it and bend the thing to my will. I don't have any super powers, but when I fully understand a thing about a thing, I own that thing period! My CEL is still off to this day, I just turn key and drive car. If my fix did not work for you then it's simply because your problem is different then mine. Diagnose, test and prove. Then and only once you understand the actual problem can you move ahead with the repair. I've got a heating system kicking my ass right now, I don't understand why it's doing what it's doing, yet. But stay tuned, cause I'm taking everybody along for that long trip down discovery lane. Testing and proving it one sensor and switch at a time! Cheers 🍻
Honestly, and surprisingly, I'm not really against a mandatory emissions standard or a mandatory inspection/test of compliance. However, I am against paying for any of it! Without some sort of state or federal emission control, people will drive the nastiest shit spewing turds imaginable. I'm sure you've seen some. I very much like to breath clean air and I don't want to get stuck behind something that spews clouds of black shit that I have to breath until I can pass the thing! Again, I'm sure you've seen what I'm talking about. That's how it used to be here in PA until the emission laws were passed! So I'm really all for emission laws, everything but cost of coarse. Cheers 🍻
Here's how I faked it with the same issue: let the fuel tank get to medium full. Avoid absoluely full or empty. Disconnect the battery for 10 seconds. Reconnect and drive around so the computer gets trip info 15 min? I passed the test and the light came back after filling the tank and starting the car.
I ultimately wired in a 'pot' to set the gauge and keep the light off permanently. Don't matter now how much fuel is in the tank, the gauge never moves and if the light ever comes back on it won't be fuel level related. Yeah for whatever reason, when these things start acting up they don't like to be full or empty, but somewhere in the middle seems to makes 'em happy. Cheers 🍻
This worked great, right up until my wife filled the gas tank..... That changed everything! Remember, the system half way works with a fuller tank, so adding resistance as I did changed all of that. I had to do the one thing that I didn't want to do, which was cut wire! I did it nice and neat off camera in heat shrink now tucked up under the trim along side the rear seat. I did ultimately use my 10k pot, I dialed it in and locked it in static (could still be adjusted with a twist of the wrist in the future). I had to cut and splice some wires to do it and I'm not happy about that, but it is locked in and no change in fuel level will ever set this CEL again!
Here is the complete playlist on this Project Nissan -- ruclips.net/video/7TWMGWO9WCA/видео.html
Equipment used in this video:
10k Pot -- amzn.to/3uMsRfK
Multi-Meter -- amzn.to/3LzuqnM
Anybody that wants the actual factory service manual for this car direct from Nissan, well, you're in luck cause I have it. Download it from my Google drive and you will have it too:
drive.google.com/file/d/1wIe7CcKxGlOSGmlDFboGxkdAHfhrntqd/view?usp=sharing
Cheers 🍻
So the 326 ohm resistor didn't work? You ended up just using the 10k pot to variable adjust it as needed for the CEL? PA guy to. Funny enough same car color and all lmao!! I'm even a Nissan tech and refuse to dump money in this daily.
@@98durangopack:
No the resistor works just fine, but when my wife filled the gas tank all the values changed. I ultimately did the one thing I was trying to avoid, which is cut wires. I took the fuel sending unit completely out of the picture, that circuit is now just a 10k pot and the value never changes. I decided to solder in the pot just in case it needs a slight tweak some time in the future. But a resistor will work just fine if you choose that method. My car has a bad cluster so this works for me. This may or may not work for you depending on your actual malfunction. But it's easy enough to back probe with a 10k pot to find out.
Cheers 🍻
This video deserved a lot more likes for ingenuity alone!!
Thank you. Your sentiment is greatly appreciated.
Cheers 🍻.
If for nothing else than for the Full Manufacturer Manual!
The scabbed in resistor in combo with the sending unit is about 18.8 ohms which is close to what the sending unit was putting out anyhow, so it's got me stumped. My gauge goes down to 1/2 tank then just hangs. 2nd pump/sender installed. I think I'm going to tape over the gauge and install a dip-stick.
Lol, good idea 👍! They're all a little different it seems. Mine for example has a bad cluster. I know this because the digital readout say's I'm going 35mph while I'm sitting still. No further testing required on that one. But for me, increasing the circuit resistance was enough to stabilize the fuel gauge just to keep the check engine light off. I can't get a new cluster even if I wanted to, the car is too old and they're just not made or stocked anywhere. I thought about sending it out for repair, but again, the car is too old and I just can't seem to find a reason care about that fuel gauge.
