Hi guys, newish owner and forum reader with a 2016 2Lt Outdoor, well pleased with the car.  A snag has arisen with the fuel gauge, wondering if anyone had a similar problem or any info. before I take it back to the agent.  Just nice to be forearmed before I go.
Fuel gauge was reading half, stopped the car for ten minutes and on restarting the gauge read empty.  Ran it for a couple of days and still on m/t, thought if I filled up it may prompt a correct reading, filled it to the top and the gauge read full, cracked it.... but no, 300 Km on and the gauge still shows full.  Ignition off the gauge falls to m/t, ignition on the needle goes hard over to full.

Sounds like a fault with the sender unit. Simple job to replace.

(One in my Lomax is exactly the same, but to get to it I've had to cut a hole in the floor!!)

Thanks for that, car booked in for next week.  I'll update then.

On 4/26/2017 at 13:47, EP90 said:

Thanks for that, car booked in for next week.  I'll update then.

 

Gauge started working of its own accord.  Took it to the dealer anyway, they checked connections but couldn’t find anything wrong , I’ll just wait and see how it goes.

The gauge on my new Monte Carlo has some erratic features. I filled up immediately after taking delivery and noted the gauge didn't start to move from full until I had done about 160 miles. It then started progressing downwards making a fairly representative overview as the tank approached near empty. Filled up again (46mpg) and it started making normal progress downwards almost immediately. Then after I had done about 150 miles it started showing absolutely full again for the next 50 miles or so. It is now descending at a fairly normal rate.

I’ll be checking mileage against gauge level as best I can until I gain confidence in its reliability and accuracy.

59 minutes ago, EP90 said:

I’ll be checking mileage against gauge level as best I can until I gain confidence in its reliability and accuracy.

Good luck with that!

Fuel gauges have never been very accurate or especially reliable. i have owned many cars and driven some more and have never found one which was accurate-an impression is the best I have seen and a fairly consistent one fairly often but not so good as to want to rely on. It is surprising when one considers the very precise fuel metering  which modern fuel injection involves that crude pointers based on signals from essentially primitive float sensors are still the best available. I've had ones which suggest that no fuel has been used for the first 100 miles and then suggest the last 100 miles use half a tank. I know neither can be true but still wonder why auto component makers still cannot measure from a full tank and then deduct the exact fuel the ECU knows has been used.

Totally agree.  I’ll be happy if it just continues to work without “sticking” at full or failing at half.  I tend to play it safe and don’t go to low levels, so as long as it trends downwards somewhere near the true level I’ll be content.

Mine sticks to full for the first 170/180 miles - car parked nose first on a fairly steep drive. If parked reverse then no issue - strange one and one I've mentioned with my dealer but always clears as around 170 miles and starts to read correctly so not a big issue.

Nearly 3 months on without a glitch with the gauge.  I've now forgiven her little indiscretion.