Fuel Gauge

[McIntoshWeeks]

Hi

I'm a new Chimaera owner and think the car is totally fantastic. However, one issue is that the fuel gauge is horribly unreliable and will saty on "full" for ages and then suddenly drop and the warning light come on! Being a new kid on the TVR block, is this a common issue and if so is there a good way to solve it?

Kindest regards
Antony

[raceboy]

Perfectly normal, well mine is the same anyway.
Also hard cornering increases the indicated fuel level..
You'll get used to it, just don't trust the light to come on and expect to have a set amount of fuel and play fuel light bingo, if the lights on fill up, these cars have a little bit more 'character' than the run of the mill EuroBoxes.
You'll learn how many miles you get from a tank and play it from there I usually expect to get about 150 miles from a tank full or 1/2 a day on track.

[Nuggs]

raceboy said:

I usually expect to get about 150 miles from a tank full

I've not managed below 200 miles on a tank full yet.

It's a wonder reenpeace don't camp outside your house

[FunkyGibbon]

I tend to ignore the fuel gauge and top-up after about 180 or so miles.

[Zippee]

I tend to top up about 160-180 miles (usually at a cost of £35-40 to do so). Don't trust the guage anyway - I try never to let it drop below a qtr tank for this very reason.
Whats this about a fuel light anyway? I've run mine pretty low on only a couple of occasions but have never noticed any light come on.

[McIntoshWeeks]

Hi all

Thanks for such prompt replies! very helpful and in future I'll ignore the indicator and do things mainly from mileage. The light, by the way, does come on when the gauge slips below 1/4 full. Perhaps I have an advanced gauge??!!!!

[Paulo.dicanio]

The fuel gauge on mine has always been very accurate. I have run it very low once or twice and never had a fuel light come on though. I guess TVR ran out of L.E.Ds the day ours were made.

[That Daddy]

Paulo.dicanio said:

The fuel gauge on mine has always been very accurate. I have run it very low once or twice and never had a fuel light come on though. I guess TVR ran out of L.E.Ds the day ours were made.

No i aint got a light either,and any thing less than quarter of a tank and its dance with the devil time for mei did get caught short just below a quarter of a tank and nursed the car to the garage 3/4 mile away but downhill in places,that was fun ill tell you, it was like someone hitting the ignition key every 3 or 4 seconds.

Edited by That Daddy on Tuesday 12th June 21:56

[nikman]

McIntoshWeeks said:

Hi all

Thanks for such prompt replies! very helpful and in future I'll ignore the indicator and do things mainly from mileage. The light, by the way, does come on when the gauge slips below 1/4 full. Perhaps I have an advanced gauge??!!!!

Where the heck is this low fuel warning light? Never seen one on mine and the handbook doesn't show one either. What year is yours? Nick.

[McIntoshWeeks]

The light is about a 1/4 of the way along the markings on the gauge. It is just a little orange light that flickers on and off when the fuel is apparently between quarter and empty!!! perhaps I have a rare dial that I could sell on ebay........for millions!!!!

[McIntoshWeeks]

Forgot to add that the mine is a late 1993...

[Konrod]

Yup, mine's a '95 and it has the warning light too. You can tell how low the fuel is by the amount the gauge fluctuates on hard cornering

[davetherave1970]

Mines the same. It's like a mobile disco inside after about 150 miles! Flashes on and off with each bump or corner.

[nikman]

Konrod said:

Yup, mine's a '95 and it has the warning light too. You can tell how low the fuel is by the amount the gauge fluctuates on hard cornering

They must've run out of those by the time my '98 was built.

[spend]

davetherave1970 said:

Mines the same. It's like a mobile disco inside after about 150 miles! Flashes on and off with each bump or corner.

That sounds to be working perfectly

I think mine works quite well, compared with the LR.. Light comes on & stays on, turn ign off and it goes off for another 20miles. At least the TVR one just flashes until it really is low and then stays on. You get used to reading the warning level.

All the early ETB instruments had the warning light, it may be that when the change to BTR diff was made (speedo driven from side of diff not front) that the CAI gauges were used and the light was lost. The early gauges are also slightly larger BTW.

Dave

[IPAddis]

spend said:

davetherave1970 said:

Mines the same. It's like a mobile disco inside after about 150 miles! Flashes on and off with each bump or corner.

That sounds to be working perfectly

I think mine works quite well, compared with the LR.. Light comes on & stays on, turn ign off and it goes off for another 20miles. At least the TVR one just flashes until it really is low and then stays on. You get used to reading the warning level.

All the early ETB instruments had the warning light, it may be that when the change to BTR diff was made (speedo driven from side of diff not front) that the CAI gauges were used and the light was lost. The early gauges are also slightly larger BTW.

Dave

Maybe but not related to GKN diff.

Ian A.
1996 Griff, Serpentine, GKN diff, T5 box, CAI instruments, no fuel warning light.