OMG I BROKE DOWN!!!
Discussion
Panic over,,, ran out of petrol.. Kin idiot!
After all the preaching I've been doing over my fabulous Mbe engine management I was utterly floored when it wouldn't start, fuel gauge was reading almost a 1/4 tank, but fluctuating which is normally a sign it's low.
Decided it couldn't be anything other than lack of fuel, walked to a garage in the rain shaking my head in dis belief,,
Dropped in 4 litres of Amber necker for engines and instantly she fired up. Phew.
After all the preaching I've been doing over my fabulous Mbe engine management I was utterly floored when it wouldn't start, fuel gauge was reading almost a 1/4 tank, but fluctuating which is normally a sign it's low.
Decided it couldn't be anything other than lack of fuel, walked to a garage in the rain shaking my head in dis belief,,
Dropped in 4 litres of Amber necker for engines and instantly she fired up. Phew.
: biglaugh:
Now it's happened I realise I must have been on fumes a few times in the past too.
I'm going to be filling up when it hits a 1/4 from now on I know that.
I've just calculated the milage from the last top up,, it's about right so it's my fault,,,, amazing how we Tvr owners can blame ourselves when it's clearly the gauge,,,
To be fair the car ran out of fuel the day I bought it,, the sellor had to put a gallon in to get us to Tesco,, I noted then the gauge was roughly where it was earlier,,, my fault then
Now it's happened I realise I must have been on fumes a few times in the past too.
I'm going to be filling up when it hits a 1/4 from now on I know that.
I've just calculated the milage from the last top up,, it's about right so it's my fault,,,, amazing how we Tvr owners can blame ourselves when it's clearly the gauge,,,
To be fair the car ran out of fuel the day I bought it,, the sellor had to put a gallon in to get us to Tesco,, I noted then the gauge was roughly where it was earlier,,, my fault then
I no longer trust mine since the day it ran out as I was over taking a 38 tonner at 70 on the A1. Gauge said just under 1/4, but I had been driving pretty continuously since filling up at Bedford.
Try this:
If you have exactly 1/4 on the gauge, stop, turn off the engine, open filler cap, close filler cap, switch on ignition, and you may find you have apparently pissed 2 gallons of Shell into the layby, if you believe the gauge.
Alun, the fuel gauge in your TVR doesn't have to be inaccurate mate, it's super easy to adjust the sender to ensure this never happens again.
1. With your tank only 3 litres off of fully empty
2. Pull back the boot carpet on top of tour tank
3. Undo the Phillips screws securing the sender head to your tank
4. Withdraw the complete sender arrangement from your tank (long wand with float at the end)
5. Bend the wire wand, re-insert and see what the gauge says
6. Repeat a number of times each time with small tweaks to the wand until your gauge just shows empty
7. Fill tank and drive safe in the knowledge that when the gauge shows empty now you will still have 3 litres of fuel left, this will give you at least 10 miles to find your next station.
Dave.
1. With your tank only 3 litres off of fully empty
2. Pull back the boot carpet on top of tour tank
3. Undo the Phillips screws securing the sender head to your tank
4. Withdraw the complete sender arrangement from your tank (long wand with float at the end)
5. Bend the wire wand, re-insert and see what the gauge says
6. Repeat a number of times each time with small tweaks to the wand until your gauge just shows empty
7. Fill tank and drive safe in the knowledge that when the gauge shows empty now you will still have 3 litres of fuel left, this will give you at least 10 miles to find your next station.
Dave.
To be fair Dave it was low and I shoild have gotten to a fuel station sooner.
It's true to say my gauge goes past full and then takes about 100 miles to drop to 3/4. I kind of liked it because it reminded me of cars of the past,,
I've pulled senders out of fuel tanks before etc so understand what your saying and I will have a play sometime Dave. Cheers.
As you say Anthony i had been driving about for sometime when low so it was likely to happen at some point. I normally fill sooner to keep any crud that's in the tank in the tank so lesson learnt.
It's true to say my gauge goes past full and then takes about 100 miles to drop to 3/4. I kind of liked it because it reminded me of cars of the past,,
I've pulled senders out of fuel tanks before etc so understand what your saying and I will have a play sometime Dave. Cheers.
As you say Anthony i had been driving about for sometime when low so it was likely to happen at some point. I normally fill sooner to keep any crud that's in the tank in the tank so lesson learnt.
My fuel gauge also shows past full when full, by about 1/3 of a 1/4 (Can't do the fractional mathematics)Ok it's 1/12 but you get what I mean, I use the last 1/4 as my fill up point knowing I have some reserve, it usually takes 45 litres to refill so that's close enough for me.
Glad you didn't actually break down mind.
Glad you didn't actually break down mind.
^^^^ Fractions,,, very impressive
Yes it's just another trick the boys at the factory played on us owners,,
That's the other way to do it. Just fill up slightly earlier.
And yes I'm just glad it wasn't a break down as I have done most things at great expense to try and negate needless conking out.
Yes it's just another trick the boys at the factory played on us owners,,
That's the other way to do it. Just fill up slightly earlier.
And yes I'm just glad it wasn't a break down as I have done most things at great expense to try and negate needless conking out.
2OOM said:
It must have been a different bloke that fitted my sender as it shows just under full when brimmed and runs out dead on empty on the gauge .. 
With that I'll have a play sometime,, all my other gauges are accurate enough, yep yours was a Tuesday morning car,, f
kers had just about woke up to what they were doing ,, mine was a 7.30 am Monday or 3.30 pm Friday car. Year 2000 car, they were busy so I forgive em anyway.
Hoofa said:
Well due to a new design fuel tank with a inbuilt fuel pump and swirl pot I have just fitted one of these. Dead easy to calibrate empty and full point 
Interesting 
More info required
I seem to remember my original sender resistance works back to front to the common arrangement, did it work Ok with the standard TVR gauge straight out of the box?
Well I did try the fuel wizard box but it didn't work for me , I have had two fail for reasons I don't understand. Also it wasn't very linear , so bit the bullet and got the guage calibrated at speedy cables to match the sender output . The fuel sender is dead easy, calibrate in fresh air using the white calibration wire and hold it on the sensor body for ten seconds , then place in a full fuel tank connect calibration wire to earth for ten seconds job done. It's spot on and linear
Edited by Hoofa on Wednesday 1st June 13:44
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