28 replies to this topic

[*Raz*]

hey. my petrol gauge for my mini is RUBBISH. the other day it said it was on empty, and i had done wuite a bit of driving, so i went to fill up and it only came to £6, so clearly it wasnt empty like it was saying, this is really annoying, i get nervous im going to run out of petrol and i make a note of when i bought petrol last and roughly how much i have been driving. does this happen to a lot of minis and if so is there ne way i can sort it or how do other people handle the problem?

pleaaaaaaaaaaseeee help me!

thanks dudes!

xXx

[Guess-Works.com]

Simple check.... connect the two wires on the petrol tank together, then switch ignition on, if the guage goes full then the sender in the tank is duff, if the guage still only reads half then it's either the gauge or voltage stabaliser, for it to be the stabaliser the temp gauge will shw the same symptoms as the fuel gauge.

[*Raz*]

cheers m' dears heheh ill have a looksies xx

[timothy]

Mines got the same problem, but the temp guage works, and the connections on the tank seem to be sound so is it likely to be the guage or is it possible for it to be something else?
Cheers

[Bungle]

timothy

sounds like the sender in the tank

[timothy]

Cheers mate, jst checked the price for a new one on minispares, £17.63, mite take the current one out first and tinker with it to try and get it to work before i order a new one. Hopefully its jst a loose connection.

[Mini Matt]

Had the same problem with mine too up untill yesterday. Had to buy a new sender unit, more expensive than it looked too

[joeinaus]

I've had this problem too for about 2 or 3 weeks now. I took the sender uni out the tank today and the float at the end of it had petrol in it but I couldn't see any visible holes. The float was about 1/4 full of petrol. So, I'll get a new sender unit. They're about £17 on minispares.com

[paulrockliffe]

I have the smae problem, I remember reading on another thread that it was usually caused by a break in the wire winding that forms the variable resistor in the sender. Once the float moves past the break there is no longer a circuit and the gauge reads empty. I also remember not being ablee to find an affordable replacement sender, so mine is staying as it is for the foreseable future.

[joeinaus]

Check it out...

Attached Files

•  minisenderunit01130002.JPG   614.08K   153 downloads
•  minifuelgaugesenderunitfloat01130001.JPG   656.52K   131 downloads

[cooperstripes]

Hi guys im losing my patiance lol 3 week now i have bought a new sender unit new little box thingy for back of my dials my thermostat dial reads perfect but my fuel gauge shows full all the time (i wish it was)

somebody anybody HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP

[Jammy]

Broken guage? Wires connected to the correct terminals on the sender?

[cooperstripes]

hmmmmmmm wires to sender maybe il have alook .guage? but the thermostat works and its on the same clock that didnt work but then i thought ah il check my thermostat oh there isnt one

[davej]

Simple check.... connect the two wires on the petrol tank together, then switch ignition on, if the guage goes full then the sender in the tank is duff, if the guage still only reads half then it's either the gauge or voltage stabaliser, for it to be the stabaliser the temp gauge will shw the same symptoms as the fuel gauge.

My petrol gauge and temp gauge never move so am I reight in thinking this is time for a new voltage stabiliser??
Also do you think it may cure the problem of the indicators being permanently on, hazards flash though

Cheers guys

[Ethel]

Dave, I think it's more likely you have a duff connection somewhere or possibly a short circuit on the stabiliser supply. The indicator flasher needs the resistance of the bulbs to heat up its bimetallic strip, that's why they flash faster when a bulb is blown: it doubles the resistance. If it doesn't flash it's either worn out or there's not enough current going through it.

Stripes, quite possible you have mixed the wires up, if you have the supply from the gauge could be running straight to earth through the fuel tank.

You can test a sender unit with a multimeter - the change in resistance should be linear as you move the float arm.

If it's just the float replace it with anything that floats and won't dissolve in petrol - pinch one off any scrapyard fuel tank.