Cheers Carl 🍻.
With all due respect, a bad cluster DOES NOT produce trouble codes. Trouble codes and CEL are sent from the ECU (computer). The cluster is nothing more than a display. It takes orders from the ECU. It's easy to check the cluster: just hold down the trip meter button as you turn the ignition to the 'on' position (don't turn the car on, just turn the key to the on position). Hit the button 4 times quickly. All the odometer lights will be displayed. Now hit the button once. If the cluster is good, all the dials will bounce up.
With all due respect to you as well, I can't be doing 35 MPH while I'm sitting still..... Just sayin! Please don't assume you know the whole story when I've only shown a tiny portion of it for one specific video. And,,,,, Cheers Butch 🍻
@@Finite-Tuning I apologize if my posts come across as snarky. It wasn't my intention. Just trying to spare someone the frustrations that I've ran into. I'm just a DIYer that learned a tiny bit about a tiny bit.
@@kjhgfdsd76654:
No worries, you said with all due respect and that's exactly how I took it. I know how hard it is to find good information when the world is so full of misinformation. But I have a cluster telling me in the digital read out that I'm doing 35 MPH the moment I turn the key to the on position. The odometer and speedometer work just fine, and yet, somehow I'm doing 35 sitting still according to the digital read out.
Ya want the factory service manual on this car straight from Nissan? I have it. Give me a minute and I'll upload it to my Google drive. Look for my pinned post at the top of the comments, I'll put the link to download it there. And cheers Butch 🍻
@@Finite-Tuning That'd be cool. Thanks.
@@kjhgfdsd76654:
Done. Link is in my pinned post at the top of the comments.
Cheers 🍻
My 2006 Nissan Altima went 442.5 mi before it ran out of gas. Now I have decided to take the time to fix the fuel level sensor low input circuit.
Good luck. Understand the circuit so that you can understand the problem. Nissan Service Manual is pinned in my first comment. Cheers 🍻
@@Finite-Tuning you know I very much appreciated your making the shop manual available. I downloaded it immediately. Thank you!
@@mrow9999:
Well I should hope so, but I'm just happy enough that you found value in my little shit show. Cheers man 🍻
I have the same problem. 2006 Altima, died & left me stranded. Didn’t know the fuel pump was so easy to change so I had a shop do it ($900 with towing!) A year later, same thing. This time I took out the pump and found a loose connection on the sending unit wire inside the pump. Soldered it on good, six months later, it died again. Replaced the whole pump module again, same thing happened.
Found out that there was NEVER anything wrong with the fuel pump or the sending unit. It’s the gauge (IOW I just ran out of gas each time!) Because when I replaced the pump & sending unit the last time the gauge did not read right (still).
Did the trick where you hold down the trip odometer reset button before turning the ignition on, then turn it on and press it four times fast. The displays goes to all 8888888, then your press the button again. If all the gauge needles bounce when you press the button it means the gauge cluster passed it’s self-test.
So it’s not the pump, or the sending unit, or the gauge cluster. In other words, I give up. I keep a two gallon gas can in my trunk and reset the odometer when I fill up and refill before it hits 340.
Unfixable..
I ran out of gas twice before I just decided to fill the tank by mileage. I definitely know your pain. I only bothered to get the CEL off because of emissions requirements in my state. I can't pass the test if I have a CEL on.
But yeah, the problem is in the cluster and you are right, it is unfixable for the most part due to the age of the vehicle and lack of parts. I did find a couple of companies out there willing to repair the cluster, but it's an expense and a hassle that just ain't worth it to me. You've seen my method for fixing this thing, and it's still working fine to this day. Besides, the car is a dinosaur with high miles, it isn't really worth anything to anyone but me. And even I only plane to go through one more set of tires before I replace the old girl, that should be another 60k miles which will put it in the 250k range.
It's been a real good car though, I have nothing to complain about.
Cheers 🍻.
@@Finite-Tuning Fortunately I don't have emissions where I live. My CEL regularly sends a P0462 code (fuel sensor low input) but I just reset it with a code reader.
There are used dash clusters on eBay for around $100, but I have a feeling that won't fix it. I think the problem is somewhere in the wires going from the sending unit (top of the pump) to the back of the dash. Not getting involved in trying to trace that down..
