The car sat for ten years. Got her running and put in 5 gal of gas. The dash guage shows empty and the idiot light is on. I'm thinking the float is stuck in the tank? Anyone ever done this? 81 wagon 1.8 4wd

The car sat for ten years. Got her running and put in 5 gal of gas. The dash guage shows empty and the idiot light is on. I'm thinking the float is stuck in the tank? Anyone ever done this? 81 wagon 1.8 4wd

 

Fill it up a bit more, and go for a drive on some bumpy roads. It'll loosen up after a little bit. gasoline is an excellent solvent.

 

I had this same problem in a Geo Metro once. I was driving from Oregon to Wisconsin, and the fuel pump in the Geo gave out and finnally died in Bismarck.(we had to sleep in the park by the river) Found a really nice J-yard (down by the tracks, kinda close to the rock n roll mcdonalds). They sold us a whole tank assembly(pump in tank) and let us change it out in there parking lot. Hit the road and the needle was stuck at *E* for about 20 miles then started working. I've always wanted to go back to that yard and thank them. They where really nice and gave us a good deal in a pinch.

Seafoam helped mine out; same problem, put seafoam in, and it started working. I believe seafoam to be the most useful automotive chemical.

The car sat for ten years. Got her running and put in 5 gal of gas. The dash guage shows empty and the idiot light is on. I'm thinking the float is stuck in the tank? Anyone ever done this? 81 wagon 1.8 4wd

 

Related question...Driving down the road in my 91 Loyale on a long trip, my gas gauge doesn't go down hardly at all. Looks like I'm getting 50 MPG or so. Woohoo!!! But when I shut the motor off, then restart it, the gauge then goes to a much lower place on the dial, indicating something like the true amount of gas in the tank. So if it does that, why does it not go down normally when driving? Is this just an odd variation on stuck float, or is it corrosion on the float wiring? Will Seafoam or something else fix this or do I need a new sender? Can the dealer get these senders?

The low fuel light is independent of the float. 5 gallons may not be enough to kill the light. Remeber this car has at around for a while, so everything may have a film on it.

 

Also the guts of the sender is in the top of the tank. Gas is an excellant solvent. You may need to fill the tank to get the gauge to react/clean itself.

 

Throw in a can of Techron the first time you fill it up, or for anyone with a funky gas gauge.

 

nipper

Ahh. I work in Bismarck! I know the place. I don't go there often though. Actually, I think they closed.

 

Park by the river huh. two choices. If you heard animal sounds at night it was Sertoma (zoo there). If you had to pay, it was Gen. Sibly.

Ahh. I work in Bismarck! I know the place. I don't go there often though. Actually, I think they closed.

 

Park by the river huh. two choices. If you heard animal sounds at night it was Sertoma (zoo there). If you had to pay, it was Gen. Sibly.

 

It was the the park basically right under the bridge that brings you in to town from the west. It was 100 degrees and there where so many mosquitos I though we were going to get sucked dry before day break. Didn't have to pay.