The Infamous Gas Guage..
#1
02-17-2008, 02:38 PM
The Infamous Gas Guage..
I'll assume everyone knows about the stupid 4th gen gas guage.. Here's a little something i came across, thought i would post it..
way past full=full tank
¾ = about half full
½ = about a quarter full
¼ = a couple gallons
E = very little on most cars (gallon or less), can be really empty on some
I know pretty much everyone knows to fill up by 1/4-1/2 tank by now, but this might give some people a better understanding of how much gas they've got..
Most people notice that the fuel gauge does not read in a linear fashion. It will stay on the full side for a long time and then once it starts moving, it will drop rapidly. This is due to the shape of the tank and the placement of the float assembly/gauge sender unit. The tank has a bit of a wedge shape to it, that causes there to be more volume in the upper part of the tank than in the lower. The float only reacts to an up and down level and does not compensate for the tank shape. Typically, when the gauge reads:
way past full=full tank
¾ = about half full
½ = about a quarter full
¼ = a couple gallons
E = very little on most cars (gallon or less), can be really empty on some
I know pretty much everyone knows to fill up by 1/4-1/2 tank by now, but this might give some people a better understanding of how much gas they've got..
#2
02-17-2008, 03:28 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
Yeah... i ran out of gas ONCE when i first got the carand i was headed over the hill to the gas station when acceleration started to get choppy... my guage said i had between empty and 1/4 so i thought my car was breaking down.. again.. come to find she was bone dry... thats why i dont let her go below a quarter now..
#3
02-17-2008, 05:16 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
si..i learned the hard way...200 pump 400 labor 200 towing...blah..gay...never below quarter tank now
#5
02-17-2008, 06:07 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
ive actually hit E on mine before I think. maybe mine is one of the few that work right?
#6
02-17-2008, 06:11 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
Yeah I've been on E twice in the last 2 months. Not happily or on purpose mind you, but it happened. Anyways made it to the gas station no problem
#7
02-17-2008, 06:15 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
same here specter.. well, dang close..
i know mine is one of the gimp ones though.. but mine is always at 1/2 tank.. it'll be just below, i'll put in 10 or so, and its just above..lol.
one time i went to the gas station, put in 10 bucks, and my friend looked at the gauge and was like "where'd that 10 bucks go?" all i said was.. its a camaro.. they do that..
i know mine is one of the gimp ones though.. but mine is always at 1/2 tank.. it'll be just below, i'll put in 10 or so, and its just above..lol.
one time i went to the gas station, put in 10 bucks, and my friend looked at the gauge and was like "where'd that 10 bucks go?" all i said was.. its a camaro.. they do that..
#8
02-17-2008, 07:40 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
ORIGINAL: SpecterGT260
ive actually hit E on mine before I think. maybe mine is one of the few that work right?
ive actually hit E on mine before I think. maybe mine is one of the few that work right?
#9
02-17-2008, 07:45 PM
RE: The Infamous Gas Guage..
This is common on a lot of GM cars made around that time. Rumor was that GM did it on purpose so that people felt that they were getting great mileage, at least on the 1st half of the tank. LOL
There is an easy fix to make the gage more accurate, i'll post it if I can find the info again.
There is an easy fix to make the gage more accurate, i'll post it if I can find the info again.