@@HailAnts theres a guy that does the same thing i found it a while back he runs a wire from dash to pump. worked for me after i looked which wire it was took it to a shop for 100, short in ground for me, but pain in the ass man. good work car
@@HailAnts A bad dash cluster is not going to produce a P0462 code (or any code for that matter). The CEL and codes are generated from the ECU (computer). The ECU receives info from the pump, processes it and then sends info to the cluster. The cluster is like the monitor on your computer--it has no intelligence in and of itself.
Yeah, I’ve seen that guy’s video where he runs a new wire from the pump harness to the back of the instrument cluster.
I’m gonna have to do that because I still get the CHECK ENGINE light sometimes and in NYS your car won’t pass inspection if it lights up.
I’ve taken the backseat out so many times I could do it in my sleep, and the instrument cluster removal looks pretty simple..
Changed out my Fuel Pump only to find my Fuel Gauge was a liar and I was just out of gas . But with 178,000+ miles it was prolly about time for it anyway . Now to fix the rest of my LEMON PURCHASE .
Not a lemon William. Not even a little!
Just how much time effort and money are you willing to invest?
Cheers 🍻
There’s a video on here where I guy runs a new wire from the pump gauge sending unit terminal to the dash, and that fixes it. Gas gauge works and no more SERVICE ENGINE SOON light.
That’s the problem, the OEM wire goes bad for some reason after ten plus years. Don’t replace the pump, or the gauge cluster. Run a new wire..
Hahahaha, good luck with that! Absolutely nothing to do with the actual problem, but what do I know, right? Hahahahaha.
No. It doesn't work that way. THe wires from the pump don't go directly to the dash, they go to the ECU (computer) which then passes information to the dash.
@@kjhgfdsd76654:
You've got some really bad information there... Chilton would be my guess. Look into some real service manuals before you get too cocky, like Mitchell and AllData.
It isn’t the wire from the fuel pump, it’s the one from the fuel gauge. And I don’t think it goes to the ECM because it doesn’t need to.
The gas gauge is a simple device, it just reads the voltage that’s varied by the sending unit’s potentiometer. There is an mpg function, but that’s computed directly in the instrument cluster using the gas gauge and odometer reading data.
I’ve seen a guy do it in a video. He has a new wire connected to the gauge running to a junkyard pump & sending unit. He moves the sending unit down and the gauge (slowly) goes down.
@@HailAnts:
Correct, to simply move the needle is very easy because it's power, ground that bleeds through a variable resistor, or potentiometer. That is exactly how the system works. But in my case, I have a cluster telling me that I'm going 35 MPH all the while I'm sitting still. My speedometer and my odometer work just fine, it's the digital read out that lies, badly! I know my cluster is bad, and it's probably bad in a different way than yours because all cars are different even with the same problem or symptom. This is why we diagnose, test and prove before spending any money. I know where my problem is with this car, but I understand it well enough to fake it and bend the thing to my will.
I don't have any super powers, but when I fully understand a thing about a thing, I own that thing period! My CEL is still off to this day, I just turn key and drive car. If my fix did not work for you then it's simply because your problem is different then mine.
Diagnose, test and prove. Then and only once you understand the actual problem can you move ahead with the repair. I've got a heating system kicking my ass right now, I don't understand why it's doing what it's doing, yet. But stay tuned, cause I'm taking everybody along for that long trip down discovery lane. Testing and proving it one sensor and switch at a time!
Cheers 🍻
Move to arkansas. There's no emissions tests here
Honestly, and surprisingly, I'm not really against a mandatory emissions standard or a mandatory inspection/test of compliance. However, I am against paying for any of it! Without some sort of state or federal emission control, people will drive the nastiest shit spewing turds imaginable. I'm sure you've seen some. I very much like to breath clean air and I don't want to get stuck behind something that spews clouds of black shit that I have to breath until I can pass the thing! Again, I'm sure you've seen what I'm talking about. That's how it used to be here in PA until the emission laws were passed!
So I'm really all for emission laws, everything but cost of coarse.
Cheers 🍻
Here's how I faked it with the same issue: let the fuel tank get to medium full. Avoid absoluely full or empty. Disconnect the battery for 10 seconds. Reconnect and drive around so the computer gets trip info 15 min? I passed the test and the light came back after filling the tank and starting the car.
I ultimately wired in a 'pot' to set the gauge and keep the light off permanently. Don't matter now how much fuel is in the tank, the gauge never moves and if the light ever comes back on it won't be fuel level related. Yeah for whatever reason, when these things start acting up they don't like to be full or empty, but somewhere in the middle seems to makes 'em happy.
Cheers 🍻
What a stupid design you need to change the fuel pump assembly to fix this fuel gauge issue