Possible causes

– Faulty fuel level sensor
– Fuel level sensor harness is open or shorted
– Fuel level sensor circuit poor electrical connection

When is the code detected?

The output signal of the fuel level sensor does not change within the specified range even though the vehicle has been driven a long distance.

Symptoms

– Engine Light ON (or Service Engine Soon Warning Light)
– Incorrect fuel level reading

P0461 SATURN Description

The fuel level sensor consists of a float, a wire float arm, and a ceramic resistor cord. The position of the float arm indicates the fuel level. The fuel level sensor contains a variable resistor, which changes resistance in correspondence to the amount of fuel in the fuel tank. The Engine Control Module (ECM) sends the fuel level information via the class 2 circuit to the instrument panel (I/P) cluster. This information is used for the I/P fuel gage and the low fuel warning indicator, if applicable. The ECM also monitors the fuel level input for various diagnostics.

SATURN Technical Service Bulletins for P0461 code