20 replies to this topic

[Dom]

my fuel gauge is very misleading when u fill it up with petrol it goes to the top, when u use say 1/4 or 1/2 a tank it says its empty.

i spose it not a major problem because i keep topped up on fuel but it can be misleading, e.g. traveling to mini 45, i may have plenty of fuel left but the gauge will read empty :sad:

does that happen to other people or is that a mini characteristic that i dont know about?

[Bluemini]

This is common prob mate! Inside the fuel sender is a load of thin wires, depending which one the contact touches depends on how full it reads. What happens is that after a while a couple of the wires wear through and snap, so the guage wont register on that bit and reads from the next one down instead.

Best thing to do is to get another send, they are easy to fit and takes about 30 seconds...

[Telejmp]

HOw exactly do you fit one? I have the same problem.Ive got a new one but havent looked into fitting it yet.
thanks,
pEaCE
Dom

[Dom]

cool, thanks. ill look into it.

[Bluemini]

Wait till the tank is nearly empty!
If you look at the side of the tank in the boot, you'll see 2 wires going to a round thing on the side of it.
Unplug the wires.
With a big ish screw driver and a hammer tap the lugs on the ring around the edge of the round thing until it undoes. This ring is the bit that holds the sender in.
Once undone, the sender can then be taken out of the tank through the hole.

Easy as that!!

When you re-fit it in the reverse of how you took it out, dont forget to put the rubber seal bag in and make sure you knock the ring round as far as it will go, so you don't loose fuel all over your boot when you next fill it up.

This job should take about 5 mins at the most

[Dom]

cool cheers, ill have a look tomorrow. gives me an excuse to go for a drive! :grin:

[tipcat]

I fitted a new sender on my '95 Sprite... I had the same problem as minicooperman... so when I made a 90+ mile drive to get one (same reason - as good a reason for a drive as any! :grin: the man said he had one for an older model - shouldn't be a difference, the man said... but there is! :gasp: The new ones have a z-bend on the float shaft, the old ones are straight... you need to make sure the sender you get is the one for your car... now my tank reads full all the time!

[Bluemini]

I have used both types in my tank and not had any problems...

You sure you put the wires on the right way round? If they are on the wrong way it reads full all the time.

[tipcat]

Yeah, I put the wires on the right way...when I filled the tank after I changed the sender, the gauge read 3/4... after a few speed bumps (the bane of the mini! ) the gauge went up to full... I think the float is stuck somewhere, but haven't been able to run the tank level down to check... I work 20 miles from home, and have two kids with motorcycles, so I need to have my car runnable to either go to work, or travel the width and depth of Cambridgeshire to either pick up a kid and a broken bike, or deliver a desperately-needed tank of petrol! I wonder - and some of you mini experts might know - if the float can be taken off a broken sender, and put on to a working one? I still have the old one - might be something to try if I end up with an empty tank, both kids nearby, and a day off!

[The_Mini_Bug]

Here's a quick tip if you think your fuel gauge isn't reading correctly. I suspected that my fuel sending unit was going haywire, and everybody I asked said "Be sure to check the gauge itself to make sure it's working!"

It turns out that the first and easiest test is visual. Items you will need:

1) Fuel tank
2) Flashlight

Remove your fuel cap.
Shine flashlight into tank.
Locate float of fuel sending unit.
Float should be bobbing nicely at the surface of your fuel.
If tank is 3/4 full and the float is sitting on the bottom of the fuel tank, your fuel sending unit is hosed.

*Note* This is also a good way of checking your fuel level before popping off the fuel sending unit, and opening a 2-inch hole in your tank. If the float is riding at the surface of the fuel, it's time to suspect the gauge or the electrical connection between the sending unit and the gauge.

not written by me off another site

[Dom]

:grin: thanks for all your help.

where do you get the wires from?

[Telejmp]

The wires are already there, you just need to unplg them, and plug the new sender thingy in.
hope thats what you meant,
pEaCE
Dom

[cowboy]

another way of testing sender unit is with an almost empty tank, remove the fuel sender, and move the unit from the bottom all the way up and see what the gauge does, if it reds empty at about half way then change the sender unit,,,,,,,,,

[Dom]

i have some time this weeked, so ill have a look.

[siggy]

If your gauge is reading incorrectly. The easiest thing to do is remove the sender, as per instuctions on one of the other posts.

Then connect the wires back on the sender. If there is only one you will need to add an earth wire to it. Then simply bend the rod that the float is on till it reads where you want it to.
Even if you fit a new sender you can still have poor readings. The gauge is ONLY an indictor and therefore its accurcy is no wonderful.

Siggy