Chrysler Repair: Fuel low warning light comes on too soon: T&C, mechanical integrity, tank unit

Question

 I have a 2001 T&C minivan.  It has had a few electrical problems over the yrs such as 3 blown resistor switches, the radio can just fade away making me have to turn it up but its latest problem is the gas gauge. I fill up the tank and about 60 mile later the low fuel light comes on.  What could be the problem and how much should it cost to fix?  Could all of the problems be related?


Answer
Hi Kim
The problem could be either in the fuel pump module in the tank which performs the level measurement, or it could be in the body computer which receives that signal and digitizes it and sends it to the cluster. The cluster takes the digital signal and uses it to operate the fuel gauge and the fuel warning light. If the gauge operates normally and the problem is the low fuel light comes on prematurely then I would wonder if there is a problem in the cluster not the tank unit because there is only one signal from the tank and it is either accurate or it is not, and if it appears to be accurate at the gauge then the warning light function is at fault. However, it could be that the body computer itself is also actually operating the warning light and that it is doing so erroneously (telling the cluster to turn on the warning light prematurely) so even my conjecture about the cluster being the problem could be wrong. So my inclination would be to stick with the gauge if it appears to be accurate and either ignore the warning light, remove the bulb for the warning light (but that involves removing the cluster) or put a piece of black electrical tape in front of the warning light on the lens of the cluster so it won't bother you. That last approach is o.k. in this situation if your gauge is accurate. I don't recommend it for any other warning lights which can be crucial to safety or mechanical integrity.
There is a cluster self-test which can be performed to see if the gauges are working:
Depress the trip and reset buttons simultaneously, and hold in that position; turn the ignition switch to on position; continue to hold the buttons for about 5 more seconds until the word "code" appears in the odometer window, then release the buttons. If nothing is wrong the number 999 will appear in the window after the testing is done. There will also be test run when chec-1 and chec-2 appear in the window, so take a look at the gas gauge and see if it reads in sequence empty, 1/8, 1/4, and then full. If not, then there is a calibration problem which can be corrected at a dealer using the diagnostic readout box.
Enjoy the show!
Let me know what you learn and whether the fuel gauge itself is accurate.
Roland