Diagnostic Aids

Check for any of the following conditions:

• If DTC P0463 is also displayed, diagnose that DTC first.
• A stuck fuel level sensor may cause DTC P0461 to set.
• A faulty electrical connection at the PCM

The scan tool will display a default value of 100 percent all the time when a fuel level sensor circuit DTC is present. Any current or stored fuel level sensor circuit DTCs P0463 or P0461 must be cleared before diagnosing the fuel level sensor circuit with a scan tool.

An open in the fuel level sensor circuit will indicate a 0 percent fuel level, while a short to ground in the fuel level sensor circuit will indicate a 100 percent fuel level.

Check the resistance of the fuel level sensor at the following positions:

If a DTC P0461 is intermittent, driving the vehicle under the following conditions can verify whether the fault is present. Perform the scan tool Clear DTC Information function. Road test the vehicle while monitoring the DTC P0461 diagnostic on the scan tool under the Not Ran Since Code Cleared selection in the DTC Information menu. If a DTC P0461 appears in the Not Ran Since Code Cleared list, the P0461 diagnostic has not yet run. When the DTC P0461 does not appear in the Not Ran Since Code Cleared list, the P0461 diagnostic has run. If the MIL is NOT ILLUMINATED, and there is no Pending DTC Status in DTC Information, the P0461 diagnostic has passed. The DTCs MUST be cleared in order to view the Current Status of the Not Ran Since Code Cleared list. DO NOT forget that the Not Ran Since Code Cleared list only indicates that the test has run, not whether the test passed or failed. The DTC Information screen must be checked for Current or Pending status in order to determine the outcome of the diagnostic test involved.

An intermittent malfunction may be caused by a problem in the fuel level sensor electrical circuit. Inspect the wiring harness and components for any of the following conditions:

• Any backed-out terminals
• Any improper mating of terminals
• Any broken electrical connector locks
• Any improperly formed or damaged terminals
• Any faulty terminal-to-wire connections
• Any physical damage to the wiring harness
• A broken wire inside the insulation
• Any corrosion of the electrical connections, the splices, or the terminals

If the DTC P0461 cannot be duplicated, the information included in the Freeze Frame data can be useful in determining vehicle operating conditions when the DTC was first set.