Fuel gauge on my 98 V70 stopped working about a month ago. It will periodically start reading again, for short times, randomly. Odd thing is, it's not acting like it is totally dead. It is always at the red line, and when the car is off it'll drop below that. Turning the key to the 2 position (or starting the car) will cause it to go up to the red line, where it will stay.
The car's range is 360-380 on a full tank, so I fill it whenever I hit 320. Pushed it to 350 last week, and the fuel warning light came on. So I think it's still reading the level. Maybe?
Would the fuel level sensor, or the dash gauge cluster be more likely here? Thought I'd ask before peeling the dash apart to fix this.
Thanks!
Fuel gauge failure
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benpineapple
- Posts: 313
- Joined: 3 November 2015
- Year and Model: '06 V50 T5, '13 XC90
- Location: MI
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Fuel gauge failure
2006 V50 T5 [190,xxxM]
2013 XC90 FWD [80,xxxM]
2001 V70 X/C AWD [sold at 120xxxM],1998 V70 AWD [RIP at 249,255M], 1990 240 [SOLD at 220xxxM]
2013 XC90 FWD [80,xxxM]
2001 V70 X/C AWD [sold at 120xxxM],1998 V70 AWD [RIP at 249,255M], 1990 240 [SOLD at 220xxxM]
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goldmandan
- Posts: 244
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- Year and Model: 1999 S 70, 2000 V70
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sounds like a ground problem. Find the wiring schematic and find out where the ground is. Most times it is on the tank itself. Either the tank grounds to the chassis where it is bolted or it has a second ground wire. I'd start there
Good luck!
Dan
Good luck!
Dan
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esl_97_850_T5
- Posts: 271
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- Year and Model: 1998 S70 GLT
- Location: Knoxville, TN
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benpineapple,
If so, turn both engine and ignition off while filling up. Then turn them back on only *after* completely finishing the fillup.
See if the Fuel Gauge then resets. If so, problem solved and you don't need any of the following info...
The reason I asked that question is the OTP Volvo 850 DVD says there is an extremely long delay of updating the Fuel Gauge if even the ignition is on while the car is being filled up on the '98 S70/V70/C70 Yazaki clusters. See that DVD's document TP-3802201 of the '98 S70/V70/C70 Yazaki COMBI, p101-102. It is the only explanation they provide for the Fuel Gauge reading too low !!!
If that didn't solve the problem...
2. I don't know if fuel level sensor or dash gauge cluster is the usual culprit.
3. What I do know...
The Fuel Level can be tracked on your '98 V70 with a (KWPD3B0-capable) ELM327 device using:
a) XantheFIN's "Volvo 850 OBD-II" Android app, or
b) volvo850diag on Windows, followed by interpretation by kwpd3b0_interpreter.html, or
c) any serial line terminal emulator (running on any platform) that can communicate with an ELM327 device, and can issue these commands:
ATZ
ATL1 (or ATL0, depending on the terminal emulator)
ATE1 (or ATE0, depending on the terminal emulator)
ATI
ATSP 3
ATDP
ATH1
ATAL
ATKW0
ATTA 13
ATRA 13 (or ATSR 13, for ELM327 v1.2 and ELM327 v1.2a)
ATIIA 51
ATWM 82 51 13 A1
ATSI (optional)
ATSH 84 51 13
A50701 (one of the things this scans is the 2 Fuel Levels)
ATSH 83 51 13
B031 (this will perform a Gauge Test on the 850)
B231 (this will perform a Gauge Test on the '98 S70/V70)
followed by sending those commands and their responses to kwpd3b0_interpreter.html for interpretation.
4. If you fillup to first click, drive home, use one of those 3 solutions mentioned in item 2, then the results say the Fuel Level is in the 15-18 gallon range, but your dash's Fuel Gauge is still reading low (say 0-4 gallons), then you can assume the problem is in the dash's gauge.
