Fuel gauge has lost it

4lex · 17-01-2005, 11:52 AM

The fuel gauge in my EB2 has lost the plot. It can't decide how much fuel it thinks it has half the time, the other half it (appears) to work OK.

I know there's a known issue with the odo's packing up, what about the fuel gauge? Is this likely to be the gauge or the sender? Does it mean major aggravation to change the sender?

Cheers,
Alex

MotherNatureVer2 · 17-01-2005, 12:03 PM

I have a similar problem with my EB2 ............ I have noticed on longer trips when I start with a full tank & I mean chockers full ( the needle actually sits a bit over the full mark on the gauge) ...... It reads top what I believe is a true reading .......... When she gets to about half way I have figured out I have about 1/4 tank left ...... well it seems that way .....

The best solution I have found is to keep the tank full & be aware of it ;)

Smoked · 17-01-2005, 01:32 PM

Every E series has this problem i bet. Just use your trip meter to calculate how much you have. Mother Nature, mine has done that, says 1/2 left when only a qtr remains.

using my Trip meter, after 350k's, my car needs another fill.

Casper · 17-01-2005, 01:40 PM

Not every E Series.....every Falcon. I've had exactly the same issues as MN has said in my XC, XD, EB, EF and AU.

And the DTE is just as dodgy. I've had it on 63km to go and suddenly run out of fuel. I've also had it on 0 and travelled another 5 or 6 kms to the next servo (sweating every second of that one).

InitialD · 17-01-2005, 01:50 PM

My EA does the exact same thing, Anoys the hell out of me. it will sit over the Full mark for 100k's like MN said, then suddenly go 1/2 then 1/4 in 80k's or less.

Ohh and if I put say 10Ltrs in the car, it shows 1/2! when its only got under a 1/4 in

:

Is it the clusters that have the problem? or the sender? as my old XE, etc didnt do it. I was considering on getting the cluster recalibrated (VDO does it for $50).

EA_Bender · 17-01-2005, 02:04 PM

In my EA2 i turn the car on, the needle rises to full then drops straight back to empty, that ones weirding me out.. but im changing the fuel pump soon and ill have a play with the sender, see if that fixes anything

bender

4lex · 17-01-2005, 02:05 PM

Thanks for the answers, but this isn't the problem. I'd quite happily learn what it meant if it did the same each time, but its behaviour is erratic, will give a 'true' reading when first started, then flickers about anywhere between empty and the true reading regardless of whether the car (or the fuel in the tank) is moving.

The odo's broken too....... :(

Aaron_EF8 · 17-01-2005, 02:06 PM

Like Casper said, its every Falcon. I had the same problem with my XF S-pack, the bars (elec. dash in them) would be one over half, for ages, then drop to almost red in 50km.

My car I don't even use the fuel gauge its so inaccurate, I find the DTE is a lot more accurate on mine.

Casper · 17-01-2005, 02:07 PM

It coudl be some sort of earthing problem similar to the AU oil pressure gauge issues. It freaks you out when you glance down to see oil pressure pegged well passed the red high pressure warning but its simply an intermittant earthing problem.
Sounds like yours may be a similar issue with the fuel guage.

4lex · 17-01-2005, 02:15 PM

Yeah, it's clearly a problem with the sender, gauge, or associated wiring. I was just interested to know if it's a common fault which'd save me the time of taking apart stuff which is probably OK.

I hope there's an access panel to get at the fuel tank? The sender will be a hell of a job if not....

pepsimax · 17-01-2005, 04:15 PM

my old xf used to be like that,,it ran of petrol one night and the guage said i had 1/4 of a tank,,it did it once when the guage was on 1/2,,and going up vic pass at night and running out of petrol ain't fun i tell ya's..scary that was

bindi · 17-01-2005, 04:24 PM

You ran outta petrol on Mt Vic pass? OMG that would've scared the shyte outta me! There's nowhere to pull over either... ugh!

On really hot days the temp flies up going up the pass, it is truly an awful piece of Aussie highway.

Just FYI for non-mountain-ites this thing has a 1/8 gradient rating... trucks are speed limited to 40kph but can't even make it to that, even empty. And if you get stuck behind one, that's it you've got no hope of getting your speed back.

pepsimax · 17-01-2005, 04:36 PM

yeah half way up the really steep part just before you reach the top

MotherNatureVer2 · 17-01-2005, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepsimax

yeah half way up the really steep part just before you reach the top

Bugga that ...................

Smoked · 17-01-2005, 08:45 PM

Yeah i know of where you talk, scariest piece of Road ive been on. I used to think the QLD ranges were bad, but after driving on that pass, im goin to find alt route.

Aaron_EF8 · 17-01-2005, 09:02 PM

If it was a sender issue, wouldnt the 'fuel in litres' readout on the diagnostic mode on the dashboard in EF-onwards Falcons be all over the place as well??

One thing I've noticed, is the red fuel light generally won't come on the dash until there is 80km to go, whether i'm going fairly hard, or highway cruising.

fudge1979 · 17-01-2005, 10:21 PM

I don't know what you guys are talking about, I recon Mt Vic pass is a great piece of road especialy going down (going up is not to bad if there are no semis or if you don't run out of petrol!!!!)
When i had my stuffed radiator i was driving back from Coonabarabran heading to Sydney, at night trying to drift as much as possible but still my radiator would over heating (had to stop for 45mins to let the raditor cool down and refil it)(turned a six 1/2 hour trip into 11 hours). I was dreading Mt Vic pass, going up it at 4am sweat was pouring down my neck and I was worring about nothing didn't have a problem at all for the next hour

bindi · 18-01-2005, 09:53 AM

It's just scary stuff if you have a problem with your car, I would've been sweating it too re the radiator.

And there are two back ways around Mt Vic Pass, one is of course Bells Line but the other is a little known dirt/tar road that goes through an Historical Town that's basically poisoned by the earth and previous government/farming methods - can't farm on it by law.

Wow we got right away from poor Alex's post about his fuel gauge, is this a record?

Alex, I think that most fuel gauges are screwed, but yours sounds like it was working till recently... so perhaps another sender, another instrument cluster, or rely on your trip meter like most of us have to

pepsimax · 18-01-2005, 12:32 PM

yep and the other little road is called little hartly road or something and it comes out not quite half way along the causeway between mt vic and bell