so when im going up hills my fuel gauge shows a lower amount of fuel than when im on level roads and more fuel when im going down hill. however, this isnt my first toyota truck and the other ones would show just the opposite. this is my first 1st gen truck though. so i guess my question would be is this only a 1st gen thing? if not what do you guys think this could be from?

 

mine does the exact same thing

 

do you know how the sending unit shows you your fuel level? Its a little float that floats on top of the gas and a potentiometer that changes voltage to your gas gauge. When you drive up a hill the float goes down because gas goes to the back of the tank. when you drive down a hill it goes up because gas goes to the front of the tank.

perfectly normal..my 1st gen did it, and so does my tacoma

 

ok so that answers that. now, where is the fuel picked up from? the front of the tank or the rear?

 

not sure where the fuel pick up on my '81 is, but my gauge reads just like yours and rowdy235's. Tiny 13.5 gallon tank drives me nuts....

 

oh, so it is a small tank? i was under the impression that it had a 16 gallon tank. hmm, that answers alot of questions. i ran out of fuel on the freeway a few weeks ago and barely made it off of the off ramp haha. and i thought that my fuel sending unit was faulty beacause when i refilled my tank i only got about 13 or so gallons in it.

 

if its a short bed its 13.5 gallons