Date:         Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:05:46 -0600
Reply-To:     Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Fuel Gauge Behavior Changed
Comments: To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <4ADDE761.8060509@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

On Oct 20, 2009, at 10:37 AM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:

> I can easily get 240 miles on a full tank in my 84. But when the
> gauge is
> at the halfway marker, the odo shows around 90 miles. The fuel gauge
> drops
> more slowly after that, so middle to bottom of the red is 240 or so
> miles.
>
> 90 miles above the halfway tick, 150 miles below it. Not very linear.
>
> Who designs these things?

We talked about this a couple of months ago, & someone pointed out
that the division lines in the fuel gauge are actually 1/5 markers w/
the red part being the last 1/5 & what we all think of the 1/2 mark
being only the 2/5's mark.  Since then I have shifted my paradigm to
this concept & my gauge which used to get to 1/2 way before it got to
empty now reads as it should?

240mpt= 96 miles at the old 1/2   144 miles at empty+-
what's 6 miles between vanagons? (2.5%!)

YMMV,

Mr. BZ-still only able to get 15.75 gals. max in my tank w/o running
out-working on 16.0 as we speak
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
> Bend, OR
> KG6RCR
>
>
>
> On 10/18/2009 8:29 PM Steve Williams wrote:
>
>> I ran my '84 Westy out of gas today, thank goodness within walking
>> distance of a gas station.
>>
>> I knew the fuel was low, but the gauge was still well above the red
>> band, and I've driven more miles on a tank.  I was running errands
>> and decided to complete just one more task before filling up.
>>
>> I put 16.1 gallons into the 16-gallon tank.  The van got 19.0 mpg on
>> this tank, so that's pretty normal.
>>
>> The question is: Why didn't the gauge dip into the red, as it always
>> has before?
>>
>> A clue: The gauge didn't budge when I poured a 2-gallon gas can
>> into the
>> tank.
>>
>> When the engine died, I was sure it was because I had depleted the
>> battery.  I'm the guy that keeps posting to the list about the low
>> voltage from my alternator.  But that wasn't the problem this time.
>>