Mitsubishi Repair: Galant fuel gage, fuel gauge sending unit, bobber

Question
My daughter recently purchased a 1999 Galant ES 4 cyl, automatic.  It seems that the fuel gage may not be working.  Is there something that we can fairly easily check or do I need to take it to someone?

Answer
Amy,
The fuel gauge is controlled by a sending unit that is attached to the fuel pump; which is in your fuel tank.  There is a little bobber type device that moves up and down in relation to the amount of fuel in the tank.  Sometimes, that bobber can get stuck and cause the fuel gauge to not function properly.  There's even a possibilty that the electronic sending unit attached to the fuel pump may be malfunctioning.  You should have a mechanic take a look at it.  Tell them to check the fuel gauge sending unit.  At least then, the mechanic will start looking at the most probable cause of the of the problem, and not charge you extra money for looking at items that won't cause this problem.
Good luck!