fuel light

[notty]

just a quick question, does the fuel light only come on when the needle is in the area where the light is or should it come on in the red area and the white line underneeth?

[m_jermyn]

Mine comes on when the needle hits the line.

[mrLEE30]

it is a seperate sensor to the guage sensor, thus normal for there to be variations from car to car as where the light comes on, common understanding is it comes on with about 5-7 litres in the tank, thus about 50km of careful range.

my cab came on before the orange, my tin top goes deep into the orange before coming on, and then i only can suqeeze 58 litres in, thus light on with about 7 litres in the tank.

[Brianmoooore]

The light should come on when it reaches, or gets very close to, the bit that actually lights up.

[Morat]

But that is usually a test of the accuracy of the gauge rather than the accuracy of the low fuel light....

[Tom_Maverick]

my gauge is weird.. it only measures the to £35 of the tank.. if I fill it just as it hits empty then I can only get £35 in! I can drive around for ages before the light comes on (that bit still works) then I really do have to fill it..

[andyp]

the light on my cab comes on when it is past the red bit and almost at the light, going back 3 years ago, if you then put £10.00 in it would only go up to the red

[djsimmy]

mine drops right into the red and the light still doesnt come on. lol

dernt see how low i can get it with out the light

[choppa7]

Do they all have lights?

Never seen mine light up and the needles been in the red plenty, although not actually on the white line on the LHS

[Morat]

Pretty sure they do, you wouldn't be the first person to post on there and wonder if they really had a fuel light. If you want to check, get a 5L can in the boot first

[greg124]

Had mine 4 years before I found out it had a fuel light

[Green]

I have 2 sets of clocks in mine and neither had the fuel light come on with either

[Brianmoooore]

my gauge is weird.. it only measures the to £35 of the tank.. if I fill it just as it hits empty then I can only get £35 in! I can drive around for ages before the light comes on (that bit still works) then I really do have to fill it..

More than likely a tank/level sender/gauge mismatch. Have either the tank or fuel gauge been changed?

[cammy]

my tanks stuck on half and wont budge. petrol light used to come on wen it was just touching the red now mines never comes on, infact my gauge never moves i just guess when i need petrol haha

[Brianmoooore]

my tanks stuck on half and wont budge. petrol light used to come on wen it was just touching the red now mines never comes on, infact my gauge never moves i just guess when i need petrol haha

Sounds exactly like the result of someone trying to remove the fuel pump from the tank without removing the level sender first.

[adit]

I have 2 sets of clocks in mine and neither had the fuel light come on with either

then you're just not running it low enough green!

[cammy]

Sounds exactly like the result of someone trying to remove the fuel pump from the tank without removing the level sender first.

i have changed the fuel pump previously but never removed the sender units didnt no doing so would break them though. I take it that means i need to replace them to get fuel gauge working again?

[D7UGE]

My fuel light is more reliable than my jumpy gauge , needle can never make it's mind up. lol

[Green]

I have 2 sets of clocks in mine and neither had the fuel light come on with either

then you're just not running it low enough green!

I had the needle falling off the dial and still no light come on..! It's like it's playing chicken with me and always winning

[Gortour]

[e30-EVN]

That answers this 1 lol.......

That's exactly what mine does, falls below the lower white line and the I get the light. 5 litres left

[Green]

I think I start clenching my hole when it drops near there as that's where I think I'm going to conk out on the roadside! I'll stick a can of petty spare just incase, I may give it a go on this tank I've got to see if it comes on or not

[bmw9818]

i tried this when i first got my car, i broke down on a high street waiting for the light to come on, its most likely your bulb thats blown,

jerry can full of petrol check !
funnel to put petrol in ermmm,

[Ajsingh]

Mine works! It came on, i drove for a little bit and as i pulled into the petrol station... It started coughing. Only happened that once tho

[djsimmy]

when i baught the car the light was on..

but never had it come on but then again never let it get below the white line lol

[Green]

Mine works! It came on, i drove for a little bit and as i pulled into the petrol station... It started coughing. Only happened that once tho

Yours sounds like a light that screams out "haha you're buggered" before dying then

[BEERBOY123]

I always thought it was bad to let the light come on as all the residue and bits in the bottom of the tank are thensucked up sod/clog up the filter?

[Brianmoooore]

There shouldn't be any 'bits' in the bottom of the tank !

[e30-EVN]

I've heard sooo many people say this shit lol and brian is right.... For 1 thing there should be no crap in the tank and secondly, that's what a fuel filter is there for!
If you run it low quite regular then change your fuel filter more regular.... They are only pennies anyhow

I've heard people say how running it low will suck bits into the engine but how? It won't get past the filter

[BEERBOY123]

I stand corrected...

Only my old mate used to drive his car on the light all the time, and was forever calling out the AA, who would say it was down to the crap in the tank clogging things up.

[mrb27]

holy shit dude, i panic when im nerly at the white line!! let alone past it

[mrLEE30]

Surely with a tank full of fuel the "crap" would be more likely to be stirred up and suspended in the fuel solution, and thus more likely to enter the fuel system with fuel in the tank. An empty tank would mean the "crap" remains on the floor of the tank......

[Gortour]

holy shit dude, i panic when im nerly at the white line!! let alone past it

I always thought my light didn't work either, it's not like the E36 which lights up the fuel light and red temp light when you turn the ignition on. To be honest I saw a similar pic someone else put up on another thread, so put a can in the boot and tried it.