Sticky Fuel Gauge/Sender?

[Turvey]

Brief scenario, going to work and went into fuel station to buy the local rag and as the fuel light was on and showing 37 miles left decided to fill up. Put £20 of petrol in, went in, paid for it, started car but fuel light was still on. Checked mileage, still 37 miles til empty. Went inside to speak to assistant. He said to take it for a quick drive and jab on the brakes as 'Fords are known for it' tried it, didn't work so went back in.

He said there was nothing he could do there and then but to come back later when the boss was in.   

So, after work, driving back to station, petrol light was still on. Getting myself pumped up far an argument.................and the light went off and mileage to empty went up to over 100 miles! 

Sent the assistant a message on Facebook(I used to work with him) and apologised for any hassle it may have caused. He replied saying he's had a few Fords in with the same problem. Personally I've never heard of it but just wondering if it is a common fault and if so, is it curable without spending a fortune? 

[jmurray01]

We've only had MK1s, but in my experience that has never been an issue. 

[GMX]

I've never come across that with either my Mk1 or Mk2 Foci

That is indeed strange

 

[jmurray01]

6 minutes ago, GMX said:

I've never come across that with either my Mk1 or Mk2 Foci

That is is indeed strange

 

Same here.  Certainly not a common fault that I am aware of.

[GaryPL]

I have seen this on other cars as well as Fords.  Happened just the other day actually, in this courtesy car I have.  As it's a courtesy car, I am filling it up a fiver/tenner at a time.  When I first got it, I put £12 in (wasn't watching the pump) and the dial went up to a quarter, the fuel light stayed on even though the dial wasn't in the red, and the trip readout was only marginally higher..

Had it on my old Corsa too.

My belief is that when you fill up a smaller amount, the car is programmed to ignore smallish variations in the amount of fuel on board.  This is to avoid the olden days when the dial would change as fuel sloshed around the tank as you drove along.  I am guessing the car eventually worked out you had more fuel and just accounted for it.

[jmurray01]

13 minutes ago, GaryPL said:

I have seen this on other cars as well as Fords.  Happened just the other day actually, in this courtesy car I have.  As it's a courtesy car, I am filling it up a fiver/tenner at a time.  When I first got it, I put £12 in (wasn't watching the pump) and the dial went up to a quarter, the fuel light stayed on even though the dial wasn't in the red, and the trip readout was only marginally higher..

Had it on my old Corsa too.

My belief is that when you fill up a smaller amount, the car is programmed to ignore smallish variations in the amount of fuel on board.  This is to avoid the olden days when the dial would change as fuel sloshed around the tank as you drove along.  I am guessing the car eventually worked out you had more fuel and just accounted for it.

You could have a point there, but £20 would be around 1/3 of a tank in the Focus, so it shouldn't have been small enough to ignore.  Plus, my MK1 doesn't suffer fuel gauge variations whilst driving either but still notices even £5 being added.

[Jonro2009]

I had a 57 plate Clio cup and that did a similar thing too, my then girlfriend (now wife) had a little 1.2 Clio and hers did it occasionally too, there was a reason and I can't remember what it was. I'll see if I have anything documented.


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[Jonro2009]

I had a 57 plate Clio cup and that did a similar thing too, my then girlfriend (now wife) had a little 1.2 Clio and hers did it occasionally too, there was a reason and I can't remember what it was. I'll see if I have anything documented.


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[jmurray01]

26 minutes ago, Jonro2009 said:

I had a 57 plate Clio cup and that did a similar thing too, my then girlfriend (now wife) had a little 1.2 Clio and hers did it occasionally too, there was a reason and I can't remember what it was. I'll see if I have anything documented.


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The reason was that it was a Renault!

[Jonro2009]

The reason was that it was a Renault!

Fair point. The wife's Clio was pretty reliable mine not so much. After 4 days of ownership I somehow managed to fracture a fuel line.


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[jmurray01]

8 hours ago, Jonro2009 said:

 

Fair point. The wife's Clio was pretty reliable mine not so much. After 4 days of ownership I somehow managed to fracture a fuel line.


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I've never heard of that happening at all, let alone after 4 days.  French cars seem to be either very reliable or very unreliable.  My 405 has been trouble free and in almost a year of ownership all it has needed was a new down-pipe for the exhaust and brake adjustment for the MOT. 

I think up until the millenium French cars were just as reliable as Fords, but after that everything went to hell in a handbasket.

[Turvey]

No, I've never heard of it either, maybe I'll put £40 in it next time and see if it happens again 

[jmurray01]

Just now, Turvey said:

No, I've never heard of it either, maybe I'll put £40 in it next time and see if it happens again 

I always fill my tanks full (if I can afford it, of course) as it is pointless putting £10-20 in as you'll just have to fill up again sooner anyway! 