If, however, the Fuel Level results from the COMBI read very low -- ie, roughly consistent with the super-low level that your dash's Fuel Level indicates +/- 2 gallons -- then you can assume the problem is fuel level sensor or grounding problems or whatever, maybe something in the fuel tank.
5. Divide and conquer. Determine if the problem manifests to the COMBI in its input Fuel Level data or not. Then go from there.
6. The buttons to press with XantheFIN's "Volvo 850 OBD-II" Android app *v0.5c* are/were:
- Turn on Bluetooth.
- Run the app.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap "LiveData src", if it doesn't already say "Default (COMBI)", then select COMBI.
- Tap "Click here to Select items at LiveData".
- Ensure at least the 2 Fuel Signal values are selected. But preferably leave all the values selected.
- Tap back-arrow (ie, go back up in the menus).
- Scroll down to UNITS.
- Select Metric or Imperial (ie, US / UK).
- Tap back-arrow.
- Tap LIVE.
- Wait for connection to be established.
- Tap Start.
- Record the Fuel Levels (and make sure they stay steady for 10-20 seconds).
- Tap Stop.
- Tap back-arrow.
This is an easy, quick way to get these Fuel Level readings. No lugging of a laptop. Just a ELM327 Bluetooth device (eg, a ScanTool.net OBDLink LX BT in my case) and an Android phone. And the app does the interpretation for you.
Also, XantheFIN's app has a "Gauge Test" on the page accessed by the "COMBI+" button. It would be highly advisable to run that Gauge Test to see if the Fuel Gauge simply can't move. I don't know if his Gauge Test function works for the S70/V70, but it does work for the 850.
7. The buttons to press with volvo850diag to read the 2 Fuel Level readings are:
- Get volvo850diag setup to work with your ELM327 device.
- Click "Start Realterm".
- Verify there is yellow text in Realterm's Terminal pane.
- Click "ATZ Setup for ECUs 51/58/01/6E/2E/2F..." (or "ATZ Setup for ECUs 51/58/01..." or "ATZ Setup for KWPD3B0 ECUs").
- Click ECU 51 "Setup".
- Click ECU 51 "Read DTCs".
- Click ECU 51 "Quick Scan" or "Full Scan".
Then for volvo850diag v0.8 (or v0.8beta?? variants) -- when they become available sometime in 2016-03:
- Click "Test Gauges" (if it's visible), and watch the Fuel Gauge needle and the other gauges.
Or if you're still using volvo850diag v0.7, type the following in Realterm's Terminal pane:
ATSH 83 51 13
B031
B231
and watch the Fuel Gauge and other gauges.
Then finish and interpret:
- Click "Close Realterm".
- Locate the resultant log file, copy all its contents into the "Paste..." box at
kwpd3b0_interpreter.html.
- Record the Fuel Levels shown in the "Gleanings" box.
8. My gut feel is that the fact the Low Fuel indicator came on approximately when you expected it to indicates the problem is *not* in the fuel level sensor. I think that's a VERY strong indicator. The Low Fuel light comes on *before* reaching the red zone. So the fact that your dash's guage' is always on red, even with a full fuell tank, indicates to me something like a "stuck" gauge or "mechanically inhibited" gauge or maybe a connector has come loose thru which the COMBI's microprocessor drives the gauge (if it does such "driving" of the gauge, and it seems to me that it's likely being driven by the COMBI's microprocessor, since the Gauge Test is initiated by sending the Gauge Test request to the COMBI's microprocessor).
9. If it were me, I'd first do the item #1 check. If that didn't get the Fuel Gauge working again as expected, then I'd use volvo850diag's ECU 51 "Full Scan" (most probably) or XantheFIN's app (possibly). Then, depending on the results of the Fuel Level readings using KWPD3B0, I would choose to look at the fuel level sensor side vs. dash gauge side -- eg, loose connections, stuck gauge, etc.
