Tell me everything about the petrol tank chaps

[Jill450se]

From the little I know there are two tanks in the Wedge?

For some time now the petrol gauge will be reading virtually empty then when I come to fill up it only takes approx £30 - £35 of fuel. The gauge reads about 3/4 full but the petrol is almost overflowing the filler cap.

Could the problem be the linkage between the two tanks?

Also, where is the gauge situated?

Many thanks

[Campbell]

There is a cross over pipe at the bottom of the tanks, any thing from 15 to 25mm linking the tanks and the swirle pot, there is a good chance that the pipe will have a kink as it goes over the prope shaft, mine was kinked badly before i replaved it with a S/S pipe, still take ages to fill but its a lot better, also check the other pipes for there age and the beather too.

Cambelt

[mrzigazaga]

Hi mate.. i think the sender unit is on the backside of tank..Drivers side..I read that 5/8ths"ID is about right, I actually bought some to do the tank to neck breather..Fits nice.. If you ever need neck to tank its 50mm ID and you need 2 bits x 3"..I think you can only get metres of it i paid £30 a metre (marine supplies).. If your using samco make sure they are fuel resistant cos some are not although advertised as..Have you checked the gauges wiring..earth..Good luck.

[jmorgan]

Mine is similar. Only way to be sure is to carry a can or two of 95ron and see when it runs out. That is milage from full to empty bearing in mind the lead weight in your right boot will affect it. I don't know where the gauge/sender is but I don't want to disturb either and I heard a nasty rumor TVR fitted the tanks before the body went on. I know getting a 350 tank out defies the laws of shapes and holes and how many knuckles you have.


Thinks. I have somewhere an article in sprint on this but they have all been consigned to the attic posterior.

[Trickie Dickie]

You will find the problem is the sender unit

My mechanic got to mine quite easily on the ramp
but I couldn't find a replacement anywhere
(I have heard of the odd Wedger taking them off and refurbishing them)

Mine used to show near empty all the time until filled to the brim
then it would show 3/4 full for 30-40m miles then drop to nearly empty
The gauge on my 350i was also similar.

So I just check the mileage when I fill up and also keep a gallon in the boot

Also as mentioned it is only a small connecting pipe between the tanks so you have to be patient when filling
or develop the "Wedge Shuffle" which is that you rock the car slightly while filling
by slightly swinging back and forth with your hip against the car.
The gentle rocking seems to help!!!

HTH

Cheers
Richard

[mrzigazaga]

Im new to all this so dont quote me..but i think its more likely to be the gauge,If there are any kinks or blockages in fuel system then im sure the car wouldnt run .. My 280 says 3/4 even when its an inch from the cap..I spose when its reading empty youll probably have 1/4 tank left,which would suggest if its reading 1/4 of a tank then you should actually have 1/2 a tank .. To absolutely be sure yourll have to let it run out.. Make sure you have a couple of gallons spare..If your petrol is going down unusually fast then you would have a leak and at that rate you would smell it.. I lost about 1/8th of a tank of petrol when i was repairing filler neck and the tank was open to air for a couple of days.. thought i would of lost it all..Im sure there are ways to test the sender without removing it.. good luck,,zig

[Desiato]

As others have said the sender is located in the offside tank, next to the chassis spine. Mine was never terribly accurate and normally once it read empty it would only take about 30 litres. When it was truly emptied it would take a maximum of 55 litres to the brim.

The lower pipes between the tanks are approximately 5/8" including to the swirl pot. However there is a large 50mm pipe across the top of the tanks which transfers fuel during filling.
The steel filler pipe actually goes right across the offside tank and out towards the nearside tank. The pipe has failry large holes in it like a swiss cheese to fill the offside tank whilst still flowing some petrol towards the second tank.

Even after replacing all of my hoses etc the filling procedure was still fairly slow, especially with fast delivery pumps. The local Morrisons was actually better as the fuel pumps delivered slower.

Once you have had the car for a while you get to know the mileage limits and can judge how long to keep going for once it's reached empty on the guage!

[wooly350i]

Yes I would echo the previous comment,I have refurbed all the fuel pipes and both tanks being carefully to avoid kinks and routing them to avoid air locks before the pump,still tend to rock the car when filling up though. John

[adam quantrill]

Yes you can have problems with both sender and gauge.

Capacity is 61l. However I've never got this in even after running out. I think the fuel pickup starts to get tricky under the last 10l or so.

Keep a can in the back to do a trial but bear in mind that even a gallon topup can get lost - I put in a gallon and only did 1.5 miles before running out again 200 yards from the petrol station ;^)

[dixiebabes]

Thats not bad for you Adam 1.5 miles to the gallon.

Dix

[mrzigazaga]

1.5 miles to the gal.. Thats 20 miles on a full tank.. You got nos fitted or a supercharger,,