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Fuel Gauge acting up? only 10 gallon tank?

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Old 09-01-09, 08:08 PM
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Fuel Gauge acting up? only 10 gallon tank?

I'm pretty sure this car has around a 20 gallon tank but Mine only fills up 10 gallons. Fuel gauge shows full. Then runs outta fuel once it hits the halfway mark. I'm guessing the tanks split in half or something?

:P only got 50 miles for the first 10 gallons i put in the car so far
Old 09-01-09, 08:12 PM
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I think fd's have a 17 gallon tank. When I first got mine, the fuel level gauge was doing the same thing. It turned out to be the level sender in the tank. The metal contact was worn out, and giving higher resistance than it should have, causing the gauge to read lower than it should. I replaced it and it's worked perfect ever since.
Old 09-01-09, 08:16 PM
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but why would i only fill up 10 gallons?
Old 09-01-09, 08:18 PM
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Old 09-01-09, 08:27 PM
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They have a 20 gallon tank. The baffles come loose and mess with the level sensor. Fill up often until you can resolve the problem.
Old 09-01-09, 08:36 PM
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but my point is the motor died cause of no fuel at "half a tank" but when i fill up, only 10 gallons go in..
Old 09-01-09, 08:38 PM
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Try popping the access panel off and take a look inside to see you can see anything.
Old 09-01-09, 09:41 PM
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Wow you're getting 5mpg??
Old 09-01-09, 10:25 PM
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I was idling most of the time making sure it ran well. I only drive it around the neighbor hood since it got no plates yet. Most of the time, was just trying to get the brakes to work. The other half was just looking at the pfc...amazing how entertaining that is -.-
Old 09-01-09, 10:51 PM
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also, out of curiosity, would there be any symptoms if i crossed the return fuel line and the charcoal line?
Old 09-02-09, 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by bencb44
Try popping the access panel off and take a look inside to see you can see anything.
And use a flashlight,matches/lighters tend to make a person disapear in this situation.



Disclaimer:not responsible for any dumbass that tries to light him/herself up while attempting to solve problem.Dumbass not included.Matches,lighters,flashlights sold separately.Please drive responsibly.
Old 09-02-09, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by oppa637
but my point is the motor died cause of no fuel at "half a tank" but when i fill up, only 10 gallons go in..
Your gas tank is just over 20 gallons. The engine didn't die because there was no fuel in the tank. As someone already suggested, pull of the access panel. Remove the fuel pump assembly, and have a look at everything. The panel is under the rear carpet on the drivers side. It is not difficult to remove. Be gentle when reinstalling the assembly, so that nothing binds up.
Old 09-02-09, 10:38 AM
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During my project, i had to replace the fuel pump so i know how to check it. But when I checked it, it looked empty to the bottom. just weird cause i've never filled up more than 10 gallons yet. so there is no divider in the tank or anything? I guess i could get by on a 10 gallon tank anyways...
Old 09-02-09, 03:23 PM
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No, there's no dividers or anything except for the baffle box thing around the pump. I'd also try checking to make sure that when you fill up, the tank is actually getting full.
Old 09-02-09, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by oppa637
During my project, i had to replace the fuel pump so i know how to check it. But when I checked it, it looked empty to the bottom. just weird cause i've never filled up more than 10 gallons yet. so there is no divider in the tank or anything? I guess i could get by on a 10 gallon tank anyways...
I suspect that you didn't reinstall the fuel pump assembly properly, and that something has bound up.
Old 09-03-09, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by oppa637
but my point is the motor died cause of no fuel at "half a tank" but when i fill up, only 10 gallons go in..

There is a remote possibility that his fuel tank may not be the original one. If he states that he can only put in 10 gallons of fuel & no more, something isn`t correct here.

How many times have you filled the car up? Is 10 gallons of fuel all that it would hold each time after running out of gas?
Old 09-03-09, 03:38 PM
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I've filled it up twice after installing a new pump. both times, only 10 gallons would go in. then it would die.
Old 09-03-09, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by oppa637
I've filled it up twice after installing a new pump. both times, only 10 gallons would go in. then it would die.
and how many gallons did it take before installing the new fuel pump?
Old 09-03-09, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by adam c
and how many gallons did it take before installing the new fuel pump?
Good point - air leak in pump pickup?

Dave
Old 09-03-09, 05:55 PM
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Can you take a photo of the tank from the backside of the car? Does the tank go from the drivers side all the way over to the tailpipe shield?
Old 09-03-09, 07:30 PM
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I highly doubt it was changed. I'll get a pic. Don't know how much it took before the fuel pump change. car's been sitting for 12 years or so. I'll just open it up again and check. Would there be any obvious symptoms if you mixed the charcoal line and the return line btw?
Old 09-03-09, 08:57 PM
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Seems like I remember getting the fuel line return & charcoal canister line mixed up once on another rx7 I had. Fuel ended up shooting out of the canister.

Did you change the pump because of running out of gas when you hit the halfway mark on the fuel gage or is it because of something else?
Old 09-03-09, 10:18 PM
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I changed the pump because the pump didn't work when i got the car, it was ..well, rusted and nasty
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