One of the most important components of your Honda Civic is the gas gauge. This is because it shows you how much fuel you have left in your car. It also tells you when there is a need to refuel.
If the gas gauge isn’t working, then you can suffer an unexpected fuel run-out. This could leave you stranded and frustrated. Why is your Honda Civic gas gauge not working? This is the question we seek to answer in this post. We will also show you some tips on how to solve the problem.
How Your Gas Gauge Works
A good place to begin our discussion is to explain how your Civic’s gas gauge works. The first thing that you should know is that you can split the gauge into three parts. They are:
- Gauge
- Sender
- Circuit
If one or more of these components has an issue, the gas gauge will malfunction. The sender is connected to the fuel pump and it combines the fuel filter, fuel pump, fuel float, and fuel strainer. This component modifies the input voltage from your car’s ignition circuit.
The gas gauge has a circuit that connects it to the battery, sender, and the ground. In modern cars, this circuit is grounded to the car’s electrical system. For older cars, it is usually to the frame or chassis.
What you see on the gas gauge is an indication that there is an activity between the sender and the fuel tank. Some gauges depend on feedback from the sender while others depend on the instrument cluster. Note that the instrument cluster also gets its voltage information from the sender.
Honda Civic Gas Gauge Not Working: Common Causes
From the discussion above, you can tell that the gas gauge circuit is pretty simple. The simplicity of this circuit implies that every component is essential. Once one component develops an issue, the rest of the system is affected. Let’s look at the possible issues that can affect a Honda Civic gas gauge:
Failure of the sender
This is the most common issue that affects the Honda Civic gas gauge. From the description above, we notice that the sender remains in motion as long as the car is moving. This means that it constantly rubs against the variable resistor.
With time, the contacts begin to wear. This can lead to a broken circuit. What happens, in this case, is that the gauge interprets the information wrongly. It can either interpret it as empty or full. The gauge then pegs at that level regardless of how much fuel is in the tank.
Circuit issues
In some cases, the circuit may develop issues that end up affecting the optimal functioning of the gas gauge. The sender may lack source voltage depending on where the fault is on the circuit. At other times, the gas gauge may not receive voltage information from the sender.
These circuit issues could develop from corrosion or loose connections. Mostly, these issues arise in the fuel pump module. Also, it may be that some of the elements of the circuit are exposed unusually.
Failure of the gas gauge
This issue is not as common as the issues discussed above. However, it could arise so we have to discuss it. When the internal circuit is faulty, your gas gauge will only function towards one section. This means that it can either function between “half and full” or “half and empty.”
Sometimes, the internal circuit is shortened so the gauge pegs to either empty or full. Finally, it could be that the gas gauge circuit is open. In this case, the gas gauge will stick to the “empty” section of the gauge. It will not move from this spot until you fix the problem.
Failure of the instrument cluster
This issue is the least likely to happen of all the issues mentioned in this post. Unfortunately, it is the most expensive to fix of all the problems. The instrument clusters in modern Honda Civics are fully-integrated circuits. This means that they are likely not to feature replaceable bulbs. As such, once the gauge fails, you have to replace the whole unit.
Honda Civic Gas Gauge Not Working: How to Figure the Problem
It is one thing to know the possible problems, it is another to know which is affecting your gas gauge. There are certain tools that you must have to test your gas gauge. They include:
- Digital multimeter
- Electrical wiring diagram
- Basic hand tools
If you don’t have these, we suggest that you leave the test to your mechanic. Here are a few tests that you can run:
Instrument cluster self-test
Most modern cars come with the capacity to run a self-test on the instrument cluster. You can find the procedure in the owner’s manual or on Honda’s website. This test helps to check the readouts and digital lights of the cluster. Check to see whether the gas gauge moves to full from empty smoothly.
Sender test
You should conduct this test when your car has less than half-tank of fuel. This prevents the fuel from splashing. Begin by ensuring that the plug is dry, free of corrosion, and clean. Also, ensure that all the pins are straight and the connector is properly seated.
Take out the fuel pump so that it is easy to manipulate the float arm. Leave the ignition in the “on” position but don’t start the engine. Check for voltage by back-probing the connector. Leave one of the pins with 12 volts or 5 volts while the rest should be feedback.
While swinging the float arm, the output voltage should decrease and increase smoothly. If you notice that the input voltage is not correct, check the sender’s circuit. If you notice an incorrect output voltage, then it is the sender that has the problem. However, if both voltages are incorrect, it is a circuit problem between the sender and gas gauge.
Gas gauge test
This is the same voltage test that you carried out above. In this case, the voltage must be the same as what you got when testing the sender. If it isn’t, then you have a poor wiring or corrosion problem between the sender and gauge.
Conclusion
We suggest that after diagnosing why the Honda Civic Gas Gauge Not Working, you speak to your mechanic. They are in a better position to help you fix the problem.
