The gas gauge on my 1999 Suburban started doing this lately, but only when idling : video

Once in motion, it steadies out. Still has a "quiver" about it thought.. a fast shimmy that is just barely noticeable.

Last week it would start, run for about 2 seconds, then shut off. Had it towed to the shop, and it cleared up before the mechanic could check it out. He ran a fuel pressure test, which read around 58-59 on whatever scale it measures. Said that might be a tiny bit low, but not serious.

He also says that fuel pumps are a common problem for this model. He quoted around $700 for the fuel pump replacement, but advised me to wait and see if it fails to run again so that he could determine if that is indeed the problem.

Anyone been through this, or had these symptoms?

 

Since the sending unit is part of the fuel pump assembly, it is very likely you need to replace it. The problem with waiting is that you might get stuck any time or any place.

 

A spastic fuel gauge is a common problem among GMC/Chevy vehicles. I've experienced this with a Blazer, GMC Sierra, & my GMC Suburban. Basically, I just learned to track my mileage and use that to determine my fuel levels. Not that hard to do.