Technical Petrol Gage Moves Up And Down!!

[spn131186]

SOMEBODY HELP ME MY PUNTO 55 S IS ACTING UP! THE PETROL GAGE ALWAYS MOVES DOWN QUITE QUICK, EVEN THOUGH I JUST PUT PETROL INTO IT! ALSO WHEN I TURN CORNERS THE PETROL GAGE'S POINTER GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ALMOST EMPTY, AND THEN GOES UP WHEN I'VE SPED UP AGAIN! i WAS TOLD THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON IN MANUAL CARS, IS IT? ANY1 KNOW WHAT THIS COULD BE, PLEAASEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!!!!

 

[Mr_noir_1976]

Hi,

I think this is the same for all puntos,

im not 100% sure but i think the gauge works off a float that sits on top of the fuel so when you moving around so does the float,and so does the gauge,i can put a tenner in mine,turn left out of petrol station and my light will come on!

i may be totally wrong with the explanation,but i am certain its not a problem and nothing to worry about,unless the light is on when you are going straight,left and right,cos that means you have ran out!!!

(",)

 

[Steven]

Firstly, why are you shouting?

This won't affect the running off the car, it's not using extra petrol, the gauge should return to the correct level on a straight road. I'm guessing you have an early 1994/95 Punto? This seems to be a feature of early cars and any I've had (4 or 5) all did it. My current 94 55s also does it. Nowt to worry about.

 

[faster4_tec]

not just early cars mate!! all mk1's pretty much do it .
some worse than others
even on straight level road with no acceleration it will still fluctuate a bit.
only time you can tell is parked!

 

[MrDT]

Yep, with mine going uphill and downhill makes the most difference. Cornering a little too fast has the same results... if it feels like the car is on two wheels it looks like you've lost (or gained) quarter a tank of fuel! Nothing to worry about, it's just the float afaik.

If you half fill an empty ice cream tub with water and tip forward, backward, left, right, etc, you'll see the water level at say the back left corner rise and fall dramatically... imagine the petrol tank float is in that corner, depending how you tip the tub/tank/car it'll look like it contains more or less liquid

 

[faster4_tec]

either you drive very sedatly, or your car is less wonky than others!

mine has always been the same, if its got any less than 3/4 in it, it can go anywhere from orange light to the top of the gauge!
parents and friends always giving me agro that I run it on 'fumes' all the time. which is bullpop. mongolian taxi drivers drive everywhere on less than fumes (the gauge rarely gets as high as the orange light LOL!!) even when in the western deserts!!!!! they siphon fuel between long stops, so effectivly theres always several dozen litres 'out' in the desert, whilst at each end of the desert there is bugger all and vehicels running out everywhere!
this is because petrol has more than doubled in the last 18months to the staggering price of............... 28p a litre

 

[DanGil]

My mk2 moves very slghtly when going up or down hill, but not side to side.

 

[serin]

i can do it on both of my cinquecentos

my mates thought i had a shift light when we went around a roundabout

 

[spn131186]

Yep, with mine going uphill and downhill makes the most difference. Cornering a little too fast has the same results... if it feels like the car is on two wheels it looks like you've lost (or gained) quarter a tank of fuel! Nothing to worry about, it's just the float afaik.

If you half fill an empty ice cream tub with water and tip forward, backward, left, right, etc, you'll see the water level at say the back left corner rise and fall dramatically... imagine the petrol tank float is in that corner, depending how you tip the tub/tank/car it'll look like it contains more or less liquid

lol i tear round corners, at least i dont have 2stop now!:devil:

 

[fiat55s]

my punto does the same always has done and i changed the pump and float aswell becoz i had to replace the tank due to a leak both did exactly the same its just the way they are bud

 

[Munkul]

heck. my car's fuel gauge fluctuates only very little and theres no one who would call me a sedate driver
theres meant to be a damper on gauges to stop them fluctuating, i dont know how it works (probably electronic) but could it be as the mk1's get older, the "damper" is wearing out?

 

[smokeyjoe03]

SOMEBODY HELP ME MY PUNTO 55 S IS ACTING UP! THE PETROL GAGE ALWAYS MOVES DOWN QUITE QUICK, EVEN THOUGH I JUST PUT PETROL INTO IT! ALSO WHEN I TURN CORNERS THE PETROL GAGE'S POINTER GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ALMOST EMPTY, AND THEN GOES UP WHEN I'VE SPED UP AGAIN! i WAS TOLD THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON IN MANUAL CARS, IS IT? ANY1 KNOW WHAT THIS COULD BE, PLEAASEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!!!!

FIRSTLY

My guage seems to be fine, the only time it fluctuates is when i'm driving it like a corsa, saxo etc When I overtake and put my foot down in a low gear the guage seams to read lower and when I ease off it goes up again. Like it predicts the fuel consumption depending on the amount of revs.

 

[Lowtechguy]

As per second post it has a float which is intergral to the "sender unit".

Over time these wear and their resistance becomes less and less so instead of a slow reacting float it becomes free to move.

You can get a brand new one which will be stiffer in function but as others have said this does not effect the running of the car.

SPI engines all run a 1bar pump and MPI run a 2.5bar pump incase you want to find a low milage late plate one to swap with.

 

[MikeyR]

ye the floats move about when cornering nothing to worry about.

 

[T14086]

FIRSTLY

PMSL........