Fuel gauge problem!!

paddyd8

Ive a 1993 Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 and the fuel gauge is stuck just above empty. Any ideas on what it could be??

cletus

Possibly an issue with the sender unit in the tank

paddyd8

is it a big job taking it out?

cletus

Generally the access points for these are either under your back seat or under the carpet in the boot.

There will be an access panel to remove, and you will then expose the sender unit itself. Unplug the wire connected to this first.

Given that your car is a '93, you'll probably have the twist lock type.

There should be two or more notches in this around the edge, place the the head a a large-ish flat head screwdriver and tap it gently counter-clockwise, then remove


Installation, as the Haynes people like to say, is the reverse of removal


Make sure you disconnect the battery before you start, and dont smoke a fag while opening the fuel tank

paddyd8

The gauge falls when normally though but when the car is turned off it doesnt. Is this a problem for the NCT??

cletus

paddyd8 wrote: »

The gauge falls when normally though but when the car is turned off it doesnt. Is this a problem for the NCT??

Not sure, but i think you mean that when the engine is running the fuel guage drops normally, but when the engine is off it doesn't move?

That is probably just down to the electronic controls, and shouldn't be an NCT issue

biko

Yeah NCT won't care.

It could be the needle or the sender unit as said.
I don't really understand - is the needle always stuck or is it fine as long as the tank is full/half full and car is running?

paddyd8

The needle works fine ( goes up and down when fuel is added and lost). But on most cars I drove in the past when the car is turned off the needle goes down to empty and when the car is started again it goes back up. On this car its doesnt move when turned off?

cletus

You dont have a problem, both petrol and heat gauges on my car are the same

Leonard Hofstadter

paddyd8 wrote: »

The needle works fine ( goes up and down when fuel is added and lost). But on most cars I drove in the past when the car is turned off the needle goes down to empty and when the car is started again it goes back up. On this car its doesnt move when turned off?

Nothing wrong with it so - it's common on old Jap cars to have a constant read out fuel gauge.

paddyd8

cheers lads!!

paddyd8

I put petrol in there this evening lads and when I turned the car on afterwards the gauge was on the same place. But it slowley creeped up as I was driving it! This is still ok yea??

biko

It could be something, or nothing. As long as it moves when car is running there shouldn't be an issue.

paddyd8

yea biko it moves when the car is running! I've never experienced this in a car before!

Leonard Hofstadter

paddyd8 wrote: »

I put petrol in there this evening lads and when I turned the car on afterwards the gauge was on the same place. But it slowley creeped up as I was driving it! This is still ok yea??

Yeah that's fine as well.

Furious_George

paddyd8 wrote: »

I put petrol in there this evening lads and when I turned the car on afterwards the gauge was on the same place. But it slowley creeped up as I was driving it! This is still ok yea??

My 00 almera does exactly the same. Its not a problem as far as i can tell.

Harcrid

The gauge goes up slowly after a fill because it averages the fuel level in the tank over a short period of time. This is to stop the needle spiking up and down as the fuel sloshes around in the tank or when you go and down hills.