Fuel reserve??

francofontain · Post by **francofontain** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:18 am

Anyone out there know what the fuel reserve is??? Very boring evening at work after driving in with the fuel light on!!!

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:59 am

You've got a eul light!!!!

wow

I just have to guess

H

NeilT · Post by **NeilT** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:34 am

weird... I was just about to ask if there was a fuel tank? is there?

Post by **Simon Jones** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:09 am

I think fuel light is only on the newer models (99 onwards?). There has been discussion on here recently about fitting one, but if you fill up when it gets to about 1/4, you should never get caught out.

timhum · Post by **timhum** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:42 am

I have been caught out twice in as many years thinking I have just got enough to get home.
With ruthless Japanese effeciency, when that needle drops to the bottom mark, forget looking for the garage with Nectar points, visit the first one you see. That is how I came a cropper anyway.
Re-starting can be tedious and you need a battery in fairly good nick to get going again. About six long start ups did the trick in the end.

francofontain · Post by **francofontain** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:22 am

I feel privilaged with my fuel light now

Disagree with 99 onwards tho, as mine is a 97. Ah well I might risk it one day with a fuel can

David Edwards · Post by **David Edwards** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:31 pm

I think there is near enough a gallon left when the tank shows red,(according to a bongo mechanic) most vehicles these days are the same, almost like the old reserve tank on my Triumph Herald..Ahhh now there was a motor,Happy motoring.

neil/di · Post by **neil/di** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:03 pm

Mine dsent have a reserve light I just dont do any more than 300miles on a full tank, keeps the muck out of the lines if you go to low on fuel
Neil

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:06 pm

How does running too low get muck in your fuel lines?

neil/di · Post by **neil/di** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:11 pm

you will get sediment and muck collect in the bottom of your fuel tank, and if you get to low you will start to pull up some muck with your fuel, bit like syphoning wine from a demijon, if you get too low you will start to pull up some sediment with your wine
Neil

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:17 pm

Hi Neil
Surely fuel is always coming from the bottom of the tank, otherwise you'd run out before the tank was anywhere near empty. The only tanks I have seen had the supply pipe ending in the bottom of the tank, no matter where it was situated outside the tank.

neil/di · Post by **neil/di** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:24 pm

You could be right on this one, we were warned not to let the tanks go to dry by my old fleet manager, but come to think of it his mechanicle knowledge was non existant,but i still like to keep a couple of gallons in the tank just in case
Neil

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:33 pm

Agreed Neil, I never let mine run too low either.
I suspect the "muck in the tank" story dates back to the early days, when the only fuel filter was a wire mesh screen in the fuel pump. Mind you, if you think about it, if there was any muck in the tank, it would be disturbed a lot more by a small amount of fuel sloshing all round the tank than a full tank with the fuel hardly moving.

Biddy · Post by **Biddy** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:18 am

I would not trust any fuel gauge completely, take into a/c slopes etc, I also like to leave at least a 1/4 just in case of emergencies, you never know when you need to dash off to a/e or similar...
I have always been told about the muck in the bottom of the tank and had the same thoughts as you francophile but as my Daddy told me I beleived him and keep a 1/4 just in case

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:42 am

I,d like to keep the tank full (ish) if i could. But the one and only time i left a car with a full tank of fuel, was the time it got nicked! It was two weeks later before they found it burnt out 200 miles away! If i,d left it empty, it probably would have been found up the road burnt out!... I,m not superstitious generally, but i wont leave a vehicle with a full tank anymore....weird eh?