K - Fuel level sensor open circuit

[Andy_350z]

K - Fuel level sensor open circuit

whats this error code mean, my fuel gauge has got stuck on full

how do i resolve or is it a send unit away job

[tuskkev]

Hi
have you checked the connection on the fuel tank sender in the boot, under the flap. I had the same error code and found that my tyre weld had slid along and knocked it off.
Hope it turns out to be an easy fix.

[Andy_350z]

oh good idea, will check that

i think its to do with the fuel gauge getting stuck on full.

hmmm visit to tvr power i think

[tuskkev]

The fuel gauge read full on mine when the connecter had come off so it is certainly worth checking.

[S6PNJ]

I think there are about 6 screws that hold the 'float' onto the top of the tank. It might be worth taking it out and visually checking it - can't be much more than a 30 min job I'd have thought.

[Andy_350z]

cheers kev, fixed!! thanx cable loose in boot

cheers

[Fimbo]

with my fuel guage reading stuck at full, I ran a search and found this thread. As usual, PH came up trumps with some helpful contributions. All sorted and the cheapest fix yet! Cheers

[Sagi Badger]

Blow the dust of this thread and carry on... bit like the old Tuscan... so a cylinder head skim, new springs, valve job etc and set of 280 deg cams, happened to have these on the shelf for 4 years now so thought why not. Testing a few other bits I have made, the bottom end is only 2K miles old. Anyway after battle of the fuel pump all seemed OK apart from code K.... ummhh should be easy enough for someone as worldly as me I thinks.... check and find 5V and continuity to ground/earth so wiring OK... Ummhhhhhh must be the sender unit. My best mate from school Smiffy is assisting... we all need a Smiffy but he is nervous when it comes to holding wires for me, even on car electrics. I task him with removing the sender unit.

Shock horror... even Smiffy, the kind of low tech friend type that he is, has identified something is wrong....... rust... unusual looking crystal like rust on the sender body and white powder on the sender unit arm. So a quick scrape up, it comes off!! leaving the passivated coating looking not too shabby... and a wipe of the arm leaving it clean. The three tabs bend back easily enough and the unit is open, rust in side!!!! the earth path is a coil spring, stainless by the look of it (lack of rust), that simply presses on the body and a bush on the pivot shaft that it sits over. Scrape and clean, put back, bend tabs back and a quick squirt of ACF and plug in... Smiffy spends too long waggling the arm in turn moving the gauge whilst advising me on numerous occasions that "it is working gezzarrr".

So good old Smiffy and lucky old me... what was the cause of this furriness? The tank was 1/4 full so the body was above the petrol, yes it has stood for too long but WTF has caused this, ethanol? but how if this was above the petrol? This car lives with another in a nice dry warm garage, there are no damp issues and no nasty chemicals being stored. So the top of my list is ethanol, which scares me, I only ever fill up with E5, never E10.

Off to LeMans Wednesday fearful of what lurks in the tank, No time to sort it now, although if I can find an inline filter in time I will fit it before the pump.

J