Gas Gauge issues help.... Can't get 15 gallons out of my tank
#1
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Gas Gauge issues help.... Can't get 15 gallons out of my tank
Alrighty, I've searched and read tons on this stuff, but I have come to no conclusions. I hope this thread might find me and some other people some answers to this strange issue.
My fuel gauge appears to be incorrectly telling me how much gas I have in my tank. I had another thread on my MPGs because that was at first the problem. Now, my issue is more complicated perhaps. My Prelude is supposed to have 15.9 gallons of capacity in the tank, right? I have had NUMEROUS occasions where I have run the car to the light coming on and driving until I felt comfortable that it was low enough to fill up. One time I got 11 gallons. Most times I get 12. The one time I did run my tank completely dry more or less, I got 13.16 gallons to full at the gas station.
I know the gas light is supposed to come on when you have something like 2 gallons left in the tank. But mine seems to be coming on like, 4 gallons before my tank is empty or something weird. And I don't know what's going on here. Things I have checked and/or replaced:
So I'm out of ideas. What do you guys think it is? Do I need an entirely new instrument cluster? I have replaced all the bulbs in the cluster as well, to include of course the low fuel light. It's not an issue of the light NOT coming on, ya know? It's an issue of it coming on way too early and my car running completely out of gas when there SHOULD still be like 2-3 gallons left in the tank! What happens is I'll be driving, and it gets low. The light comes on. Then it goes off 5 minutes later when driving. Then it comes back on. Then it goes off. Etc etc you get the idea. So I have NO IDEA what is going on with that, and I have to rely on my trip odometer for more accurate information as to when I should probably fill up my tank. Otherwise if I go by the light, I'll always be filling up with 11 gallons or something.
My fuel gauge appears to be incorrectly telling me how much gas I have in my tank. I had another thread on my MPGs because that was at first the problem. Now, my issue is more complicated perhaps. My Prelude is supposed to have 15.9 gallons of capacity in the tank, right? I have had NUMEROUS occasions where I have run the car to the light coming on and driving until I felt comfortable that it was low enough to fill up. One time I got 11 gallons. Most times I get 12. The one time I did run my tank completely dry more or less, I got 13.16 gallons to full at the gas station.
I know the gas light is supposed to come on when you have something like 2 gallons left in the tank. But mine seems to be coming on like, 4 gallons before my tank is empty or something weird. And I don't know what's going on here. Things I have checked and/or replaced:
- new fuel pump (Walbro 255) plus pickup filter sock
- new fuel gauge sending unit meter
- new fuel filter
- cleaned and flow-tested injectors
- checked continuity from the fuel gauge sending unit to the instrument cluster and measured .006ohms of resistance
- checked the Helms manual for how to check the resistance on the float on the sending unit. Unfortunately both my OLD sending unit and my new one were the same. I just put the new one on there anyways.
So I'm out of ideas. What do you guys think it is? Do I need an entirely new instrument cluster? I have replaced all the bulbs in the cluster as well, to include of course the low fuel light. It's not an issue of the light NOT coming on, ya know? It's an issue of it coming on way too early and my car running completely out of gas when there SHOULD still be like 2-3 gallons left in the tank! What happens is I'll be driving, and it gets low. The light comes on. Then it goes off 5 minutes later when driving. Then it comes back on. Then it goes off. Etc etc you get the idea. So I have NO IDEA what is going on with that, and I have to rely on my trip odometer for more accurate information as to when I should probably fill up my tank. Otherwise if I go by the light, I'll always be filling up with 11 gallons or something.
#2
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Location: Knoxville, TN, United States
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Re: Gas Gauge issues help.... Can't get 15 gallons out of my tank
All gas lights do that until you're very low. What kind of MPGs are you getting? At 32MPG, I can go 460 miles until I'm almost empty, but I normally fill up at 400
#3
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Re: Gas Gauge issues help.... Can't get 15 gallons out of my tank
On a 5th gen? Holy carpola. I am sitting at about 292 miles on this tank now I think, and the light has been on for two days. I think that's about what, 21mpg? I hate my tuner. Don't ever get tuned by a guy on craigslist.
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