Your fuel gauge stories
Discussion
Everyone has them. Let's use this forum to post them. I'll forward all of them to simon as a lobby to get changes made.
I have loads, but I'll start with today's...
Driving along - fuel gauge says 22 litres (I know it can't be that much, but can't be too far out). Within 20 miles, it's reading 8 litres, then 13 litres, then 5 litres. 10 miles later it's reading 3 litres. 5 miles futher on and 00 showing... luckily there's a service station in 11 miles, which I make.
So explain to me why, despite all my best efforts, in a mk 2 with a 40 litre tank I can't for love or money get more than 29 litres in - even brimming the tank to the top of the filler.
I have loads, but I'll start with today's...
Driving along - fuel gauge says 22 litres (I know it can't be that much, but can't be too far out). Within 20 miles, it's reading 8 litres, then 13 litres, then 5 litres. 10 miles later it's reading 3 litres. 5 miles futher on and 00 showing... luckily there's a service station in 11 miles, which I make.
So explain to me why, despite all my best efforts, in a mk 2 with a 40 litre tank I can't for love or money get more than 29 litres in - even brimming the tank to the top of the filler.
Bruce Fielding said:
So explain to me why, despite all my best efforts, in a mk 2 with a 40 litre tank I can't for love or money get more than 29 litres in - even brimming the tank to the top of the filler.
Only way is to run the car til it errr ...stops! I've had mine run out on at least two occasions - the first one it began spluttering as I pulled into a fuel station on the M40. Despite reading 12 litres, it took 24.5 litres in what's a 25 litre tank ...work that out!
Second time was when I arrived at the Nurburgring - it'd been coughing for a little while, and when I actually arrived and parked in the paddock, the car stopped completely. It took just over 25 litres that time!
20 litre Jerry can fits quite nicely in the passenger footwell - go out for a long trip and don't fill up til the car stops - that way you get to find out exactly how much it can take! Using the trip rather than the fuel gauge's part of the charm of the Atom, surely?!
My stories are much the same as everyone elses. Gauge stays on 39 for ages and then plunges rapidly to zero in a matter of miles. Also as the fuel sloshes about it jumps up from say 2 to 15 and then back to 2 etc. If you stop it will settle and give a reading, but I too have driven miles on zero to find a petrol station. I have managed to get it to read 41 ltrs once after filling up!!
In general how does a fuel gauge work?
In general how does a fuel gauge work?
datasafe said:They do know about it. I'm just hoping to apply sufficient pressure for them to actually do something about it after five years!
I'm guessing Ariel know of this problem? Pretty basic stuff really to expect a fuel gague to work!
JC
And, John, see:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-gauge.htm
Mine seems to have a pattern of working now.
After a fill up, it typically stays at around 38 or 36 for ages then drops to around 20 or 22 and then drops to 5 ... fill up quick.
I can forgive it going round bends and the track but doing 120 miles along the motorway (flat and straight road) you would expect the reading to go down gradually.
Like most people I use the trip reading instead, but when the driving conditions are different e.g. track daye, then you have absolutely no idea.
The car is sold with a fuel gauge, so it should work.
Interestingly, we would still have bought the car even if Simon told us up front the fuel gauge is useless. Throw out the passenger and make friends with Jerry Can! (Do you think somebody has this name in the phone book?).
Stew
After a fill up, it typically stays at around 38 or 36 for ages then drops to around 20 or 22 and then drops to 5 ... fill up quick.
I can forgive it going round bends and the track but doing 120 miles along the motorway (flat and straight road) you would expect the reading to go down gradually.
Like most people I use the trip reading instead, but when the driving conditions are different e.g. track daye, then you have absolutely no idea.
The car is sold with a fuel gauge, so it should work.
Interestingly, we would still have bought the car even if Simon told us up front the fuel gauge is useless. Throw out the passenger and make friends with Jerry Can! (Do you think somebody has this name in the phone book?).
Stew
s2satom said:If you have the seat in one of the front two positions, you can fit a 5 litre metal Jerry can (available from all good bookshops ...or alternatively, eBay) down behind the seats - one each side, giving you and extra 40 or 50 miles range in an emergency. Admittedly, having the seat that far forward isn't ideal for everyone, but for people like myself and Bruce, its worth considering...
Throw out the passenger and make friends with Jerry Can!
I have all the same symptons - stays up with a high reading for a long time and then drops like a stone.
I even managed to run out of petrol last year when the SPA dash pack up and said I had 20 litres and I had nothing so I thought that it was something other than no fuel.. Having said that Tom came out to the roadside and had a look at the car which was typically good of the guys at Ariel.
Speaking to Simon the problem is that the petrol gauge is made for a parallel sided tank that has the same surface area of fuel at all depths through the tank. The one on the Atom is shaped to fit the space behind the seat and hence you get these strange readings. Apparently a "programeable" gauge is prohibitively expensive......
I even managed to run out of petrol last year when the SPA dash pack up and said I had 20 litres and I had nothing so I thought that it was something other than no fuel.. Having said that Tom came out to the roadside and had a look at the car which was typically good of the guys at Ariel.
Speaking to Simon the problem is that the petrol gauge is made for a parallel sided tank that has the same surface area of fuel at all depths through the tank. The one on the Atom is shaped to fit the space behind the seat and hence you get these strange readings. Apparently a "programeable" gauge is prohibitively expensive......
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