Happy hunting.
esl_97_850_T5
1. Do you by any chance always leave either the ignition on or the engine on when you fillup with gas -- possibly to keep wife or kids placated?benpineapple wrote:Fuel gauge on my 98 V70 stopped working about a month ago. It will periodically start reading again, for short times, randomly. Odd thing is, it's not acting like it is totally dead. It is always at the red line, and when the car is off it'll drop below that. Turning the key to the 2 position (or starting the car) will cause it to go up to the red line, where it will stay.
The car's range is 360-380 on a full tank, so I fill it whenever I hit 320. Pushed it to 350 last week, and the fuel warning light came on. So I think it's still reading the level. Maybe?
Would the fuel level sensor, or the dash gauge cluster be more likely here? Thought I'd ask before peeling the dash apart to fix this...
If so, turn both engine and ignition off while filling up. Then turn them back on only *after* completely finishing the fillup.
See if the Fuel Gauge then resets. If so, problem solved and you don't need any of the following info...
The reason I asked that question is the OTP Volvo 850 DVD says there is an extremely long delay of updating the Fuel Gauge if even the ignition is on while the car is being filled up on the '98 S70/V70/C70 Yazaki clusters. See that DVD's document TP-3802201 of the '98 S70/V70/C70 Yazaki COMBI, p101-102. It is the only explanation they provide for the Fuel Gauge reading too low !!!
If that didn't solve the problem...
2. I don't know if fuel level sensor or dash gauge cluster is the usual culprit.
3. What I do know...
The Fuel Level can be tracked on your '98 V70 with a (KWPD3B0-capable) ELM327 device using:
a) XantheFIN's "Volvo 850 OBD-II" Android app, or
b) volvo850diag on Windows, followed by interpretation by kwpd3b0_interpreter.html, or
c) any serial line terminal emulator (running on any platform) that can communicate with an ELM327 device, and can issue these commands:
ATZ
ATL1 (or ATL0, depending on the terminal emulator)
ATE1 (or ATE0, depending on the terminal emulator)
ATI
ATSP 3
ATDP
ATH1
ATAL
ATKW0
ATTA 13
ATRA 13 (or ATSR 13, for ELM327 v1.2 and ELM327 v1.2a)
ATIIA 51
ATWM 82 51 13 A1
ATSI (optional)
ATSH 84 51 13
A50701 (one of the things this scans is the 2 Fuel Levels)
ATSH 83 51 13
B031 (this will perform a Gauge Test on the 850)
B231 (this will perform a Gauge Test on the '98 S70/V70)
followed by sending those commands and their responses to kwpd3b0_interpreter.html for interpretation.
4. If you fillup to first click, drive home, use one of those 3 solutions mentioned in item 2, then the results say the Fuel Level is in the 15-18 gallon range, but your dash's Fuel Gauge is still reading low (say 0-4 gallons), then you can assume the problem is in the dash's gauge.
If, however, the Fuel Level results from the COMBI read very low -- ie, roughly consistent with the super-low level that your dash's Fuel Level indicates +/- 2 gallons -- then you can assume the problem is fuel level sensor or grounding problems or whatever, maybe something in the fuel tank.
5. Divide and conquer. Determine if the problem manifests to the COMBI in its input Fuel Level data or not. Then go from there.
6. The buttons to press with XantheFIN's "Volvo 850 OBD-II" Android app *v0.5c* are/were:
- Turn on Bluetooth.
- Run the app.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap "LiveData src", if it doesn't already say "Default (COMBI)", then select COMBI.
- Tap "Click here to Select items at LiveData".
- Ensure at least the 2 Fuel Signal values are selected. But preferably leave all the values selected.
- Tap back-arrow (ie, go back up in the menus).
- Scroll down to UNITS.
- Select Metric or Imperial (ie, US / UK).
- Tap back-arrow.
- Tap LIVE.
- Wait for connection to be established.
- Tap Start.
- Record the Fuel Levels (and make sure they stay steady for 10-20 seconds).
- Tap Stop.
- Tap back-arrow.
This is an easy, quick way to get these Fuel Level readings. No lugging of a laptop. Just a ELM327 Bluetooth device (eg, a ScanTool.net OBDLink LX BT in my case) and an Android phone. And the app does the interpretation for you.
Also, XantheFIN's app has a "Gauge Test" on the page accessed by the "COMBI+" button. It would be highly advisable to run that Gauge Test to see if the Fuel Gauge simply can't move. I don't know if his Gauge Test function works for the S70/V70, but it does work for the 850.
7. The buttons to press with volvo850diag to read the 2 Fuel Level readings are:
- Get volvo850diag setup to work with your ELM327 device.
- Click "Start Realterm".
- Verify there is yellow text in Realterm's Terminal pane.
- Click "ATZ Setup for ECUs 51/58/01/6E/2E/2F..." (or "ATZ Setup for ECUs 51/58/01..." or "ATZ Setup for KWPD3B0 ECUs").
- Click ECU 51 "Setup".
- Click ECU 51 "Read DTCs".
- Click ECU 51 "Quick Scan" or "Full Scan".
Then for volvo850diag v0.8 (or v0.8beta?? variants) -- when they become available sometime in 2016-03:
- Click "Test Gauges" (if it's visible), and watch the Fuel Gauge needle and the other gauges.
Or if you're still using volvo850diag v0.7, type the following in Realterm's Terminal pane:
ATSH 83 51 13
B031
B231
and watch the Fuel Gauge and other gauges.
Then finish and interpret:
- Click "Close Realterm".
- Locate the resultant log file, copy all its contents into the "Paste..." box at
kwpd3b0_interpreter.html.
- Record the Fuel Levels shown in the "Gleanings" box.
8. My gut feel is that the fact the Low Fuel indicator came on approximately when you expected it to indicates the problem is *not* in the fuel level sensor. I think that's a VERY strong indicator. The Low Fuel light comes on *before* reaching the red zone. So the fact that your dash's guage' is always on red, even with a full fuell tank, indicates to me something like a "stuck" gauge or "mechanically inhibited" gauge or maybe a connector has come loose thru which the COMBI's microprocessor drives the gauge (if it does such "driving" of the gauge, and it seems to me that it's likely being driven by the COMBI's microprocessor, since the Gauge Test is initiated by sending the Gauge Test request to the COMBI's microprocessor).
9. If it were me, I'd first do the item #1 check. If that didn't get the Fuel Gauge working again as expected, then I'd use volvo850diag's ECU 51 "Full Scan" (most probably) or XantheFIN's app (possibly). Then, depending on the results of the Fuel Level readings using KWPD3B0, I would choose to look at the fuel level sensor side vs. dash gauge side -- eg, loose connections, stuck gauge, etc.
Happy hunting.
esl_97_850_T5
1998 Volvo S70 GLT - 205.5K miles - S70 & M44 testbed in 2016-2019; traded 2019-07-15 (for spare time)
1997 Volvo 854 T5 - 147K miles - 850 testbed in 2012-2017; junked 2017-09
1997 Volvo 854 T5 - 147K miles - 850 testbed in 2012-2017; junked 2017-09
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Blockpartie
- Posts: 106
- Joined: 23 May 2014
- Year and Model: ...
- Location:
I'd advise anyone NOT to do what is described above.
Check resistance of the system at the connector in the trunk area. You will need to remove the cargo floor to get to it. If resistance does not change in a linear way or changes infrequently that will be the problem. Because your car is AWD there are two floats determining the fuel level as well as reporting the to be dampened reading. Their tracks can wear out, the cable connection can corrode away, the float can detach from the arm.
Check resistance of the system at the connector in the trunk area. You will need to remove the cargo floor to get to it. If resistance does not change in a linear way or changes infrequently that will be the problem. Because your car is AWD there are two floats determining the fuel level as well as reporting the to be dampened reading. Their tracks can wear out, the cable connection can corrode away, the float can detach from the arm.
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