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Have you noticed your fuel gauge?
by
ORCoaster
on 12 Aug, 2015 23:51
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I was looking hard at mine today to determine if I had used about 3 or 5 gallons of fuel for the miles I have driven so far this month. I finally noticed that there are more divisions between the bottom end of a tank then the top. My gauge has no bold line to show where 3/4 of a tank might be. Just a bunch of single lines. Maybe as many as 6. But if I look to the second half of the gauge there is one for like 1/4 and then one for half of that where the scale turns red.
My gauge reflects a high full level, by that I mean it stays there for about 120 miles then creeps down according to use. But on the second half I do not get that amount of miles. In fact I don't get to the bottom end at all. Once the needle hits the red I have about 60 miles left. I could take the sender out and adjust it I guess but then I would be in a panic that I wasn't getting the miles of the top I should and forget about the reserve I would have at the bottom.
Anyone have any background on why VW set up the gauge in this manner? Maybe some of our European brothers and sisters can shed some light on the arrangement of something not equally divided as we mericans structure such things.
Just noticed it today so it isn't a problem just a curious thing.
DAS
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#1
by
745 turbogreasel
on 13 Aug, 2015 00:58
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With the fuel sloshing around on every hill and acceleration, a calibrated gauge is pointless, and most manufacturers recognize this. May be changing as the cars are ever more able to track how much fuel they've actually sued.
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#2
by
TylerDurden
on 13 Aug, 2015 08:09
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I've noticed the same issue on my MK1s. It's much less linear than the MK2s. I presume it's due to the location of the float pivot, but i've never checked.
My B3 wagon has rough units: 18gal by the full mark, 9gal at the half.
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#3
by
ORCoaster
on 13 Aug, 2015 15:02
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With some of the new vehicles you have the on dash display that gives you gallons used, Distance to empty and a ton of other made up data. I toyed with the idea of just displaying the difference between the flow going into the IP and the amount returning to the tank. The difference would be amount used. Thus you would have a pretty good idea if you filled the tank what the net would be along the way. I wasn't sure how folks could deal with that "just put 10 dollars worth in the tank" sort of thing.
I find some of these new rigs I drive are pretty good about getting the amount used within a few tenths of a gallon to what then amounts to a fill up at the station. Within reason for sure.
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#4
by
mtrans
on 13 Aug, 2015 15:46
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Perhaps it's about temp of your WWO...
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#5
by
TylerDurden
on 13 Aug, 2015 17:55
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I toyed with the idea of just displaying the difference between the flow going into the IP and the amount returning to the tank. The difference would be amount used.
Mighty precise flow metering req'd... we might be talking about 2-3 oz per minute consumed?
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#6
by
745 turbogreasel
on 14 Aug, 2015 13:25
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That's why boat and pane gauges measure gallons/hour.
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#7
by
ORCoaster
on 14 Aug, 2015 20:48
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The flow monitoring equipment was set up for measuring to the milliliter (ml) Very precise indeed.
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#8
by
air-cooled or diesel
on 20 Aug, 2015 13:10
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i notice the same thing on both my mk2's, full,full takes more than 100 miles to come off the full point on gauge, then after the gauge tends to go down faster,,