I just purchased a 2007 Mini S. With 4 bars still showing, I ran out of gas. I thought the float need adjusted on fuel pump. I opened fuel pump housing, started car, pushed the fuel pump float all the way down and it moved the fuel gauge to 4 bars. The float sensor can not go any further down, its bottomed out. Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? Thank you.

 

Sounds like bent the fuel level arm going to the float when they installed it for a bad fuel pump, when it was replaced. You can try to compare the angle on this new pump and see if you an get it close, or you will have to get a new float.

There is a left and a right side tank fuel level sensor , make sure they both work, not bent and have not been messed with. Also check the plug connections.

Right side with the filter.




Left side with the pump.

 

Thank you for the detailed response. I opened the fuel pump compartment and pushed the float down all the way until the sensor bottomed out and there was still 4 bars on the gauge. So are you saying there is a sensor on the fuel filter side as well?

 

There are two sides of the fuel tank. A left and right. Each one has its own float and sensor. Did you check the other one? If one is stuck or bent then it could easily explain what you are experiencing.



Right Side with the FILTER (as previously posted by ECS):



Left Side with the PUMP (as previously posted by ECS):

 

Yep, check the diagrams I posted above.

 

Thank you both for responding. I'll open the fuel filter area this weekend.

 

You are welcome.

Just be careful around the gas tank.

 

Just out of curiosity, is it common for the r56 fuel gauge to lag on the top end of being full and then at a much faster rate decrease (assuming actual fuel consumption is constant)?

It's not quite as bad as going from 4 bars to nil, but it definitely makes gauging how much fuel I have left difficult.

 

My experience with the R55 fuel gage is as follows:
First candy corn 100 miles
Next 4 50 miles each. This takes you to 300 miles when the gauge says 1/2.
Last 4 25 miles each, for a total of 400 miles.

The gauge is very nonlinear, but in a predictable way.

Your mileage may vary, as they say.

 

In my experience, most fuel gauges are non-linear, and most of those are like this with little movement at the top and lots near the bottom.

Fenimore will go about 130 miles on the first carrot, then 70 on the second carrot, then about 50 on each of the rest.

 

wow, that's pretty much what I experience...
As a side note- it could be worse. the Land Rover Freelanders had a gas gauge system that was so electronically dampened or supressed in the cluster, it only actually read in 'real time' when you restarted the vehicle. So, to know what you really had in the tank, you'd have to shut off the vehicle, and restart, checking your gas gauge right then. Several owners ran out of gas since the dampening rate was more than what was left in the tank. Very strange....

 

most gauges that fail as in run out showing fuel is the rheostat , AKA variable resistor has corroded and reading wrong.

And one time in New Orleans area was Shell gas had some bad gas , wrong amount of something and killed hundreds of fuel gauges.

And keeping your car with near empty exposes it to more air and more corrosion than if you keep it filled more.

 

I think manufacturers want high accuracy when the tank gets on the lower end (more accuracy) and not so much accuracy when full. I would still prefer linear reading of how much fuel is measured and prefer a needle gauge.

 

I agree, but atleast unlike the good ole days way have a Distance to Empty now.


I for one never let my gauge get below 1/4 tank. For one I like to keep my sensors under fuel, as well as my pump which is cooled by the fuel and with an S if you run dry you probably have a good chance to kill or damage the HPFP.

It might just be coincidence but I have never had a fuel pump fail on any vehicle I own. And I don't ever run out of gas.

 

Methanol is another bad one for many sending units.

 

it's bad all around, I would pay more for real 100% gas but I can only get it from a friend who buys it by the barrel and I use that in my MC and generator etc, things that may sit for a long period as methanol turns to crap.

 

I've pulled my filter housing and noticed my float arm is straight where the float diagram looks like the float arm is bent. Does mine have the right arm?

See attached photo.

 

That does not look like the float in the photo from ECS tuning!

You may have found your problem.

 

Yea the realoem MINI ETK diagrams are a guide not exact. I have seen the fuel filter side level arm and its looks like that.

Here is a Russian site with the whole filter unit to compare.

https://www.drive2.ru/l/2249754/



And others:




Looks close to the same. You might just have a bad contact or connection on on of the floats.

 

OK, that looks like mine, does the blue thing in the photo (see red arrow) hook up to the filter housing in any way? Its laying in the bottom of the tank with a metal rod which has a plastic clip on the end. It looks like the plastic clip should hook up to something but it is just laying at the bottom of the tank. I'm wondering if the float is laying on the top of that so it won't go all the way down to empty.

 

Not really sure on that one. I think its either hooks to the evap system connection or it . One is the feed and on is the return. Yea, I would see it the float hits it, other the that. Its must be one of the float sensors.

 

Ok, being the high pressure line hooks up to the filter, I can't start the engine to see if movement of the float changes the gauge. Is there anyway to get the fuel gauge to light up without starting the engine? Thank you so much for all your help!!!!

 

Yes, think it light up when you turn the ignition on. Car in park or e brake on and not in gear or drive. Key in ignition. ( Dont touch the brake pedal or clutch ). Hold down start stop one time and hold a few seconds. Then ignition / power is on . But car is not running.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread but what is that blue part that’s being pointed out? Replaced my fuel filter and noticed that line is sort of just dangling in the tank. The plastic part seems like it’s suppose to hook onto something.