Technical Fuel Gauge Fault

[kevian]

Hi,

My sister has a mark 2 (k Reg) Fiat Uno.

Unfortunately, it runs out of petrol just as the 'low fuel warning light' comes on.

You don't even get a mile out of it before it cuts out.

Any ideas?

Where is the sensor located and is it easy to replace?

Cheers

Kev

 

[mqsash]

Hi Kev,

Might be a sensor problem, but could also be that the gauge is not caliberated properly. So when you have a full tank, where does the needle point?
1. full,
2. "way beyond full", or
3. "less than full" ?

mqs

 

[alexGS]

Hi Kev,

The warning light has a couple of springy metal contacts if memory serves. You can probably adjust these with a pair of long-nose pliers so the light comes on a bit sooner (you'll see how it works from looking at it).

The tricky part is actually removing the sender from the tank! Easy to access - just fold the rear seat forward and lift the luggage compartment mat... an oval plastic cover with a couple of screws on the Mk2... but then you have to be really careful getting the fuel pipes off the sender as it is VERY easy to snap them off. The sender can't be lifted out without taking the pipes off, I'd suggest cutting them carefully lengthwise with a sharp knife. You only need short pieces of hose to replace (two different sizes), cheaply available. The hose pieces are pushed onto the hard plastic lines that run to the engine compartment.

The sender then has a large plastic ring securing it to the tank. Taking the sender itself to pieces is also a little fiddly (and possible to break), but I think in this case it is surely worth a go since when you get in there, I'm 99% certain that you can fix it. And, all the removal is from inside the car so you don't have to scrabble around underneath, which makes the job a lot more appealing (though probably open the windows first )

-Alex