Hi all, my TH has been retired and I have picked up a very nice 2000 TJ wagon (Solara Badged), my question is when shut car down the fuel gauge slowly (couple of hours) drops about 1/8 to 1/4 from when engine is running, turn on key and gauge will go back to correct place, judging from fuel consumption I am getting it reads correct as it rises back to where it was when engine/power turned of. Is this normal for this model or do you think the fuel sender maybe beginning to crap itself?
Cheers, Harry

Hi all, my TH has been retired and I have picked up a very nice 2000 TJ wagon (Solara Badged), my question is when shut car down the fuel gauge slowly (couple of hours) drops about 1/8 to 1/4 from when engine is running, turn on key and gauge will go back to correct place, judging from fuel consumption I am getting it reads correct as it rises back to where it was when engine/power turned of. Is this normal for this model or do you think the fuel sender maybe beginning to crap itself?
Cheers, Harry

Just got a 2000 Solara sedan myself and noticed that the owner before me had had issues with tbe fuel gauge only going to half way, which he had fixed under warranty. Its done 63k, noticed the other day that after breaking suddenly, the gauge slowly dropped to half and then went back to full again eventually. Had just filled the tank... maybe thats normal for a TJ, but my TS gauge was never that touchy....

Thanks for replying, It may be this model just does that sort of thing, no biggie as it don't move at all when driving, cept downwards :)
Have a good one, cheers.

The fuel guage sender unit in the fuel tank is notorious for going bad over a period of time. Replace it if the problem worsens to give weird readings when in use.

My sedan doesn't do this. Fuel gauge is consistent on the correct (not going down, or up) reading..

The fuel sender units playing up in the TJ is a common issue. I have two TJs and one of them has only done about 39,000k from new. The other, about 120,000k. Well blow me down the one with the lowest mileage was the one that developed a dicky sender!

You can pick up a new sender from most parts places and Ebay, of course but they can be tricky to fit. You have to take the lower back seat cushion out and from there access the tank inspection port. It's a job best done when the tank is well down on fuel. I gave up and got my mechanic to do the job. Cost me $300, from memory...part and labour.

Symptoms of the TJ fuel sender "dying" are as you describe... Initially the reference needle will move intermittently and go up and down on the gauge depending up if you are stopped...etc... Then the gauge usually falls to zero and stays there. That's when it has given up the ghost.