Date:         Fri, 20 Jun 2003 10:26:06 -0700
Reply-To:     laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Delanty <laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM>
Subject:      Re: fuel system
In-Reply-To:  <20030620165622.30142.qmail@web40002.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Are you sure the tank is just low and not empty?
The fuel gauge sender on mine is whacked, and
when it says just under 1/4 tank, it really means
"start walkin"...

I ran mine out one day and put 15.35 gallons in to
fill it. My gauge lies big time.

Maybe yours too?

Steve
'86 Westy


--------------------------

Brian wrote:
>So last week for the first time in my life I ran out
>of gas. I think. The first time this happened the
>needle on the fuel gauge was sitting at the top of the
>orange area; about an 1/8th of a tank left I think. (I
>had replaced the fuel filter only a few days and 100
>miles previously) This coincided with an extremely
>wheezy sound to the fuel pump; the nice crisp
>pressurization when you turn the key had been replaced
>by a weak sigh. I could still get it to run
>momentarily, but when I checked the fuel pressure at
>the T-connection fitting it wouldn't rise above 5 psi.
>So I switched in the pump from my other van, which has
>an equal number of miles. Problem solved, I thought.
>
>A few days later the van quit with a bit more gas in
>it. I checked out a lot of things for a couple hours
>and was beginning to think the new/used pump was also
>shot, though it still had a good sound to it. But then
>I tried pouring in five gallons of gas and it ran
>perfectly.
>
>So now obviously I don't let the guage go below a
>quarter tank, but I'm wondering what is going on. To
>add to the fun, I have a leak at the top of the tank,
>probably in one of the expansion tanks or connections,
>because it only leaks very slightly when I let the
>pump top-off the tank. After I drive a mile and stop
>there is no more leak. So I think maybe this allows a
>bit of air in which perhaps creates a lower pressure
>when the tank is very low? Or is a strainer blocked?
>Or is the pump weakening and it can't pull from a low tank?
>
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