Bongo Fury

Cheers Max, i'm hoping i don't have to go down that route..
With the shorting method the Gauge goes about as high as when brimmed, so will find out tomorrow..!

I just about managed to squeeze in £56 of fuel the other day (at £1.04.9 per litre) The gauge had been at the bottom of the red (the lowest i've ever allowed it to get) for about 50 odd miles or so... My gauge can take 20 minutes or more to reach the full mark from filling up...

The fuel gauge is very heavily damped and needs power to drive
it in both directions, so when the ignition is OFF it simply
stays where it is. If you remove the instrument cover and push
the needle manually you will feel the resistance to movement.
This is why the gauge takes a long time to establish the correct
position when filling up from empty. If this were not so then
fuel slopping about in the tank while driving and braking etc.
would cause the gauge needle to move erratically.

While the tank will hold 65 litres of fuel, the normal fuel gauge
range from the empty mark to the full mark is 55 litres. When the
gauge is exactly on the empty mark there should be 10 litres left
in the tank. Due to the height of the suction line in the tank
you cannot use the last 5 litres of fuel; so effectively you have
a reserve 5 litres of usable fuel below the empty mark, enough for
about a further 25 miles to be on the safe side.

The above assumes your fuel gauge is working correctly of course.

patnben wrote:The fuel gauge is very heavily damped and needs power to drive
it in both directions, so when the ignition is OFF it simply
stays where it is. If you remove the instrument cover and push
the needle manually you will feel the resistance to movement.
This is why the gauge takes a long time to establish the correct
position when filling up from empty. If this were not so then
fuel slopping about in the tank while driving and braking etc.
would cause the gauge needle to move erratically.

While the tank will hold 65 litres of fuel, the normal fuel gauge
range from the empty mark to the full mark is 55 litres. When the
gauge is exactly on the empty mark there should be 10 litres left
in the tank. Due to the height of the suction line in the tank
you cannot use the last 5 litres of fuel; so effectively you have
a reserve 5 litres of usable fuel below the empty mark, enough for
about a further 25 miles to be on the safe side.

The above assumes your fuel gauge is working correctly of course.

I was just going to say that Nice explanation Ben

Only just picked up on this thread, got to admit I have had the same results as everyone on here, with both my old and my new bongo, I get an average of 250 miles per tank full more sometimes whilst motorway driving, from brimming to when its showing on empty, fill up and takes owt from 45 to 50 litres (noramally 50).

Which I had a few conversations with different bongo owners who always say the same thing, which made me think why show that its on empty when in theory its still got 10 to 15 litres of fuel?, then I thought I wonder if it was designed that way?, as we all know that the fuel econemy isnt on the good side so maybe they designed the bongo to have a storage of fuel when it shows its emtpy so that gives drivers/owners a good chance to reach the next filling station?

anyway I just reset my trip every time I fill up so I know if owt is amiss, and fill up when Ive got to 250 miles on the clock, which is always on the empty mark

Well guys...!

I looked at & tested the connections, did the short test (re the other topic), & found to the best of my knowledge nothing wrong at the sender end... In fact it looks pretty good down there, not like the dodgy Bedford CF electrics i was expecting to find!

After reading the posts from every one, (cheers fer that!) i've come to the conclusion it's just one of those Bongo things!

But i have learned the fascinating gentile ancient art of Japanese carpet fitting....

May sound stupid, but what about taking the needle off the spindle when you know it's full & sticking it in the right position? It sounds like the range is kinda transposed? It worked for me on the speedo.

That sounds like a cunning plan!

I have another alternative plan if your interested. I have a spare fuel gauge for a bongo, why not replace the one you have with the one i have and see if it still registers the same. or is that too simple to work.

daveblueozzie wrote:I have another alternative plan if your interested. I have a spare fuel gauge for a bongo, why not replace the one you have with the one i have and see if it still registers the same. or is that too simple to work.

Thanks a lot Dave yer a star... I might take you up on that, But still have a few ideas left.... Would be a pity to cop out just yet!!