Hi, 

I have just got a 1996 vauxhall vectra 1.6 GLS and am verry happy with
it. However, today we did a 150 mile trip and the drive was excellent,
the car seems very sound, except I had a problem with the Fuel Guage.

My Fuel Guage says it can hold max 60 litres.  I filled the car up to
the point where the petrol pump wouldnt fill.  And the fuel guage
showed full.

After driving there (75 miles) the guage was on about 28 litres, less
than half full. I got a bit worried because either the car was very
inneficient (I was expecting around 10 miles per litre, 45 mpg) or was
leaking petrol or the fuiel guage was wrong.  Either way I might not
have been able to get back, so I filled her up again.  However, the
pump would only allow me to put 9 Litres in before stopping and the
fuel guage showed full which basically added 30 litres to the fuel
guage.  This points to a fault fuel guage?

Has anybody else had a problem like this? Is it easy to fix? How much
is the likely cost for a garage to do it?

Thanks in advance for any help :)

Craig

<Craig Pickles> wrote in message 
news:6g3kh1pvanfa9cqr93vv6g1fjcccct2aoe@4ax.com...

> Hi,
>
> I have just got a 1996 vauxhall vectra 1.6 GLS and am verry happy with
> it. However, today we did a 150 mile trip and the drive was excellent,
> the car seems very sound, except I had a problem with the Fuel Guage.
>
> My Fuel Guage says it can hold max 60 litres.  I filled the car up to
> the point where the petrol pump wouldnt fill.  And the fuel guage
> showed full.
>
> After driving there (75 miles) the guage was on about 28 litres, less
> than half full. I got a bit worried because either the car was very
> inneficient (I was expecting around 10 miles per litre, 45 mpg) or was
> leaking petrol or the fuiel guage was wrong.  Either way I might not
> have been able to get back, so I filled her up again.  However, the
> pump would only allow me to put 9 Litres in before stopping and the
> fuel guage showed full which basically added 30 litres to the fuel
> guage.  This points to a fault fuel guage?
>
> Has anybody else had a problem like this? Is it easy to fix? How much
> is the likely cost for a garage to do it?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help :)
>
> Craig


unless it shows empty before it is , or runs out of fuel before it shows 
empty, then I would not worry about it, a new sender unit is about 50 quid 
or more and a new gauge a little less, you might need one or  both.  Learn 
how many miles it will always do (worst case scenario) and refill it then.

mrcheerful

<Craig Pickles> wrote in message 
news:6g3kh1pvanfa9cqr93vv6g1fjcccct2aoe@4ax.com...

> Hi,
>
> I have just got a 1996 vauxhall vectra 1.6 GLS and am verry happy with
> it. However, today we did a 150 mile trip and the drive was excellent,
> the car seems very sound, except I had a problem with the Fuel Guage.
>
> My Fuel Guage says it can hold max 60 litres.  I filled the car up to
> the point where the petrol pump wouldnt fill.  And the fuel guage
> showed full.
>
> After driving there (75 miles) the guage was on about 28 litres, less
> than half full. I got a bit worried because either the car was very
> inneficient (I was expecting around 10 miles per litre, 45 mpg) or was
> leaking petrol or the fuiel guage was wrong.  Either way I might not
> have been able to get back, so I filled her up again.  However, the
> pump would only allow me to put 9 Litres in before stopping and the
> fuel guage showed full which basically added 30 litres to the fuel
> guage.  This points to a fault fuel guage?
>
> Has anybody else had a problem like this? Is it easy to fix? How much
> is the likely cost for a garage to do it?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help :)
>
> Craig


 A lot of fuel guages are like that. As mrcheerful says, as long as it shows 
when you are really about to run out, don't worry about it. Mine shows a 
massive drop, hovers in one place for ages, shows another massive drop, then 
the fuel low light comes on, and at that point from experience I know I have 
100 miles left in the tank.

Craig Pickles wrote:

> Hi, 
> 
> I have just got a 1996 vauxhall vectra 1.6 GLS and am verry happy with
> it. However, today we did a 150 mile trip and the drive was excellent,
> the car seems very sound, except I had a problem with the Fuel Guage.
> 
> My Fuel Guage says it can hold max 60 litres.  I filled the car up to
> the point where the petrol pump wouldnt fill.  And the fuel guage
> showed full.
> 
> After driving there (75 miles) the guage was on about 28 litres, less
> than half full. I got a bit worried because either the car was very
> inneficient (I was expecting around 10 miles per litre, 45 mpg) or was
> leaking petrol or the fuiel guage was wrong.  Either way I might not
> have been able to get back, so I filled her up again.  However, the
> pump would only allow me to put 9 Litres in before stopping and the
> fuel guage showed full which basically added 30 litres to the fuel
> guage.  This points to a fault fuel guage?
> 
> Has anybody else had a problem like this? Is it easy to fix? How much
> is the likely cost for a garage to do it?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any help :)


My experience with the Vectra's forerunner (Cav) was that the fuel gauge 
was very non-linear - seemed to drop quickly from full, then level out 
at 1/2 level (would stay there forever) before starting to drop rapidly 
once the tank was near empty.

 From what you've described I'd suggest its likely that you're seeing 
the same.

9 litres for 75 miles of driving?, 37 mpg, seems reasonable.

I'd recommend just keeping an eye on it and "learn" how the gauge operates.

Mike

Thanks for everybodys reply :)

This is only my second car since I passed my test (First was an astra
estate which seemed spot on regarding the fuel gauge) so I thought
there was major problem.  Seems not.  Now I guess I just have to trust
it and get used to it.

I mainly travel with the family (Three kids in the back) So I think I
will carry a petrol container in the back just in case for a few weeks
to get me to the nearest petrol station in case it catches me unaware
:)

So thanks again for everbodys help :) I'm sure I'll need your help
quite a bit over the course of owning this car :)

Thanks

Craig

"Stuart Gray" <me@home> wrote in message 
news:_badndH_eYUqr4feRVnyrA@pipex.net...

> A lot of fuel guages are like that. As mrcheerful says, as long as it 
> shows when you are really about to run out, don't worry about it.


Agreed, My Xsara stays on full for ages (About 150 miles) (Mind you it's a 
diesel), then it drops from full to half in about 150 miles. From half I 
then have 200 - 230 miles left.
Strange how you come to 'accept' these 'quirks'!