fuel tank full - gauge not

[ronhud]

The last two times I have filled up with diesel I have run the pump until it clicked off automatically and then continued filling until the level looking down into the filler tube seemed to be a few inches below the top. But then when I switched on the ignition and let the gauge rise ( which is very slow) it only reached the 3/4 mark. Before filling the gauge pointed at the thin marker on the left and to my surprise it only took 20 litres to being full - anyone else experienced this and any ideas of the cause/solution.
Ron

[haydn callow]

You probably need to put a new earth wire on the sender unit...common fault....easy fix.

[bigdaddycain]

The last two times I have filled up with diesel I have run the pump until it clicked off automatically and then continued filling until the level looking down into the filler tube seemed to be a few inches below the top. But then when I switched on the ignition and let the gauge rise ( which is very slow) it only reached the 3/4 mark. Before filling the gauge pointed at the thin marker on the left and to my surprise it only took 20 litres to being full - anyone else experienced this and any ideas of the cause/solution.
Ron

Has your gauge always behaved this way Ron? Mine has always only indicated 3/4 full, till i get about 10 minutes down the road, when it then shows up as brimmed on the gauge... I just put it down to bongo quirkiness...

[cheffy34]

Seens were on the subject of fuel gauges mine seems to run for ever on empty infact the needle drops below the red reserve thats when i fill up no matter how long i keep it on the red there always seems to be 10l of petrol left in it when i top up, is my gauge faulty guy's or is it as bdc say quirkiness


Dar

[ronhud]

BDC - no it has only just started to work like this. It has always taken a few minutes to register full properly but now it never reaches full. I'll follow up Haydn's tip - I guess the sender is somewhere on the fuel tank so I will have to jack up the back end.

Ron

[haydn callow]

The sender is...slide the middle seat as far back as you can.....pull the carpet towards the middle from the drivers side....you will see a metal plate in the floor......it's under that....dead easy.
Kirsty has a photo somwhere.

[missfixit70]

Here you go -

[ronhud]

Hey guys - what a cracking response - many thanks
Ron

[David Edwards]

Why not make this sticky, it is happening more and more and loads have asked about it recently,with those cracking photos it makes it so easy to locate and rectify.

[missfixit70]

Why not make this sticky, it is happening more and more and loads have asked about it recently,with those cracking photos it makes it so easy to locate and rectify.

We'd end up with too many stickies if that theory was applied across the board.
The FAQ section at the top of the forum is gradually being updated to include as many of these more common problems as possible, & the factsheets are also gradually being expanded.

[Mike&Katie]

I've just had this issue, but sorted it out by following the pointers from here. just connected a new earth wire from the old to one of the screws that hold the fuel tank inspection plate on. i now have a full tank!

Mike.

[ronhud]

Update - problem fixed with the help of the info posted on this thread, thanks.
Question - I assumed the 'clamp' like thing was the earth but I've not come across this device before. How does it work, is the spiral outer sheath an earth wire? I couldnt find anything the clamp had been fixed to so how did it funtion before it stopped?
Ron

[wend1968]

thanks guys. great pics too. will have a look on weekend and let you know how I get on. Cheers everyone.

[ronhud]

The assumption I made in my earlier post was.... mad! I subsequently found that one of the 2 wires was the earth and used spade terminals to connect it to a short length of wire earthed to a screw in the inspection plate.
Ron