Fuel Needle playing up

[Luis_H]

This is my 2nd post for my 93 Subaru Legacy, I bought the car just recently.

 

The fuel needle in my 93 Legacy is playing up, sometime it tells me that I have a quarter tank left and 5 minutes later it tells me it´s empty then a little while later it will show more fuel then what I started with, this is all while driving.

 

Two questions,

1st, Does the needle stay on the fuel level of the tank even though the keys are not in the ignition?

2nd, Is my problem with the sender in the tank if there is one, hopefully someone has experienced this problem.

 

Thanks in advance..

 

Regards,

Luis

[Gnuman]

Sounds like a faulty sender or a bad connection to it. There are two fuel level senders in the fuel tank of a 93 Legacy (one on either side of the tank).

 

1) the fuel guage does read the level of fuel even with the ignition off (or at least the level the fuel was at when the engine was turned off).

2) was answered above

3) the fuel guage on my 92 responds a bit slowly to avoid the distraction of the fuel guage responding to fuel sloshing about in the tank. . .Takes about two blocks after I fuel up from empty before it registers that the tank is now full.

4) remember that no fuel guage is 100% accurate. They cannot be. They are at best a guage of about how much fuel you have. . .I like to fill when I get to 1/4 tank, or I go by the odometer wich is more accurate. . .

[Legacy777]

Just to clarify. There are two fuel sending units only if you have AWD.

 

As to the gauge problem. The contacts on the senders can get corroded. What you can do is take them out of the tank. (access panels are in the trunk if you have a sedan, or behind the seat if you have a wagon.) Then take some emery cloth or fine sand paper and buff the contacts so the metal is clean and the contacts make good connection with the electrode.