Topic: If your fuel gauge is reading too low...

[Airboy]

...consider switching to a different brand of gasoline for a while.  My gauge started to read too low a few months back.  The fuel light would come on when there is still a lot of gas in the tank.  Also, after a fill, the gauge needle would not go past the last "tick" on the gauge like it used to.

After 10+ fills, the gauge is reading closer to normal again.  Theory: the additives in the gasoline slowly coated the level sensor and the different detergents in the new gasoline is reversing the effect.   I remember reading in the paper a long time ago, that it is a good idea to switch gasoline brand every few months, to allow the detergents in the new gas to clean out the deposits of the old gas...maybe there is something to that.

[STI_Crazy]

I've been using the same brand for the last 3 years (V-Power) and every once in a while it reads low but then it comes back to normal.

It's much better since they released the nitrogen enriched one thought

[pistachoo]

I have also noticed that how well it fills depends on the stupid auto-click of the pump I am at: some click at 3/4 full (I never top up past that first auto-off)... and some spill over and then click off. In which case I get to go holler at the attendant behind his glass fortress!

[D-cal]

I use injector cleaner in the tank every so often, it has brought the needle up some.

[Hurricane]

I had the fuel level gauge showing "E" when I still had 25-30L in the tank, and the orange warning light coming on somewhere in between the indicated and actual empty values. I've run Husky for over three years at various grades and the issue didn't show up until last September (it was a bad month for me ). Just recently both the level sensor and warning light have gone back to normal operation with no change in fuel brand. I chalked it up to a change in formulation for winter which might follow along with Sunny's thinking.

What brand gasoline did you switch to Sunny? Chevron 94?

[Airboy]

What brand gasoline did you switch to Sunny? Chevron 94?

Yes, Chevron94, since the station is just down the hill from where I am staying while in Squamish.  In the last week I have driven down through Washington/Oregon/California and the gas gauge has been behaving.  The gauge needle consistently go past the "full" tick after a fill, regardless of the pump or the person pumping the gas.  Did you know that only the gas station attendant is allowed to pump gas in the state of Oregon?  Wonder how that legislation came about...

[pistachoo]

Did you know that only the gas station attendant is allowed to pump gas in the state of Oregon?  Wonder how that legislation came about...

[Morison]

Did you know that only the gas station attendant is allowed to pump gas in the state of Oregon?  Wonder how that legislation came about...

High unemployment rates in the state.

[aleks]

New Jersey is the same way and when I was in Europe it was the same case.  Only gas attentands could pump the gas. 

[RIP]

Currently switched to Shell to see if this works.

Today, was my largest fill-up in three months
at 49L after the light had been on for over a
day (ruffly 70km of driving)

[wrxman71]

I'm having the same problem that sunny is having and i didn't have the problem until i put the STI gauge cluster in my car. With the wrx cluster i never had a problem at all.

[Sherminator]

I've had good luck with this cleaner http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=80&pcid=12
I also only use Shell 91 in all my cars.

[GrantC]

I've had good luck with this cleaner http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=80&pcid=12
I also only use Shell 91 in all my cars.

I tried the readline SI-1 a couple times, no big difference for me...  Cleaning made a bigger difference, and replacing was the only thing that actually made it accurate again...

[RIP]

I tried the readline SI-1 a couple times, no big difference for me...  Cleaning made a bigger difference, and replacing was the only thing that actually made it accurate again...

How long did you have your car before you replaced?
How much was the replacement?

Rip

[GrantC]

How long did you have your car before you replaced?

About 4 years.

How much was the replacement?

Both sensors from SGP was $135 including shipping...
http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf/index.php?topic=10814.msg168828#msg168828