fuel gauge woes
 

I just got a brand-new 2010 370z. It had 8 miles on it when I got it. I am now a little bit worried as I have seen some weird behavior with the fuel gauge.

The first time I got gas was just after the light came on and it got down to the last two dots. I got gas shortly after this happened and put 16.8 gallons of gas in the car.

The second time was again when it go to two dots and I waited a bit longer this time and put 17.2 gallons of gas in it.

This all seemed normal. Well flash forward to just yesterday. My car has 1100 miles on it. I was driving from one data center near LAX airport to our other one in downtown Los Angeles. Right as I was leaving the one in LAX the gas light came on. I figured I could go ahead and wing it until I got to downtown and then later on my way home go to a gas station that was out of expensive L.A. (about 28-30 miles from where I was at that point). The DTE was at 60 miles.


So I drive to downtown and surprisingly in only 16 miles the gas went down to 1 dot just before reacing my destination. This was quite odd as It was almost completely highway and I got around 24 MPG. I figure its nothing to worry about but after I finish up my shift and start the car I see the DTE is now --. Another 2 minutes when I am leaving the parking lot all the sudden the car goes to 0 dots (not even registering anymore). This got me quite worried as the last two dots went away in less than 20 miles when I had almost put that much on before after letting it go a bit after two dots in the past and it never even got to one.


So I decide to go to the nearest gas station that is downtown L.A. and pay 25 cents more per gallon. It wasn't worth it to make another trip to a gas station so I took the $3-4 hit and filled up the tank.

Now this is where it is weird, it only took 16.8 gallons to fill up the tank. Wtf? It was on 2 dots before and I put 17.2 gallons in it and this time it was at no dots and I only put 16.8? Obviously I could have waited until I got 10-12 miles out of L.A. and went to the usual place I go.


Is this just typical shitty digital gas gauge or do I have a problem? I know one of the only problems my dad has had with his 350z has been his (analog) fuel gauge. When he fills up it only goes up to like 75% full.

It seemed to work just as I would expect the first two times I got gas and now I am seeing weird behavior so I am getting a little worried.

Mines always been like that. As soon as the gas light goes on the gauge drops quickly. It probably does that to scare you into getting gas asap. All the cars I've had as soon as you hitthe red on the gas gauge it would always godown much quicker. I wouldn't worry about it.

That gas guage is just there to tell you to go fill up. It's not a universal accurate measurement of the exact amount of gas you have in your tank. Plus do not depend on it to measure the same everytime.

Are you doing anything differently when you fill up the car? If you 'top it up', you can squeeze almost another half-gallon in the tank. Also, don't think that every gas filler handle will turn off at the same level. None of the instruments we using in refilling are that accurate. Except the cost calculator in the pump itself...that reads thousandths of a dollar.

If we've learned anything about the fuel gauge in our 370z, it's that the "xx miles left" warning isn't very accurate. Best advice is to fill it up before it gets down to 0-2 dots.

Also, I've never filled up with more than 17 gallons of gas, so I think either the 19 gallon tank is wrong (not likely) or the gas gauge is erring on the side of caution (most likely).

Don't let it get that low (the fuel pump is in the tank and cooled by the fuel).

Also, put a bottle of Techron in every now and then. It will help keep the contacts on the fuel gauge sender clean and read more accurately.

You're putting way too much stock in electronic gadgetry.

Well I am a computer geek so figures =P I have graphs and sensors for pretty much everything on my computers (even room temperatures in my house =P )

I guess I know to take it with a grain of salt when it starts getting low. I do top off the tank when I get gas.

Btw I am replying to this thread courtesy of the dealers wireless network =) I finally got over 1200 miles on the car so I took it in for the complementary oil change. I cant wait to drive it home now that its out of break-in =)

I also read through a bunch of that huge thread about oil temperature problems. Is that still an issue on 2010s? When driving to the dealer my oil temp got to 240 F which seemed a bit high to me since I wasn't pushing the car at all (about 80 mph highway driving). I will admit it was hot out though (106 F according to the cars outside temperature gauge).

We have too many houkouonchi Canadian goose here. Please take them back.

I would swear that Techron made my fuel gauge go wacko. I was doing fine, then put in a bottle of Techron. For the next 5 tanks, my two right-most LEDs on the gauge would sporadically stay off despite a full tank. After about five fillups, the gauge is working fine again. Bad batch of Techron?

iv'e seen my oil temp get to 220 here in texas on a hot day. i try not to get in behind 18 wheelers or other traffic. to me the oil temp gauge is more wacky than the gas

I never let the fuel gauge on any of my cars go under a 1/4 tank.

Your gauge is working fine. Put in an oil cooler and watch where it settles out. I'm amazed at how nice and cool my engine has been since I installed mine...and it's been a constant 90F+ here.

LOL!

I thought those suckers had metal in their beak's or brain or something which made them 絶対方感 (zettaihoukan). My made up antonym of houkouonchi, comparing onchi to zettaionkan as I don't think there is an official/real antonym to houkouonchi.

I know its extra confusing being , CA but I actually live in Ontario, California, not Canada =P Yeah I know the CA makes it even worse, HAH! It was a lot less confusing when it was Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Well you are making the assumption that the gas meters on several different gas pumps are all going to be exactly the same which they won't be. So that's another source of error.

