Disturbed8472

The sending unit for the gas gauge in my car is EXTREMLY inacurate, so is it 1 a design flaw or 2 is it old and needs to be replaced, if it is a design flaw is there an aftermarket sending unit I can replace it with? BTW I am going to eventualy going to go with a Dakoda Digotal dash that looks something like this

Vader

Disturbed,

The fuel gauges in our cars (and most GMs) are notoriously innaccurate. they are correct at FULL and EMPTY. Aside from that, even though the potentiometer used for the fuel level sensor has a linear taper, the mechanism that operates the potentiometer does not operate in a linear motion. Due to this, the gauge indications will change very slowly until the tank is about 1/3 full, then the gauge will change quickly. When the gauge reads about 1/2, you probably really only have about a 1/3 fuel load. That first half tank of fuel seems to last forever, then it goes away like you have a hole in the tank. Even the new ones do this.

Disturbed8472

alright I already knew that it was teribly inacurate, but is there any aftermarket sending units that is more acurate?

MasterEvilAce

unless the sending unit can compensate and be adjusted, then no.

The reason the gas gauge is off, is because of the way the gas tank is designed

i read in another post that it is designed like a V shape or so..so it goes slow.. then it will drop faster, faster.. etc.

Wootah

They have those gas tanks that keep a constant level of gas in the cylinder which gives an exact reading, right?

83crossfireZ28

when i hit the gas hard i have a full tank, when i hit the brakes hard i have an empty tank bad sending unit?

VampireHunterC

It says in the owners manuel that the gauge only reads correctly while the engine is "under load". It is a pain to watch the gauge bounce around, but it is a neccessary fact of life for Camaro owners.

junkyarddog

that's the gas sloshing around, that happens in every car...