Gas gauge help please.... Car died

RCZ · 10-13-2010, 04:21 PM

My gas gauge goes nuts sometimes after some hard acceleration. Its keeps thinking im driving at full throttle everywhere and the dots just tick down every 5 miles or so. Then I get gas and find out I had like half a tank left. Its really really annoying.

VCuomo · 10-13-2010, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaienZ34

I've never had this problem but for the 1st 6 months or so when i would fill up the 1st LED would not light up but tank was full. I said if this kept up i'd bring it in after i hit about 3K miles it never happened again.

Mine didn't start doing that until after 8K miles!

FERRARI · 10-16-2010, 02:21 PM

Every time I get a new car, within the first week, I carry a 2 gallon plastic gas container and run out of fuel on purpose just to see what the gauge indicates and how the car acts when it runs out of fuel. I also fill the tank to the limit every time I refuel and set the trip meter.....and figure my mileage on every tank so I will know where the gauge is when it runs out.....this way you should know how many miles you have left before you run out......comes in very handy when you are traveling and between exits on the interstate. I have found out that most gauges are what I call "Top Loaded". By that I mean the top half tank will give you 200 miles and the bottom half will give only 160 miles.

Mike · 10-16-2010, 06:44 PM

this is fuel starvation, not a running out of gas situation. In hard right turns, the fuel must slosh or something and doesn't get into the pickup. I've been towed off the track before not knowing what happened, and I'm fairly sure that had I just shut the car off and restarted it, the fuel gauge would have reset to half tank, where it really was.

btw, exiting the carousel at Road America at 5500 rpm in 4th gear, it is happening to me occassionally with 1 dot not lit (basically full tank!), and always with 2 not lit. major PITA!

Spearfish rode with me today and got to experience it in my car as a passenger. It can be scary at 100mph with someone right on your bumper and you unexpectedly slow instead of accelerate!

Jquad · 10-16-2010, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonic370

no doubt the fuel gage sucks. in mine the low fuel warning will come on anywhere between 2 and 4 dots never the same each time.

one time i walked on the wild side and drove with no dots showing and all the lines showing for at least 15 miles. whos knows how many gallons are in the tank when the first warning comes on.

wilsonp · 10-16-2010, 10:47 PM

If you fill up when the warning shows, you can get a good idea.

Pelican170 · 11-13-2010, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaienZ34

I've never had this problem but for the 1st 6 months or so when i would fill up the 1st LED would not light up but tank was full. I said if this kept up i'd bring it in after i hit about 3K miles it never happened again.

Any fix to this? i have like 2,300 miles on mine, went to fill it up to winterize it and of course the last LED isnt lighting up. I thought maybe i didnt fill it all the way, went back and pumped more and poured gas on the car. I am not a happy camper....

IDZRVIT · 11-13-2010, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FERRARI

Every time I get a new car, within the first week, I carry a 2 gallon plastic gas container and run out of fuel on purpose just to see what the gauge indicates and how the car acts when it runs out of fuel. I also fill the tank to the limit every time I refuel and set the trip meter.....and figure my mileage on every tank so I will know where the gauge is when it runs out.....this way you should know how many miles you have left before you run out......comes in very handy when you are traveling and between exits on the interstate. I have found out that most gauges are what I call "Top Loaded". By that I mean the top half tank will give you 200 miles and the bottom half will give only 160 miles.

Running yourself out of gas on purpose or not is not a good idea. The fuel also cools/lubricates the fuel pump. If it overheats.....BOOM!!!! No, just kidding. But you could do damage to your fuel pump.

AutoX Z · 11-13-2010, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike

this is fuel starvation, not a running out of gas situation. In hard right turns, the fuel must slosh or something and doesn't get into the pickup. I've been towed off the track before not knowing what happened, and I'm fairly sure that had I just shut the car off and restarted it, the fuel gauge would have reset to half tank, where it really was.

btw, exiting the carousel at Road America at 5500 rpm in 4th gear, it is happening to me occassionally with 1 dot not lit (basically full tank!), and always with 2 not lit. major PITA!

Spearfish rode with me today and got to experience it in my car as a passenger. It can be scary at 100mph with someone right on your bumper and you unexpectedly slow instead of accelerate!

What he said. If you look under the car the gas tank is shaped like an upside-down U with the driveshaft running through the middle. The problem with this set up is that the pick up is only on one side of the U. This makes it very easy for all the gas to transfer to the side of the U without the pickup and cause fuel starvation.

wilsonp · 11-14-2010, 02:01 AM

Maybe it needs a pipe connecting the two halves?

FERRARI · 11-14-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IDZRVIT

Running yourself out of gas on purpose or not is not a good idea. The fuel also cools/lubricates the fuel pump. If it overheats.....BOOM!!!! No, just kidding. But you could do damage to your fuel pump.

I have been doing this for more than 40 years .....on about 10 cars....never have I ever had any problem.......

10-16-2010, 06:44 PM	#19 (permalink)
Mike The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Loganville, GA Posts: 5,944 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 2186	this is fuel starvation, not a running out of gas situation. In hard right turns, the fuel must slosh or something and doesn't get into the pickup. I've been towed off the track before not knowing what happened, and I'm fairly sure that had I just shut the car off and restarted it, the fuel gauge would have reset to half tank, where it really was. btw, exiting the carousel at Road America at 5500 rpm in 4th gear, it is happening to me occassionally with 1 dot not lit (basically full tank!), and always with 2 not lit. major PITA! Spearfish rode with me today and got to experience it in my car as a passenger. It can be scary at 100mph with someone right on your bumper and you unexpectedly slow instead of accelerate! __________________ NISSAN: 75 280Z / 86 300ZX GLL /87 Sentra SE / 03 350Z / 23 Z Porsche: 93 968 / 23 Macan GTS / 93 968

10-16-2010, 10:47 PM	#21 (permalink)
wilsonp A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,134 Drives: 2009 Touring Sp Nav Rep Power: 17	If you fill up when the warning shows, you can get a good idea. __________________ 2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black

11-14-2010, 02:01 AM	#25 (permalink)
wilsonp A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,134 Drives: 2009 Touring Sp Nav Rep Power: 17	Maybe it needs a pipe connecting the two halves? __________________ 2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black

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10-13-2010, 04:21 PM	#16 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1119	My gas gauge goes nuts sometimes after some hard acceleration. Its keeps thinking im driving at full throttle everywhere and the dots just tick down every 5 miles or so. Then I get gas and find out I had like half a tank left. Its really really annoying.

10-16-2010, 02:21 PM	#18 (permalink)
FERRARI Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee Posts: 324 Drives: PERFECTION Rep Power: 492	Every time I get a new car, within the first week, I carry a 2 gallon plastic gas container and run out of fuel on purpose just to see what the gauge indicates and how the car acts when it runs out of fuel. I also fill the tank to the limit every time I refuel and set the trip meter.....and figure my mileage on every tank so I will know where the gauge is when it runs out.....this way you should know how many miles you have left before you run out......comes in very handy when you are traveling and between exits on the interstate. I have found out that most gauges are what I call "Top Loaded". By that I mean the top half tank will give you 200 miles and the bottom half will give only 160 miles.