Regarding tank size, most manufacturers assign a reserve at "empty" of a few gallons so when the tank reads empty you still have a little time to get gas.

Gas tank gauges are always fairly innacurate I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Don't forget the gas is moving around in the tank too so the gauge can't be too sensitive otherwise it would be moving all over the place as you drive.

:icon17: ontario, california... ive been there. they have that faux sushi place run by koreans. :tup: everything seems fake in california. :p

going back to topic, it seems the pump's tip also clicks early/late depending on the aisyo with your car. my car only seems to like this one pump at a Mobil station. the other stations i cant get it to pump all the way to the top. ive tried slowing down the flow rate, etc. no change. this has been the way on my 6yr old G too. i can only top it to the brim at this one station.

Interesting that you mention that.

The last few fillups (with Chevron, BTW) I've noticed that right after the fillup the rightmost LED does not light up. The next time I start the Z, then it does. Weird...

You may want to be careful going past the click. Some cars will backflow fuel into the Charcoal emissions canister resulting in a CEL. This used to happen to my Daughter with her Mazda 3 until I retrained her. Not a problem since.

On the Fuel sender contacts, they look much like this. Since the "Full" contact us largely exposed to air, it can corrode and interupt the signal. Techron is effective at keeping these contacts scrubbed clean and all lights on the dash lit when full..

http://images109.fotki.com/v775/phot...SCN3954-vi.jpg

modshack- nice pict!

yah, i dont go past the click. wat i meant was some pumps click just right, most pumps click too early for both my G and Z. :tiphat:

:icon18:

I think I will just have to live with the fact that the gauge isn't accurate. No biggy. I mean today after filling up I went 65 miles before the first notch went away on the fuel gauge =P Obviously 65 miles would be way more than 1/16th of the tank.

No biggy I guess =)

Ive never been big on sushi but there is a really good ra-menya in Gardena that is right on the way between where I work (Downtown L.A.) and LAX. I actually went there tonight and even got a kaedama =)

Yep, Shinsengumi on Redondo. I know exactly where that is. :p

Alternative is either to keep your tank full or drive more aggressively so you slosh gas around more :driving:

i like the sound of that!

note to self: must drive my Z much more agressively for its health and well being.

Use Trip Odometer
 

Over my life time and too many cars, with poor fuel gauges to cite, I fill up the tank , reset trip odometer and use odometer to tell me if what the gauge reads, makes sense.

"WOES"? Come on, that guage is far from linear. Just don't leave it so long next time. You've got nothing wrong here. Again.... this guage is far from linear. (ie: means that the "light system" is not as accurate as a dial style guage.)

I ended up driving for over 20 miles with DTE showing 0. Still had a couple gallons left in the tank.

And the water temp "Gauge" is even worse since the 7th light stays lit from 155 degrees all the way up to 214 degrees...

and the clock gauge is also ludacris because it never shows the correct time as my garage clock. :D

Got this yesterday before filling up...

Prior to a hard right turn gauge was on warning with 29 miles on it. 17.3 gallons went in.

As many have learned on the track, hard turning (particularly right) on less than 1/2 tank can result in fuel starvation. The gas really sloshes around. I try to keep my tank above half at all times.

On the subject of oil temp, there are tons of threads about the problem. It's real and affects all 370's regardless of year. An oil cooler solves it very nicely. My oil temp rarely goes over 180.

Hmm?

I was worried about that until yesterday when I literally crawled 3 miles in 30 minutes in traffic on a 100° day here, and the oil temp never got above 200°.

Maybe the problem was solved for 2011?

The oil temp never goes high during traffic jams,only tracking will goes up.

Hm. My oil temp goes up when stuck in traffic on hot days. It'll climb up near 220 but so far never past. I have also noticed the oil temp tends to run higher when I am forced to drive at low speeds (50mph and under) for extended periods. But maybe that's b/c I always drive in full auto and the engine lugs itself around at very low RPMs at low speed.
Back on topic, my fuel gauge tends to jump around too, especially if I've left the car garaged for a week or so.

I know this is old, but nonetheless still an issue with 2013 models.
I live in Las Vegas, one big downhill bowl heading east, if I'm going down any type of grade on anything less than a 1/4 tank, my dash lights up & says 70 miles dte. My 08 nismo never did this. I despise digital gauges.

bumped a 2 year old thread


nonetheless, i dont let my car fall below 1/4 tank all the time, when it happens i usually end up filling up about 18 gallons(2 dots left) so i think the tank is a 22 gallon tank including the reserve tank

oh and i never listen to the DTE, its always changing on me

If you are talking US Gallons and you're putting 18+ gallons in the Z with 2 dots left of the fuel gauge, either fuel gauge is messed up (wouldn't be the first time) or the gas pump calibration is off (in which case you should report them). The Z has a 19.1 gallon tank, and I don't know of any "reserve" tank :icon14:

HowStuffWorks "Summer-grade versus Winter-grade Fuel"

9 reasons why your winter fuel economy bites! - MetroMPG.com

This is the time of year petroleum company's change over May1-June1 from winter to summer fuel blends

In a nutshell you can't go as far with winter gas,has the service station swapped over to summer fuel?