'01 Taurus SE low fuel light

[Falcon_LS]

Got an '01 Taurus with 87,000 miles on the clock I'm trying to sort out. Yesterday the low fuel light came on, despite there being a full tank of fuel, and the RPMs began to fluctuate as if there was a problem with the IAC.

If you didn't keep the RPM high enough (1,000+), the engine dies. When the engine died the second time, it did not start - there was a clicking sound and the battery was dead. Jump started it, but the problem is still there. The battery keeps dying (only 6 months old), don't know if it's coincidence so will have to check it later on.

What could cause a low fuel light to come on when the tank is full? There is no CEL, and there are no codes stored in the PCM. Thanks!

 

[oilboy123]

Start with the simple things. Recharge the battery fully if it's not charged 100%. Then make sure the alternator is charging. If the battery was low enough that's why it was not starting. You could go somewhere like Autozone to have a free charging check up. It's also possible your starter is going bad. But check the charging and battery first.

If the battery get's low enough it will let the engine die.

Don't know why the gas light is coming on? You could have some other problem than what I am talking about. But this is where I would start.

 

[JimPghPA]

Just a long shot here, but if it were mine I would add additional ground wires from (-) of battery to chasis and another from engine block to chasis.

Probably not your problem since a bad ground wire is rare, but if it is the problem, it can cause all kind of problems and it can be darn hard to find. Bad ground can be caused by oxidation at mount point. Sometimes if you traced it down, all you have to do is remove the groung conection and clean metal area and eye lug with sandpaper.

A bad ground of the gas tank can also cause problems. That can happen if the straps holding tank are the ground, and they oxidize.

 

[mechtech2]

I'd check and clean all of your battery cables, and where they seat.
Nice and shiny clean.
There should be a separate wire or two for the computer - make sure they are perfect.
This sounds like the problem here, but if not, you have done a very good thing for bunches of reasons.

 

[chad8]

i have a Taurus. sounds like an alternator diode problem but not sure. Here is a link to the best Taurus club around ,you will find it .Join and ask. Let us know the answer.

http://www.taurusclub.com/forum/index.php?s=a550ed964eb555660018411e9255ad6e&