Possible to make the petrol gauge accurate?

[Jim 2]

This might sound like a stupid one (what else would you expect from me though eh?) but just want to get an idea!

 

I don't know if a lot of Corrado's are like this but the fuel gauge on mine isn't particularly accurate. Say if I fill the tank up to the brim, the needle heads to the top of the gauge but then as it makes its way to the bottom of the gauge as I drive the car, over time, it seems to speed through certain sections but hang around in other areas of the gauge.

 

And i'm starting to think that when it indicates that its about empty, that its not really anywhere near. If I fill up from around empty, I can get about 47 quid of petrol or 56 or so litres. If I have the later tank (15 gallon) then surely I still have another 14 litres or so of fuel in there, despite the gauge indicating its nearly bone dry.

 

So to sum up.. what would need replacing in the fuel system to make it give me a pretty accurate reading about whats in the tank? Or is it just one of those things that I should learn to live with..

[Shilakadaddy 0]

I have more petrol when I brake and less when I accelerate apparently :roll: ... it would be nice to know how much fuel I actually have.. I also don't understand the reason for having the half way mark not at half way? I have the early 12 gallon tank... with 7 as the half way.. crazy germans!

[bristolbaron 11]

I found out that mine is actually empty before the red warning line.. the hard way!!

[Andi 2,147,483,647]

You could always take the needle off then reposition it up a bit ;)

Take longer to get to empty then :)

[Jim 2]

lol.. well I dont think the clocks have been apart before so I dont intend to start doing that kind of malarky.

 

Problem is i'd like to find out how empty it has to be on the gauge before it actually is empty but dont wanna find myself stranded. Suppose I should stick a fiver of fuel in a jerry can and just keep driving till it runs out one day.

[blackcat 0]

I have the early 12 gallon tank... with 7 as the half way.. crazy germans!

 

I know, how wierd is that, can Germans not count?

[stevemac 0]

I should stick a fiver of fuel in a jerry can and just keep driving till it runs out one day.

I think that's the best way.

 

Mine reads completely empty while there's still approx 5 litres left. :shock:

[bristolbaron 11]

Suppose I should stick a fiver of fuel in a jerry can and just keep driving till it runs out one day.

 

Took me 2 cans before mine would start!! I was on a hill though.

[G60Jet 1]

Park on a hill with the front downhill you've got more petrol then lol seriouly though, mine drops fast from a full tank and flows as the tank empties, makes sort of sence as the car is lighter the emptier the tank is.

[Guest]

when mine gets to the red i have around 15litres of fuel! crazy. fill the tank up and do about ten miles then the needle has dropped from top line to half way! mad

[Rossco 0]

lol.. well I dont think the clocks have been apart before so I dont intend to start doing that kind of malarky.

 

Problem is i'd like to find out how empty it has to be on the gauge before it actually is empty but dont wanna find myself stranded. Suppose I should stick a fiver of fuel in a jerry can and just keep driving till it runs out one day.

 

You dont want to do that mate, when the fuel level gets low it will pick up all the crap thats been sitting at the bottom of your tank and block your pump or your fuel filter, i rekon, as with many other things in the corrado, just live with it 8)

[G60Jet 1]

lol.. well I dont think the clocks have been apart before so I dont intend to start doing that kind of malarky.

 

Problem is i'd like to find out how empty it has to be on the gauge before it actually is empty but dont wanna find myself stranded. Suppose I should stick a fiver of fuel in a jerry can and just keep driving till it runs out one day.

 

You dont want to do that mate, when the fuel level gets low it will pick up all the crap thats been sitting at the bottom of your tank and block your pump or your fuel filter, i rekon, as with many other things in the corrado, just live with it 8)

I ran my MK2 festa down to far once, blocked the fuel filter up nicely

[andycowuk 0]

The sender is a float on an arm, sort of like the thing in the bog that stops the systern over flowing...... the float/arm/potentiometer can be adjusted to read 0 correctly with a small screw driver. Just lift the lid on the tank and take a look... its pretty obvious once you are in there.

I set mine when I change the fuel pump, and its about right, I put about £55-£57 pounds worth in when the needle hits the end of the white at the bottom of the red!!!

[Jim 2]

Well I filled the car right up yesterday from what I considered to be pretty damn empty with Sainsburys super unleaded (which for the record seems to be pretty good actually and a bit cheaper than ultimate) and even though I thought the car must have been near bone dry it would only take 56 litres or around 46 quids worth. So I can only assume I do have a fair few miles left in the tank before its actually empty.

 

And cheers for that Andy - thats useful to know. I'd personally never dare go that far down the gauge though.. hehe :)

[chargedupstorm 0]

Ever considered why we didn't get a petrol warning light or buzzer? - Maybe for the exact reasons of the inaccuracy of the gauge or float arm on the pump.

Annoyingly mine used to be relatively accurate, until I had an uprated fuel pump fitted. I can only assume the float arm was disturbed :-( I've added it to my list of annoyances that need attention.

[Henny 0]

You could always take the needle off then reposition it up a bit ;)

Take longer to get to empty then :)

 

Nope, Sorry, you can't... The needle's on a semi-circular connector (as is the temp needle) so it'll only go back on in one position... :|

 

I have the early 12 gallon tank... with 7 as the half way.. crazy germans!

 

I know, how wierd is that, can Germans not count?

 

Guys, you're all forgetting that the car is German, and therefore METRIC! ;)

 

The tank is NOT 12 or 15 Gallons, it's 55 or 70 Litres! That's slightly over 12 or 15 gallons, however half of it IS around the 7 or 8 gallons shown on the gauges as the readings are rounded to the closest full gallon for the halfway mark... ;) :roll:

 

The reason that the tank level gauge varies so much is that the tank is an odd shape, so it's not a perfect "if the float is half way down the tank's height, you have half a tank of fuel" scenario... There's a fudge factor built into the gauge sender/float mechanism which tries (allbeit badly) to correct the reading so it's more linear...

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The easiest solution to this is to not go into the red!

[Henny 0]

yeah, with ya there Kev... I just ignore the petrol gauge and go by the trip counter... I know that once it hits 340 miles in J-DUB (70L tank) or 280 miles in the Grey G60,(55L tank) I need to fill up! :D 8)

[olly elworthy 0]

the float arm travels down through the tank as it empties so the level marked on the gauge is linearly proportional to that,

however the tank is not a constant shape as the arm travels down therefore the rate at which the tank empties is not linear,

no way to get around this really unless you re-marked the lines on the gauge, but doees it matter really?

surely all we are worried about is wether or not we are going to run out of fuel?

[Andi 2,147,483,647]

Suppose I should stick a fiver of fuel in a jerry can and just keep driving till it runs out one day.

 

Took me 2 cans before mine would start!! I was on a hill though.

 

Where I work we had a van run out of diesel when going up the steep hill. They did a 3 pointer, and drove up the hill in reverse - then along the flat for 500 metres to the petrol station - it worked :)

[bigbob 0]

hey jim

 

i always found my rado petrol tank to change depending on whether i was accelerating/braking

 

and i bet it isnt near empty when it says it is!