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fuel tank sender confusion

Started by raueda1, 25 August 2020, 04:30 PM

raueda1

In another thread somebody mentioned the "low gas" light on the fuel gauge.  Mine never came on at all until a couple days ago.  I pretty much never let it drop below the "getting low" line (the line just to the right of the leftmost line designated R, roughly 1/8 of a tank (??). So never seeing the light wasn't troubling. 

But now something seems amiss, or maybe I just never ran the fuel down so low before.  Returning from a long trip the gauge was between the getting low line and the leftmost empty line.  Then the gauge popped UP a bit to the getting low line and the light came on.  I was happy to see that the light works but this doesn't seem right.  The light also flashed a little, though that doesn't seem alarming since presumably there's fuel sloshing around.  When I filled up it took 24.6 gal, so I was running on fumes, to be sure.  Between the getting low line and full tank it seems to all work fine.

Anyway, the manual says the fuel reserve is 3.4 gal which would correspond roughly to the getting low line.  When exactly is the light supposed to come on?  And is the sender designed to go up to the getting low line when the light comes on?  Or does my sender have a glitch?  Thanks and cheers,
-Dave
Now:  1976 6.9 Euro, 2015 GL550
Before that:  1966 230S, 1964 220SE coupe, 1977 Carrera 3.0

Nabstud

When I'm below 1/4 on the gauge it will sometimes flicker once or twice every now and then. Never seen the fuel light on mine though.
1975 280S - Australian delivered