AKIRA Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 it's a 93 2WD auto EJ18 imprezza it's a car of a friend of mine, I saw the gauge drop from a 3/4 tank down to 1/8 of a tank in the distance of about 200 feet! it then started to rise slowly, didn't go far enough to see if it went all the way back up, but she said it raises and drops "all the time" what could be wrong, sticking floater?, bad connection to the gauge? anybody else have this happen to them? -AK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subieman Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 The exact same thing happens in my 91 Legacy. Scared the @#$! out of me the first time it happened. Guess I've learned to live with it, but it would be nice to have it fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattocs Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 hrrm...the gauge in my Legacy has stoped working all together...to fix that I filled the tank up all the way....like almost overflowing...and it has worked since. Maybe you just need new sensors for the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 My Low Fuel light never comes on no matter how low the the fuel is. I just live by checking on the gauge very often when driving. I wonder if the light bulb is burnt out or the sensor in the gas tank not working working properly. What's the best way to check this out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksoob Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Wonder if any of that "bad gas" from Shell and others that was causing everyone's gas gauges to go kaflooey made its way beyond just the Gulf states? Scary thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 I think most of these problems are caused either by wiring problems to the sensor(s) or the sensor itself is in need of repair or replacement. Cleaning the sensor's sliding contacts sometimes works in fixing these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattocs Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 My Low Fuel light never comes on no matter how low the the fuel is. I just live by checking on the gauge very often when driving. I wonder if the light bulb is burnt out or the sensor in the gas tank not working working properly. What's the best way to check this out? Carry a can of gas and let your car run out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Carry a can of gas and let your car run out. Hehehehehe...LOL. Okay, if that's how far I have to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 the sending unit in the tank is bad. I fixed the one on my 95 impreza about 3 months ago. Parts were roughly $80 and it took me about 1/2 hr to do it. You can access the tank from inside the car (you don't remove the tank). If it is a sedan I don't know if you have to pull the seat but in the wagon you lift the carpet up in the back and tada the access holes are right there. once the cover is off start the car and unhook the electronic conector and when the car shuts off you continue to remove the hoses and all the nuts that hold the SU and fuel pump in. When you order the parts have your vin because they did use different SU's over the years....and don't be afraid to wait...mine took 3 days to get in. Also, contrary to what others have said on here....my impreza only has one SU. Other subaru's do use 2 though. Got questions....ask! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 I took off the backseat, saw the fuel pump connector but couldn't do anything else or how to get to the tank opening! Where is it? It looks like I have to lower the gas tank unless I missed something. When my tank is filled up, the gas gauge moves ever so....s.l.o.w. It's like at least couple miles or several minutes (if not longer) of the engine running before the gauge begins to show that the tank is full. It moves really slow! Definitely it's the sending unit. Can we replace the bulb? How to replace it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 is your gauge accurate or not. I know akira's problem very well but I really don't follow yours.... My 02 OB that I had was really slow going up after a fill-up but there was never a problem. Is your car an impreza or a legacy or???? LMK, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 is your gauge accurate or not. I know akira's problem very well but I really don't follow yours.... My 02 OB that I had was really slow going up after a fill-up but there was never a problem. Is your car an impreza or a legacy or???? LMK, Matt I think mine is accurate but like I said, the Fuel Low light doesn't work even if my tank is near empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 not trying to be a jack but are you sure its empty? I've already thought that I was super low and infact was only needing about 13 gal in a 15.9 tank (not enough to make the light go on) My OB really had to go super low before it went on and as for my impreza I can't say that I have ever seen it on. There is an adjustment on the SU which might help it get a better reading but honestly I wouldn't screw with it just for the sake of a light. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahoona Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 My 93 Legacy Wagon did the same thing. It always haw 1/2 a tank in it when it hit empty and sometimes it stoped working totally for an hour or 2. I traded it on a 97 Leg Outback and have the same problem. You never really know what empty means. For the last 10 years or so I've just hit the trip meter when I fill up and make sure to get gas before 300 miles go by. Its one of the little things you learn to live with. Thats all. Kahoona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Yes, I'm sure it's nearly empty. Reason? I would fill up the tank with 12 gallons of gas when gauge is near E. I truly believe the gauge is accurate. If it's half empty, I would fill it up with 5-6 gallons, near empty, I would fill it up with 11-12 gallons. But even when it's at E, the light never comes on and I would have to fill it up with at least 12 gallons. Either the light is burnt out or the sending unit doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 Do what 'mattocs' has suggested: Carry a gas can (with a known amount of gas in it), and run the car empty. If the 'low-gas' light comes on, record odometer reading, and keep driving. When the car stops (or starts to miss), fill her up from the gas-can, and read odometer again. Head for a (hopefully nearby) filling-station and fill the tank to capacity. You should then know two things: - actual fuel tank capacity; - distance from 'low-gas' light to 'empty' (40km for my 2002 Forester). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I agree totally with mattocs and this other guy. You never did say what kind of subaru it is....if it is a legacy or legacy OB at 12 gal your light isn't going to come on....it is going to come on in the last 2 gal. of its useable amount..... legacy tanks are rated at 15.9 BTW. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I agree totally with mattocs and this other guy. You never did say what kind of subaru it is....if it is a legacy or legacy OB at 12 gal your light isn't going to come on....it is going to come on in the last 2 gal. of its useable amount..... legacy tanks are rated at 15.9 BTW. Matt My bad, I should've told you guys that my car is a '91 Legacy L AWD non-Turbo. Twelve gallons is what I've always thought this car's tank to hold. Unless the gas gauge is incorrect when it says it E or F. When it's at E, the number of gallons it takes to fill it up is roughly 12 gallons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOMAD327 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 There have been several threads regarding cleaning the sending units. They are easy to remove and you clean the wiper area on both. My 99 outback would read high for awhile then drop all of a sudden. I did both sides in under an hour and it fixed it right up. On a sedan, it's probably in the extreme front of the trunk, not under the seat, because on a wagon it's under the extreme front edge of the load floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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