Low fuel light test!!

[steve3500]

Hi All,
Anyone wanting to know how to test if there low fuel light is working.
Pull the carpet up from rear, u will see a cover plate in the centre of the floor.
Unscrew the bolts, take the cover plate out and this will expose the fuel tank and fuel sender unit.
Disconnect the sender plug, when you look at the bottom of the plug you will see three pins (two next to each other and one below) touch the bottom pin with a small piece of wire, then just earth it out on the car and this will light the low petrol light up. Make sure you have your key turned on in the ignition.
I don't know if all models are the same but I have a NH so it should work on all the models in the 90's.
Regards, Steve.

[Lambie]

G'day Steve - haven't tried that one - perhaps I could give it a go - the other way is ........... do like the rest of us do just fill it up at each pay day - the fuel light usually comes on a few days before. LOL
Lambie

[steve3500]

Lambie,
I understand what your saying mate!! But lets face it, we have all pushed the fuel gauge to it limits at one time or another.
I read a few posts back where someone was asking about there fuel light, I think it is an easier option then driving around with a jerry can until your petrol runs out. It just gives you peace of mind.
Regards, Steve.

[swordfishBob]

I'd been wondering whether the guage and light are a direct electrical indication, or go through the computer and get "calibrated" to normal use/fill patterns.
From Lambie's comment, it would appear the latter, unless he uses a neat tankful each pay period.

[steve3500]

Hi Bob,
I would say that the low fuel light is connected to the float and when the level sinks it touches the bottom, then earth's to turn the light on.
This is why as it gets close the light comes on and off a few times as the fuel is splashing around the tank at the low level.
Steve.

[moe323]

Originally Posted by steve3500

Lambie,
I understand what your saying mate!! But lets face it, we have all pushed the fuel gauge to it limits at one time or another.
I read a few posts back where someone was asking about there fuel light, I think it is an easier option then driving around with a jerry can until your petrol runs out. It just gives you peace of mind.
Regards, Steve.

driving around until your fuel runs out leaves your fuel pump dry and as far as i know the fuel is what keeps the fuel pump lubricated so running your tank dry runs the fuel pump dry and in most cases you will find with in a few months your fuel pump will kick the bucket. just my thoughts on it.

[Matumbi]

driving around until your fuel runs out leaves your fuel pump dry and as far as i know the fuel is what keeps the fuel pump lubricated so running your tank dry runs the fuel pump dry and in most cases you will find with in a few months your fuel pump will kick the bucket. just my thoughts on it.

I have an '05 Diesel and last year when up at Mt Hotham, the fuel 'froze'. After glowing a few times the engine started but that didn't help further down the line. The injector pump ran dry as everything behind it was frozen and "poof" bye bye injector pump.

$5000 later I was told it was a bad idea to run out of fuel in these.

I did have a tank of alpine diesel, but that didn't make a difference that weekend. Even the RACV truck didn't start and that was at the bottom of the mountain in a garage with alpine diesel.

To get back to the original post, Any method of testing the light without running out of fuel is definately worth it. I know my fuel consumption really well now and can usually guess when the light comes on within about 50k's of normal driving. I have pushed my car and got 90k's with the fuel light on in the VIC high country, but after my 'incident' at Mt Hotham, I wont go that close ever again.

[jimako]

Ive removed the fuel sender from the NH petrol for inspection, there is some kind of Sensor on the float arm that when fuel goes down this sensor is out of the fuel and dry which activates the low fuel light, however it was out of the fuel for some time before light come on.

[swordfishBob]

Not sure about the light - someone said it's a direct electrical operation. I do now know the gauge goes through a small computer on the back of the instrument cluster, as does the temperature gauge. Both are "damped" in software, to different degrees - the fuel gauge moves very slowly (except when first turning on).

[MickSA]

My low fuel light is working - It came on today lol - apparantly there is about 13 litres left when it comes on.