Hi,

We were out for a drive yesterday and all of the sudden the gas gauge dropped below E. The light came on and everything. Computer range showed "---". I know there was at least 3/4s of a tank of fuel left. I checked fuses and the relay - all good. Then, this morning the gauge began to creep back up toward 3/4. Justin at MNS said not too worry about it unless it happened again. What the ???

Has anyone else here had a problem like this?

TIA

 

I've seen something like that once or twice. I really wouldn't worry about it unless it happens again. In that case, they'll remove the fuel sending unit and check the level sensor. They are just a float like what's in the back of your toilet. Works the same way to tell the car how much gas is in the tank. One time oddball flukes happen and can be wierd when they do.

 

Mine did the same thing earlier today, and did it again tonight, except it's still showing empty.

We are leaving Friday for vacation (driving from Michigan to Colorado).

Does the gas tank have to be dropped to get to the fuel sending unit?

 

The sending unit is below the rear seat. It shouldn't need to be dropped.

 

Thanks,
Mark

 

Mark,

Please let us know what you find out.

 

this happened to me a couple days ago, I was parked on a forward slant (but I do that all the time in San Francisco), and the fuel showed empty, computer showed ---

it's fine now though, I just wonder what the hell happened.

 

Similar problem - left the car parked overnight on a slant - had a full tank. Next morning gauge showed below empty and the reserve indicator light was on. After about 60 miles it started working again. Now it does it every time I fill up ....

 

Oddly enough, I had the same thing happen yesterday

 

My Corvette Z06 would do this. On it, it had to do with the float in the tank. I would go buy Chevron Fuel cleaner w/ Techron and that would clear it up. Might try that as a cheap fix. Just make sure it has Techron in it. It is in a black bottle and you can purchase it at most parts stores as well as Walmart.

 

Happend to me 5 times over 3 months when I'd fillup - dealership replaced defective fuel sending units. Service manager said he's seen a good number of them fail and that MINI thinks fuel additives/cleaners are to blame - sounds fishy to me, probably poor quality parts.

You should roughly have 2 gallons when you hit E (11 gal to fillup), otherwise there's a problem.

Max.

.

 

Whenever I am on E, it takes me 13.2 gallons to fill up

 

The fuel gauge in my wife's '06 MCSC does the same thing (plummets to zero with the associated "---" display in the OBC, but recovers within a few hours).

It's done it three times in the 17 months/20k miles we've had the car. It's probably a sender issue, but it's not happening often enough to bother with having it fixed just yet, and there's still plenty of warranty left.

We've never used fuel additives, so it's probably just a small percentages of the senders failing.

 

but I'm not sure. I've had and still have this problem. It's the worst right after a fill up, and it screws with the cars expected range. When I tank up, if the sendor is a good mood, I get an expected range of over 430 miles. When it's empty, I've done a bit over 300.

Matt

 

My gauge doesn't have an "E"!

 

This happened to me a third time a day ago, the first time on a barely slanted space in the morning, then twice later that night.

I'm gonna take it to the dealership soon and see if this is really that common a problem.

 

I used Techron and it hasn't happened again.

 

cool, i'll try that

 

The sensor in the tank below the passenger rear seat is to blame. This sensor calculates the amount of fuel in the tank. Common issue here in IL with the 'frequent' weather changes!!

 

Yellow,
I have the same problem, but mine never went back up for about half a year. I changed my brakes on my car and I didnt have a tool for my piston, so I had to leave my car jacked up over night and half a day. It was jacked on the rear passenger side. When I got my car running again, it showed empty. I thought it would go up soon, but it NEVER DID! =[

My fuel gauge needle in my speedometer moves up to empty and then stops. When i turn off my car, the needle drops down all the way until you cant see it like the temperature gauge. When ever I turn on my car, it just moves to the empty line. It does not gradually move up. Never moved at all. The empty light is on all the time when my car is on.

I never tried to fix it yet because it can be a simply fix or something. Worse case, I will bring it in to the shop and pay tons of money to get it fixed. Please, is there anything I can do to check anything for this. Can I check the sending unit thing or the sensor? If I can, where is it located? How can I also check the fuse or something? Can that be a problem. I tried resetting my ECU and nothing happened.

Thanks

 

It is a fairly simple fix, the sending unit is bad. 95% of the time it is the sending unit on the pass side. The part is fairly inexpensive, but if it's the driver's side you'll need to get a new fuel pump.

Also, the tank does not have to be dropped to replace it, and it's not a long process.

 

Yellow,
Thanks. So, how can I find out if my fuel pump or sending unit is broken?

 

@zminitech and all: Yellow, So, I had my gas gauge checked out and it is really expensive. It cost about $1,000. That's crazy. He said that I have to get a new pump and sensors on the passenger side. I don't know what to do. Its really expensive and don't know what to do. Check out my post below for more info about the damage and stuff.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ay-or-nay.html

Thanks!

 

It shouldn't cost more than $500 to replace the sending unit on the Passenger side. And $500 is a high estimate. I would take it to another shop, they don't seem to know what they are talking about. They are trying to replace more parts than necessary.

Is this a dealer you have taken it to?

 

This happened to me today for the first time. I unhooked the battery to put my charging unit on for the winter and the problem went away. My MCS is tucked away for the winter now, so I will worry about this in the spring if it keeps happening. One question though, how hard is it to DIY it?