FdWannaBePt2

okay so i noticed a few months ago and its happened a few times since then, that when im near empty on fuel the needle will go crazy sometimes and drop all the way to the bottom and i dont mean "e" but far below that like it bottoms out or something. Now today i was driving in traffic stop n go slightly up hill when i noticed that the temp needle when it almost went to the top white line then it would hang around there momentarily like 15-20 seconds then drop back to the middle. It did it twice today the second time i was driving but with no traffic. Do you guys think its an eletrical problem cuz i was panicing so hard when i saw that. I thought it was overheating legit (not that i dont know for sure) but even after all that it drove ok.
A weird think though is too that after the first incident i filled up with coolant and noticed some black stuff that was trying to float to the top then when i pulled it out of the filler spout it looked and smelled like parts of a rubber line of somesort. How worried should i be. Please help.Thanks ALOT!

CantGoStraight

black stuff in coolant is usually carbon and oil residue. a fluctuating water temp needle can be air in the system, boiling as it passes the temperature sensor. I saw this when I had a bad coolant seal and air was getting in the system. It doesn't explain the fuel gauge so I won't treat them as one and the same incident. The fact that you said you added coolant and noticed the black stuff would indicate the cooling system needs further investigation.

FdWannaBePt2

Well i already knew there was oil contamination but yesterday i found bits and piece of a rubber hose line about the same size as a mouse cord

swilson@assetworks.com

iTrader: (13)

If I were you I would flush the coolant and put an aftermarket temp guage on there ASAP.
Need to check your main hoses for soft spots that will turn into "blisters" and burst at the worst possible time.

chinaman

I would have to agree with this, that your coolant hoses may be decomposing which will explain pieces of rubber. As far as the fuel gauge is concerned, faulty fuel level sensor?

FdWannaBePt2

well i juss replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses with stock hoses. I was looking at the cooling system diagram and i couldn't see any other hoses