Is it Normal for An IS to run on fresh air

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Alex
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 3:58 pm

my car has been on the empty mark on the petrol guage for ages now, the light hasnt come on and the obc said 39 miles 70-80 miles ago and still says 39 miles :?

Is it possible that the obc isnt setup correctly?? it used to be alot more accurate

How do you chage the tank size? does it need calibrating ?

when is the fuel light suppose to come on? is it when the needle goes off the guage and goes into the area that lights up?

The light used to work but ive never had it come on in the last 12 month as i usually fill it up once it goes between the 1/4 and E mark.

Or am i just not used to the 318is m42 fuel run out provention system :D
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mosh86
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:25 pm

You've been visited by the petrol fairy. congrats
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fender182
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:39 pm

My light comes on when the needle gets into the area where the light is, ran it for about 40 miles with the light on 8O , didnt wanna risk petrol roulette after that!
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Alex
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:20 pm

so its when it goes over the light then :cool:
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mc_hawkings24
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:58 pm

ok i'll be honest i ran out yesterday and the light didnt come on.
paul1985
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:13 pm

alex wait until you get your 2.5 on the road you'll definatly think your gauge is broken then
you put fuel in :(
the needle goes up :D
next time you look the needles back down again :x
and that i'm afraid happens in a very short space of time
silversideofthemoon
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:24 pm

paul1985 wrote:alex wait until you get your 2.5 on the road you'll definatly think your gauge is broken then
you put fuel in :(
the needle goes up :D
next time you look the needles back down again :x
and that i'm afraid happens in a very short space of time
b een there remember all that ,first name terms with the petrol attendant like alan partridge was
formally touringandy.............driving e30 320i touring and e39 535i
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mosh86
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:36 pm

alex wait until you get your 2.5 on the road you'll definatly think your gauge is broken then
you put fuel in
the needle goes up
next time you look the needles back down again
and that i'm afraid happens in a very short space of time
I stuck £40 of petrol in my 2.5 and its been running well over 200miles no bother :D
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Alex
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Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:44 pm

paul1985 wrote:alex wait until you get your 2.5 on the road you'll definatly think your gauge is broken then
you put fuel in :(
the needle goes up :D
next time you look the needles back down again :x
and that i'm afraid happens in a very short space of time
putting petrol in doesnt bother me i just want to know if my guage etc is working properly :D

anyone know how to change the fuel tank size on the obc, what should mine be?
Kemix
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:13 pm

my light came on but needle was only at top of red, then I ran out of petrol next to a petrol garage and they had run out of unleaded. Had to be rescued haha (this was yesterday) :o:
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mrLEE30
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:37 pm

the light and the guage run from different senders to ensure they are independant, thus quite normal for there to bw differences from car to car on when the light comes on, although it is supposed to be 5 litres or about 40-50km of driving. if light does not come on then chance is it a buggered sendor unit or wiring - remember its been faithfully going up and down for twenty years.

most likely the OBC will use the gauge sendor to judge the tank level and use the last average fuel consumption to calculate the remaining distance. chance your sendor unit is stuck at a lower level, does it ever get all the way down? stick a 5 full litre can in the boot and run it out to find out.
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CaesarBob
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:52 pm

mrLEE30 wrote:stick a 5 full litre can in the boot and run it out to find out.
then hope there isn't too much sh*t in the bottom of your tank that clogs up the fuel filters. :?
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Ant
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:58 pm

My petrol light is always on, I run Lpg :D
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mrLEE30
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:01 pm

CaesarBob wrote:
mrLEE30 wrote:stick a 5 full litre can in the boot and run it out to find out.
then hope there isn't too much sh*t in the bottom of your tank that clogs up the fuel filters. :?
kindly explain how running out of fuel will clog anything. this is what the gauze on the pump and fuel filter is for. why should the debris in your tank be any worse with less fuel? surely it would still get sucked up with a full tank or an empty tank :?

only the fuel pump can possibly be damaged by running out of fuel and the engine normally missed before that happens.
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Ant
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:10 pm

Theory is , crud floats on top of the fuel with more than 5 litres ( displacement and all that ) less than can let the suspended crud fall into the pickup bowl hence Fubarred pickup filter.

rare, but does happen folks :D

I must have done 200+ E30 fuel tanks this year already, rotten as per normal.. :lol:
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mrLEE30
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:15 pm

So the same could happen when driving round bends/over bumps with a quarter tank?

Not saying you are wrong but there are more things to worry about than clogged filters, and anyhow BMW kindly provide all the tools required in the tool kit to whip it out and brush the crud away from the gauze.
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Ant
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:22 pm

I'm on the fence Lee :D

with cars 20+ years old, anything can happen.
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Brianmoooore
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:18 pm

a) Never found the slightest bit of crud in an E30 fuel tank!
b) Never realised you were one of the enlightened, Ant!
c) This is a nice bottle of Bordeaux!
RM2186
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:31 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:a) Never found the slightest bit of crud in an E30 fuel tank!
b) Never realised you were one of the enlightened, Ant!
c) This is a nice bottle of Bordeaux!
Are you taking any orders for le vin rouge Brian or will the Touring struggle to bring home your own requirement? :wink:
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mrLEE30
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:56 pm

a) Never found the slightest bit of crud in an E30 fuel tank!
Cause an M20 just sucks it all up!!! OP is driving his four pot so maybe not enough power to suck shite out of a tank winkeye
c) This is a nice bottle of Bordeaux!
My second Coronita of many to come...Spain baby by British Air...I like to travel by means less reliable than my M20 :eek:
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Alex
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Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:07 pm

mrLEE30 wrote:
a) Never found the slightest bit of crud in an E30 fuel tank!
Cause an M20 just sucks it all up!!! OP is driving his four pot so maybe not enough power to suck shite out of a tank winkeye
:lol: :D

Cant wait till i get my 3rd years no claims then i can drive an e30 with the correct number of cylinders
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