Oh, that crazy gas gauge!

[floydr007]

Might ought to report that pump to your state board of weights & measures.

when they say that the tank holds 21 gallons or whatever, is that just the tank, or does it include the filler neck too? Just wondering, that could account for some of this discrepancy.

 

[kert0307]

I believe the distance you're suppose to be able to drive after the light comes on is 30 miles, at least thats what the dealer said about my parents sable....could just be bs.

 

[steph8]

It's all related to the placement of the fuel pump/sender/float at the rear of the tank. Facing downhill, the guage will read 1/8 to 1/4 low, facing uphill will read 1/8 to 1/4 high. This is also why, if you get gas at a station with an incline, you will be able to get more gas in when facing downhill vs flat or uphill, so if you are trying to calculate milage, make sure you take this into account. I try finding cheap gas at stations with inclines so I can face downhill and pump as much in as I can......

Last summer, I was working in Labrador City and one of the two gas stations is on a slope. I can testify that you can fill an extra gallon or more when you are fuelling downhill.

 

[msmith65]

At $2.30 - $2.40 a gallon for regular, driving 500+ miles per week, running this thing gets might damn expensive. Cheap gas is a must.

If it costs too much to fill your tank, just fill it halfway.

 

[hunterdan]

I once put a little over 20 gallons in my 17 gallon tank. That was filled all the way up just before it flows out of the filler neck. I think i was a little below 1/8 of a tank too. That was just after the pumps were checked by the state, as I watched them be checked. The guy even said that the pumps were giving more than stated.

Dan

 

[offset_98]

Mine fluctuates a lot and especially when I park on my (angled) driveway. When the "Check Gage" light comes on I've already driven 75 miles with it on.

 

[inh]

just to help clear this up, while the guage my fluctuate when you drive up or down hill, the biggest and most noticable differnece is when you start your car on an incline. That can throw your fuel guage off 1/4 a tank, and it will stay 1/4 off no matter if you drive to flat gorund or not. So if you park on a hill (Facing up), you have less gas than it shows when you start, and you have more gas than indicated if your truck is started while facing downhill

 

[offset_98]

Mine seems to correct itself within 15 minutes or so. I've never had any fuel gauge problems.

 

[reserved50]

http://www.alldata.tsb.com/TSB/972015_en.html

will this TSB have anything to do with the problem?

97B17 FEB 98 Campaign - Fuel Gauge/Sender Assembly

 

[ajr2000]

The gas gauge on the Chevy full size van I drive for work fluctuates a lot too. This isn't just an explorer thing.

 

[Turdle]

If you park facing uphill, it will seem like you are getting better fuel mileage.

 

[reserved50]

yea but sometimes they have an update like a different sending unit, or baffles in the tank or a gauge to prevent the fuel from sloshing or so the needle doesnt react as fact by updating an electrical part etc

 

[ma96782]

That was just after the pumps were checked by the state, as I watched them be checked. The guy even said that the pumps were giving more than stated.

Yup.....the state checks all gas pumps w/in their jurisdiction. There is a sticker that is attached to the gas pump to tell folks when the last inspection was done.

Also, it would depend on the abient air temp. at the time of the test. I don't KNOW if an adjustment is made for that.

Owners will adjust the deliver of a pump, IF the pump, is pumping too much. Lost profits, right.

Next time you see the guy testing the pump delivery........try asking, "Who is responsible for and/or who is testing, octane?" You'll be surprised.

Aloha, Mark


PS..............BTW............just cause the tank size is X.........don't forget to add for fuel lines and filler neck.............then again you might not want to have the gas all the way up to the top of the filler neck. Expansion of the gas, right.

 

['97 V8]

I just got my gauge fixed. It never was the sender assembly, it was the damn cluster. can attest to the downhill fluctuation now. What sucks the most is, ou get visual punishment of you playing with the skinny pedal too much by the gas guage going down. : (