Goofy Gas Gauge or Pesky Space Aliens!!

[mtnmankev]

83 C-20 with factory 20 gallon tanks.
Fairly new selector switch and switching solenoid thingy.
I always keep the left tank full, but wasn't using the truck for a while so i pumped the gas out of the passenger side tank.
Gauge has always read accurately for both tanks.
Recently, I put gas in the passenger side tank so i would have emergency reserve, and it sure came in handy.
I was watching the gauge as I put the gas in the passenger tank, and the gauge went way past full even though it had barely 10 gallons in it at the time.
Driving home from the big city the gauge read just over half for the driver's side tank but the engine started to sputter because it was running out of gas.
Weird, because I had started out with a full tank and it takes about a quarter tank to make the journey each way to the city, so the gauge was reading approximately correct for the miles driven.
Immediately switched over to the passenger tank and continued home without issue.
The gauge read exactly full instead of going way past the full mark this time (I had put 20 in the tank)
Friend was under the truck yesterday tapping on the tank and I heard the sounds it made, EMPTY !!
I suspect those pesky space aliens are messing with me again.
I had friend bring me four full 5 gallon cans last night, so I am going outside now and dumping them into the tank and see how much it takes.

EDIT: Thought I would see where the gauge sits before dumping gas, the switch was still on passenger tank since I drove in on that tank, gauge reads way past full and should have read a tad under full.
Driver's side tank now reads 3/4 on an empty tank and it read a tad over half when it went dry on the drive home.

EDIT#2 The driver's tank took right at 10 gallons to top it off, so the gauge WAS reading correctly for that side.
NOW, I gotta figure out why it ran out of gas at a half tank !!!

 

[bucket]

A gauge reading higher than it should is likely a bad ground. The sending unit could be to blame as well, but that usually doesn't cause such inconsistent readings.

 

[bucket]

After thinking more about it though, my money is on the pesky space aliens.

 

[mtnmankev]

I'm betting on the space aliens too, read edit#2 on my original post.

 

[Big Chip]

My truck does that when it’s really warm out. It acts like it’s running out of gas on the drivers side but if I switch the tank it’s fine. I’ll be watching to see what you come up with for an answer to that part of the mystery.

 

[mtnmankev]

It was a typical rather warm day in my part of Arizona, but the truck has never done this before.

Just another addition to the weird crap I put up with living where I do.

I WILL keep the thread posted of any developments.

 

[mtnmankev]

I have to make a trip tomorrow to the big city again, so I shall see if the truck does a repeat performance.
I will make sure the passenger tank has an honest 20 gallons in it just in case something goes awry.

 

[Big Chip]

It was a typical rather warm day in my part of Arizona, but the truck has never done this before.

Just another addition to the weird crap I put up with living where I do.

I WILL keep the thread posted of any developments.

Mine never did it until it did too.

 

[mtnmankev]

Just for giggles and laughs, I am going to pull the truck bed off and replace ALL the rubber gas lines. I have had a problem on small engines due to ethanol causing the inside to rot and collapse inward, blocking the flow of fuel.
I don't enjoy dropping gas tanks from the frame, especially when they are full.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

My 87 had perfect gas hoses, despite the ethanol and 32yrs.

It's aliens. And if you don't believe that, you're just a sheeple.

 

[mtnmankev]

My 87 had perfect gas hoses, despite the ethanol and 32yrs.

It's aliens. And if you don't believe that, you're just a sheeple.

I am very remote and off the grid, and I have had SO MANY weird things happen here in the past 11 years that defy explanation other than aliens.
And I am remote enough the space aliens can come and go as they please and never be noticed.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

I've been probed.

 

[Big Chip]

If you were closer to the border my guess would have definitely been aliens. Probably not the kind you’re talking about though.

 

[ScottyB]

I was told to tell you it is a goofy gauge. I'm not allowed to tell you who told me. Those probes hurt.

 

[mtnmankev]

I still need to find out how a full 20 gallon tank runs out of gas at the 10 gallon mark.