JetSepter Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Ok, La Jet Sept has been with me now for five days from new, and she's decided that with petrol prices the way they are, I'd be a lot happier if I thought the tank just remained full no matter what. Or to put it another way, either the gauge or the sender has already developed a fault. Gauge showed full, I put in 10 litres. Any pointers? Though I shall be passing the showroom on the way home today, so I'll probably call in to have a word/hopefully get it put right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_Russell Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I think I am right in saying that the dials read 100% is there is a short to earth between the sender and the gauge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S47zzz Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 It's usually the empty indication that's way out, reading bottom of the red mark when there is a gallon or more left TADTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3MCJez Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I'll follow with interest, as after a clonk on Sunday, the dial is now reading completely full. And I know it's nearly empty. Jez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prangerman Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Jez Is the car the right way up? Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSepter Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Well, Caterham didn't solve it this afternoon, though they told me they thought they had - sender sticking, they said. If so, it has remained stuck, since once I turned the key, the needle slowly moved to the extreme right, where it stayed until I turned the ignition off in Bromley. This is making 'Betty' a little too much like my Mark Six of years ago, which had small tank and no gauge at all. You had to keep a very careful eye on the mileage. Brass dipping stick, anyone? More seriously, does anyone know a series of tests that could be applied to track down the cause? All the rest of the gauges and switches are working fine, so I don't think it is a generic dashboard earth problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 One thing you could try to see if the sender unit is working is as follows: 1) Fill the tank 1/3 to 1/2 full 2) Disconnect the sender at the tank under the boot floor. 3) Connect a multimeter to the sender set on the ohms range, set to about 200 ohms scale. It should read somewhere between approx 10 and 150 4) Rock the car back and forward - you should hear the fuel sloshing about. Alternatively jack up one side of the car and then the other 5) Observe the meter. You should get quite a lot of change in the reading. If you do then the sender is OK, and your problem lies elsewhere. If you dont then its probably time for a new one. Happy hunting ! Edited by - Angus on 29 Mar 2011 19:56:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Git Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Fuel gauges notoriously unreliable. Recommend finding out how far you can go on a tankful and zeroing the trip meter each time you fill up. Only ran dry once while "finding out how far I could go on a tankful" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSepter Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Angus - thanks for the specific ideas for checking. Today I called in to the factory to seek their advice. The more necessary since, despite having driven 60 miles yesterday, the battery barely turned the engine this morning and failed to start the car. (A power pack did, if you're wondering how I got to the factory.) I thought the two might be related. They checked the electrics over and said the sender was working OK. Their explanation for the gauge reading, which gelled with something I read elsewhere, was that the float did not move linearly, and effectively one could have something approximating accuracy at either the top or bottom end of the scale, but not both. Caterham erred towards the bottom end, feeling knowledge of an empty tank was more important than a full one. So very often one saw no movement in the needle till the tank was half empty. Then it would go down quite quickly. I wait to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSepter Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Yup. It done wot they sed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSepter Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 The Old Git approach obviously has a lot to recommend it, especially since I too would probably fall into that category (my other car is a Volvo 😳. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now