[Jon Bhoy]

I have a 2010 Zetec S and happens on mine 50% of the time.I wondered if it was certain fuels that did it but seems totally random.Very strange but i would not worry to much.

[BOF]

This sounds like a partly open circuit sender track, although t could also be an intermittent bit of wiring. Essentially the computer gets no signal from the fuel tank sender and algorithm/heavy filtering keep showing what was there before for quite a long time. 
 

[Jonro2009]

I've never heard of that happening at all, let alone after 4 days.  French cars seem to be either very reliable or very unreliable.  My 405 has been trouble free and in almost a year of ownership all it has needed was a new down-pipe for the exhaust and brake adjustment for the MOT. 
I think up until the millenium French cars were just as reliable as Fords, but after that everything went to hell in a handbasket.

I had a 2yr old mk5 golf (from new) which ran sweet as a nut until the day it caught fire on the straight at Brodie, faulty coil pack. The Clio fuel line was apparently hit by a stone on the gollanfield straight, pished petrol all over the road. Same fire crew out to both lol. My Megane WSR was hassle free for the two years I kept that though.


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[Turvey]

A full tank would double the value of the car! Besides, I go there every Thursday to buy the local paper anyway as it's on the way to work 

[jmurray01]

22 hours ago, Jonro2009 said:

 

I had a 2yr old mk5 golf (from new) which ran sweet as a nut until the day it caught fire on the straight at Brodie, faulty coil pack. The Clio fuel line was apparently hit by a stone on the gollanfield straight, pished petrol all over the road. Same fire crew out to both lol. My Megane WSR was hassle free for the two years I kept that though.


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Christ!  You are unlucky.  I've never had a car catch fire thankfully (even the Mercedes after crashing into a wall and rolling it), but my mother did have a Fiat Panda before I was born which burst into flames.  God knows how as it was a 1980s model which had absolutely no electrics whatsoever, but obviously something caught fire and nearly burned the whole thing down.

[jmurray01]

22 minutes ago, Turvey said:

A full tank would double the value of the car! Besides, I go there every Thursday to buy the local paper anyway as it's on the way to work 

How do you think I feel when I fill up the MK1s!?

If you are going by every week and don't use more than £20 weekly, then I suppose that makes sense.

[v530anh]

Not seen that problem.

[Jonro2009]

Christ!  You are unlucky.  I've never had a car catch fire thankfully (even the Mercedes after crashing into a wall and rolling it), but my mother did have a Fiat Panda before I was born which burst into flames.  God knows how as it was a 1980s model which had absolutely no electrics whatsoever, but obviously something caught fire and nearly burned the whole thing down.

Try buying a zafira, I've heard the whole car is just kindling! Add a Samsung Note 7 and you've got a portable bomb! I had a Panda 100hp, fun little thing.


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[jmurray01]

20 minutes ago, Jonro2009 said:

 

Try buying a zafira, I've heard the whole car is just kindling! Add a Samsung Note 7 and you've got a portable bomb! I had a Panda 100hp, fun little thing.


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I'm not sure my mother's was so fun, even before it caught fire...  It probably had around 40HP!

Yeah, I'd steer clear of Vauxhalls entirely, and tablet computers.

[Turvey]

13 hours ago, jmurray01 said:

 

If you are going by every week and don't use more than £20 weekly, then I suppose that makes sense.

£20 lasts me about 3 weeks of just going back and forth to work! 

 

I leave work at 4pm when the news is coming on Radio 2 and, if I can get straight out of junctions etc and keeping within speed limits I can sometimes get home before the news finishes! And certainly before 'Sports Guy' finishes his spiel 

[jmurray01]

9 hours ago, Turvey said:

£20 lasts me about 3 weeks of just going back and forth to work! 

 

I leave work at 4pm when the news is coming on Radio 2 and, if I can get straight out of junctions etc and keeping within speed limits I can sometimes get home before the news finishes! And certainly before 'Sports Guy' finishes his spiel 

Lucky you!  I live 15 miles from my work which equates to 30 miles per day at rush hour times (well, as "rushed" as things get in Moray) so just commuting back and forth to work costs £20 per week in the 405, or £30 per week in the Focus. 

Still, it is very little compared to the inconvenience of getting buses or taxis!!

[Turvey]

Couldn't be ar**d with a long commute! We quite fancy a move out to the country but within a 10 minute drive to work and the schools etc 

 

There's a bus that goes right along the top of our road but I would need to leave the house an hour and a half before work to get there on time! Quicker to walk......and that ain't happening!