fuel gauge

Anyone elses fuel gauge give false readings? For example say you have half a tank & do a few miles round a few bends etc, steady driving, it shows you have a quarter of a tank... get on a strait road & it gradualy go's back up to half?

Im thinking sender unit but never heard of 1 fail?

Im sure I put more fuel in than nesserserry coz of this   

as you go round bend the fuel moves around so does the fuel level float so signal is varying then after some straight road it settles, personally I keep a mini jerry can strapped in boot just as never want be that twit out of fuel at side of road & never care what gauge reads until see the fuel light on :-)

Yeh I thought that but just wonderd if thertes a way of curing it as newr cars don't do this

Newer gauges are a bit smarter in terms of reading mean values in fast up & down changes plus possible better baffling in tank keeping fuel movement from pump & fuel float less inertia variable.

I imagine it would be possible to retro fit a float from a newer car that's a bit less temperamental as it is very annoying on a daily car but regular use of the car and you should know what mileage to expect from a tank. Another bit of old car character.

could be the float has a leak and taken in a bit of fuel which would make readings irratic

if you buy some petrol resistant foam then throw that in the top of the tank it will steady it off but its not really curing the problem if float has a leak

Not really as float assembly is quite specific in terms of resistor winding values to the dash gauge so not easily matched for a swap & the magic is done the other end with electronics evaluating & filtering rapid increase/decrease values from cornering. You would be easier looking at doing some baffle plate best can as also help fuel surge from pump pickup & as bob sugests check float, personally have no major issue with it but after 15yrs I probably just adapted although in all honesty don't find fuel gauge bad to read .

Il pull float out next week after RR day & have a nosey then

My gauge is not erratic, I does vary a little like most older cars but never to the point of giving me a seriously false reading.

how long you taking gaz I know what you mean I always thought it was what was in the fuel return pipe as all 4 Rs I owned do the same (doubt it holds quarter of a tank tho lol) not quite to the amounts your talking

johnny gtir wrote:how long you taking gaz I know what you mean I always thought it was what was in the fuel return pipe as all 4 Rs I owned do the same  (doubt it holds quarter of a tank tho lol) not quite to the amounts your talking

Its not erattic, its just I can fill up then it will say ive got quarter of a tank less than what I filled up in 5 miles then it will kreep back up to where I filled up to etc like the sender is lazy?

sounds like it sounds more extreme then normal mate

Ill explain on Saturday lol

You think your gauge is crazy? I've got a shitty Vauxhall Astra I share with my mum and in that thing the fuel gauge just goes up and up the further you drive and it's unreliable, sometimes it will run out of petrol on a qaurter of a tank and if you park on a kerb so the drivers side is lower than the passenger with any less than a quarter of a tank and leave it running for a few seconds it will run out until you get it on flat ground again   

I think it was once converted to LPG but it has been removed so it must be something to do with the tit that fitted/removed the LPG conversion   

My gauge has always been alright until i changed my fuel pump it then went tits up think it maybe the plastic top where it plugs in ive got a spare sender so going to try that first .... becareful not to yank any wires out when you pull it out though gaz its not a difficult job i can do mine in less than 10mins now its been out so many times lol ...

Yeh had it out before to check it had a walbro fitted