E30 Zone

Hi,
My light on the instrument cluster does not come on when I'm low on fuel. I've checked the bulb and it's ok.

Any ideas?
Thanks

Fuel level isn't low enough - as simple as that! Light shouldn't come on until the needle is right at the lower end of the red painted section, and just about over the section that actually lights up.
Stick a can of fuel in your boot, and run the tank lower than you ever have before. It'll come on when there's about five litres left.

Wow, I thought it was really low.
Will do, thanks.

yeah i had my e30 for over a year before i seen the low warning light i always assumed it was just broke.

Mine came on once and I traveled 7km before it ran out of fuel. Quite annoying.
In all fairness, I did swap sensor and fuel pump over from my damaged 325is fuel tank to a replacement tank, which looked the same as the original, but curiously, only holds 50 litres and is inaccurate regarding the low fuel warning...

Brianmoooore wrote:Light shouldn't come on until the needle is right at the lower end of the red painted section, and just about over the section that actually lights up.

Ive always understood this to be the case and indeed its exactly what happens on my 325i.
But on my 318i, the light comes on just as the needle enters the red - any idea if this would be a sender or gauge issue?

ive never' seen mine in 15 years. I've run it as low as I dared and replaced the bulb but still nothing.

You can short the fuel sender connector terminals together, connecting two of them takes gauge to about halfway, the other two it takes it to dead empty and fuel light should come on, cant remember which terminal is which

If you short the 2 terminals together it will make the gauge jump to full, the terminal that is left over when grounded will make the light illuminate, I tried this and it works.

I got my fuel light for the first time in 6 months last night , done 490km and been driving round with a 5L can of petrol in my car for the last 90km haha