wobbley fuel gauge reading
Moderator: Board Moderators
wobbley fuel gauge reading
hi can anyone help my fuel gauge needle is bouncing up and down and is difficult to tell where it is supposed to be.
- amarshall
- Moderator
- Posts: 8296
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 18:09
- Model: SE
- Colour: Monaco White
- Year: 1990
- Location: Darlington
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
TADTS (They All Do That Sir).
Best advice is to start looking for a fuel pump every 200 miles or so - or when the needle seems to be spending more time around 1/4 thatn anywhere else.
Best advice is to start looking for a fuel pump every 200 miles or so - or when the needle seems to be spending more time around 1/4 thatn anywhere else.
https://www.lotusexcel.co.uk/
SORN - just say NO!
SORN - just say NO!
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
He He,
Mine is the same.....empty with warning light on around every left hander and full to the brim opn every right hander! Also 1/4, 3/4, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 etc at a standstill, I just use near the middle of the fluctuations as a guesstimate.
Mine is the same.....empty with warning light on around every left hander and full to the brim opn every right hander! Also 1/4, 3/4, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 etc at a standstill, I just use near the middle of the fluctuations as a guesstimate.
- robertverhey
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 788
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 10:54
- Year: 0
- Location: Sydney
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
Fuel gauge? Waste of space. I use the trip meter to tell me when I need to look for a petrol station
Robert Glacier Blue '87 SE
-
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1686
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 23:20
- Model: Excel SE
- Year: 1992
- Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
It amazes me that if the fuel gauge works perfectly on my brothers old Mini why couldn't Lotus get the gauge to work on their expensive "Junior Supercar".
Trying a new sender is on the bottom of my things to do list.
Trying a new sender is on the bottom of my things to do list.
Kev W no.282
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
Mine used to be pretty good but has recently gone wild. The cause (as far as I'm aware) is that there is meant to be a damper on the tank sensor, but this seems to fail / wear completely resulting in wild behaviour!
-
- Junior Poster
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 01:18
- Model: Excel SE
- Colour: BRG
- Year: 1986
- Location: Gloucester
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
It's when the needle stops bouncing around with the warning light on.....that's when I start to panic!
- robertverhey
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 788
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 10:54
- Year: 0
- Location: Sydney
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
I'm a bit braver, I wait until the red light's on and a right hander no longer makes the needle go up....that means it's getting very very low!
But then I do carry a 5 litre fuel can in the boot.....
But then I do carry a 5 litre fuel can in the boot.....
Robert Glacier Blue '87 SE
- hodders
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 452
- Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 22:13
- Model: Excel Celebration
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1992
- Location: Lambourn, West Berkshire
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
My car boot smells like I'm carrying a 5 litre fuel can ...unfortunately I'm not. Waiting for a new fuel filler cap kit.
-- hodders
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
- hodders
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 452
- Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 22:13
- Model: Excel Celebration
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1992
- Location: Lambourn, West Berkshire
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
I'll give you three guesses... no I won't, I will give you one guess.
Mike at LB was going to order three - but they haven't come in yet. One kit was for one of the lads who works there, so no doubt he will remind Mike. "About £30": kit includes everything bar the coloured fibreglass cover.
Mike at LB was going to order three - but they haven't come in yet. One kit was for one of the lads who works there, so no doubt he will remind Mike. "About £30": kit includes everything bar the coloured fibreglass cover.
-- hodders
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
- hodders
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 452
- Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 22:13
- Model: Excel Celebration
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1992
- Location: Lambourn, West Berkshire
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
And now my fuel gauge sender has gone westwards, with the warning light on all the time (unless I corner really quickly - in which case the needle flickers ) Seems to be associated with the recent cold weather - is that a theory?
-- hodders
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
- hodders
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 452
- Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 22:13
- Model: Excel Celebration
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1992
- Location: Lambourn, West Berkshire
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
Searched through the forums but no-one has had much success with replacing the fuel sender - I presume it's a fuel tank out job? (or at least partially out). I shorted the green wires going to the sender and the gauge deflects to full so I'm assuming the sender is faulty / dirty.
-- hodders
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
-
- Regular Poster
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 11:48
- Model: se
- Colour: essex blue
- Year: 1986
- Location: maidstone kent
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
Does any one know if replacing the sender will sort the fluttering needle out. I cant imagine even Lotus sent them out of the factory like that. The sender is fitted in the top of the tank so replacing would be a tank out job.hodders wrote:Searched through the forums but no-one has had much success with replacing the fuel sender - I presume it's a fuel tank out job? (or at least partially out). I shorted the green wires going to the sender and the gauge deflects to full so I'm assuming the sender is faulty / dirty.
1986 Excel SE Essex Blue.
- hodders
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 452
- Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 22:13
- Model: Excel Celebration
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1992
- Location: Lambourn, West Berkshire
- Contact:
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
I got as far as sourcing a secondhand sender, dismantling it, cleaning it up, checking that it works - and then the one in my car started working again. Intermittently. So I might get round to taking the tank out or I might not.
If you want to have a go, I took a lot of photos of the sender as I cleaned it - and a video showing the resistance readings.
If you want to have a go, I took a lot of photos of the sender as I cleaned it - and a video showing the resistance readings.
-- hodders
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey
- Tanz
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 2071
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 22:05
- Model: SE
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1988
- Location: Wolverhampton
Re: wobbley fuel gauge reading
I must be lucky - my gauge works fine - opps famous last words............
Cheers, Phil
Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway!
Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway!