View Full Version : Fuel guage accuracy?
Hi,
I notice the fuel guage on my, 96 1.6 seems to dive like wanno as soon as it reaches a 1/4 full, is this the same for everyone? If so I guess it's the shape of the fuel tank, it's a bit disconcerting!
--Phatman
justinwhitehead
25-09-2002, 12:10
I think its a common problem, cos my 2.0 cordobas fuel gauge drives me mad, and it does go down well quick after the 1/4 full mark.
Sometimes if I turn the ignition off then on again I get a different reading, sometimes nearly as much as 1/4 of a tank difference.
My mates Ibiza Cupra Sport 16v has exactly the same problems.
You just have to live with it Im afraid.
cordobabrendy
25-09-2002, 12:48
if you fill mine up to 53 litres from empty it sits at full for about 80 miles then as soon as it moves ..WHOOOSh down to half in less than 45 miles!! then once in the red it seems to last that extra mile to go to the shops on a sunday morning for the paper!! :P
cordobabrendy
25-09-2002, 12:49
oh and i usually get 240 miles out of a tank, no matter really how hard or easy i drive it, half and half mix of city and mway driving.
tho i did get 300 miles out of a tank last month when it was about 75% motorway driving down and back up from dublin. ...more like it!!
Like you CB, I tend to get more like 300 miles to a tank until the reserve light comes on. But my gauge characteristics are stable. It goes like this:
Fill up, stays on full until about 2/3 of a tank. The gauge points to 1/2 when it has got about 1/3 of a tank. Like some of the rest of you, the last 1/4 on the gauge seems to go like crazy, but it's enough for about 30-45 miles warning, depending on how you drive.
I've never run out of petrol, but I reckon when the gauge points to the red, she's out of juice. The gauge has always been the same and so I've come on to rely on what it's telling me and translating it to what is actually happening. No fuel gauge is accurate, or put it this way, I've never come across one.
BTW, I put 30 litres in the tank when the reserve light comes on, good for about 200 miles and keeps the back-end light.
cordobabrendy
06-10-2002, 23:14
i was 10 yards short of a garage last year when i ran out, i was able to use the battery and first gear to pull me into the forecourt!! phew!! the red mark is exactly where it runs out, i remember in my old ibiza the red mark meant that there was astill a little left, regularly running well below it, the cordoba was exactly on the money.
Oooh bugger. That hurt the starter motor. Hope everything's OK. At least you know that the red line is somewhere you definitely don't want to go anywhere near. From what I can gather (I haven't run out of fuel), mine's fairly accurate when it's into the reserve.
cordobabrendy
08-10-2002, 00:53
did you know you can fit 53 litres, maybe slightly more into its supposed 48 litre tank!!!
its true
if you hit the little black nozzle every so often while you are filling up it releases all of the vapour thats taking up valuable petrol space, only really fill it right up to this if you know that your going to do a few mileas before you leave it for a while so that any expansion of warm petrol will not cause any damage to your tank.
ifit helps, ive done 10 miles after doing this several times and it hasnt hurt my tank yet, but i do get a noticeably larger range ! can't complain about that can i??
Yeah, that sounds about right actually, being able to fill your tank like that. I'd like to be on the safe side though. Most of the time I only put 30 litres in anyway, keeps the car a bit lighter in the back and more responsive. It gives me about 200 mile range, sometimes a bit more.
Have you had your car chipped yet Brendy?
cordobabrendy
12-10-2002, 23:22
not yet mate, but im still toying with the idea of booking in the day or two before alconbury, all id be worried about is afterservice if something goes tits up!!
Yeah, can see your point. I have noticed a couple of times mine's detted on full throttle, but the det sensor is doing a proper job of getting the ECU to alter ignition timing. Funny thing is, it's never constant, and never repeats, just a couple of pinks and that's it! I'm going to ignore as it's only happened a couple of times. It still drives so much better.
cordobabrendy
13-11-2002, 19:01
Originally posted by cordobabrendy
oh and i usually get 240 miles out of a tank, no matter really how hard or easy i drive it, half and half mix of city and mway driving.
tho i did get 300 miles out of a tank last month when it was about 75% motorway driving down and back up from dublin. ...more like it!!
im starting to get 265 -270 out of mine now, but i am definatley going a little bit easier round town, ie mostly 3rd instead of 2nd. barely use first at all ...unless im wearing my awkward shoes that are a pain in the arse to clutch with!!
got 310 out of a tank of optimax while i was over in england last week. think i did 600 miles in total. on another note, i managed to get 13mpg constant for 20 miles of track at alconbury (tho was registering at 9 for most of it.) , 10 quid = 13 litres roughly covering 40 miles works out at 13.8 mpg but that included the couple of miles in journey to and from garage!:jog:
Lucky_32
13-11-2002, 19:19
Yep - 1/4 full and the gauge plummets down.
Had the light come on 30 miles from home during the petrol crisis - got 40+ miles per gallon!!! Alot of de-clutching and coasting down hills!!:rolleyes:
cordobabrendy
13-11-2002, 19:28
phew, glad im not the only one that does that every so often. esp whe nyour in an area that you dont really know, so you dont know how far the next garage is!!:eek: