My Gas Light

[Plays_with_Toys]

Works. Sorry. So many people ask about the gas light not working. Well, mine came on the other day. Tends to be that I have 2 gallons left in the tank when it comes on. At 320 miles on this particularly good tank, my light came on. Note the position of the needle ;)

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/2431/dscf0108.jpg
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2307/dscf0107v.jpg

[chuckthefuk]

pffffffft. its not even sitting on the peg. time for a new sending unit :evil:
-Chuck

[)2edline]

Mine does the same thing. It took me a 18 months to finally see my light. lol

I got daring and kept driving for the next rest area.

[1-3-2-4]

haha lowest I've had my tank down to was 4 gallons.

[decke48]

geez, mine is weird, it comes on at 1/8 tank, stays on for about 10-15miles and them come back on with 1 gallon left

[jey]

My 95 Legacy's gas gauge definitely behaves differently from my 98's, and is consistent with the posts here, so they changed the gauge some time in the middle of the 2nd generation run.

The 95's gauge will dip way below that last line and still have well over 4 gallons left, and the fuel light doesn't come until below that last line.

The 98's fuel light comes on somewhere above the last line, and it is at that point that I have less than 4 gallons left.

[1-3-2-4]

speaking of gas lights mine came on tonight when I was going over the Tappan Zee bridge and the needle was only on the top part of the E

the interesting thing is when I leveled over the bridge the light fades off and it's not like a light switch.

[frogsthatmoo]

1-3-2-4, mine does that too! It's kind of slow and ghostly IMO. I guess it's a feature...?

[Huffer]

Gasoline is a liquid - when it's tipped to the side where the level indicator is, it'll read higher.

It's like the ball/flapper/arm in your toilet cistern. When it's at the top, the toilet knows (usually) to stop filling the cistern.

[1-3-2-4]

yeah like Huffer said it's like that... I know when I had my 03 FXS it wont do that due to it taking a level reading every 16 or 25 seconds I can't remember.

I only knew when coming about 5 min back from the Canadian border the light came on and it was 11PM so most stations were closed :(

[anothernord]

Usually when the needle is on "E", I have used about 11.5 gallons. I'm not entirely sure if my light even works because it has never come on. :neutral:

[chuckthefuk]

my 97 gt . no gas light and still 10+ liters left.

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7168/dsc010785846289.jpg

arg! I am getting an sti fuel pump w/ sending unit.. I'll see if this can fix this ridiculous gauge reading.

-Chuck

[1-3-2-4]

You can still go 150 Km left with the needle like that :lol: :cool:

[Benfolio]

My BD's light would come on at random times, but always below 1/8 tank. Usually not till it was on the line for E. I'd always have 4 gallons left, and be at 300 miles or slightly above.

Now in the BK I haven't even SEEN the light yet, and I've run it down to the line, 360 miles, still had a couple gallons left. But no light :violent1:

[1-3-2-4]

This is the lowest I've ever had the tank.. $30 was still not enough to give it a full tank.. I'm guessing $50 would of been.. but the fuel light would still go on and off and the pointer was just about to rest on the stop.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/10/DSC00205-1.jpg

[evolegacy]

whats the size of our tanks? wasnt at the needle but my light comes on at the 2nd to last line, and at "empty" it takes just under 15 gallons to fill her

[1-3-2-4]

15.9 Gal if I remember correctly

[Grafton]

i keep throwing the P0463 code, ie one of the 2 sending units, yes there are two if you have awd, is going out and about 40 miles into a full tank the needle drops to E and and then slowly goes up to about a half tank and the code gets thrown,
i have noticed that my idiot light doesn't come one even if i drive to the point of fuel starving the pump ie no sharp turns or medium acceleration/braking, it used to... and when its get really hard to drive with the starvation i know i have about 1 gal left in the tank

[1-3-2-4]

how does the car run when it has fuel starvation?

[Bostonian1976]

had to revive this. Is the light supposed to 'test' itself at startup, at least? I've never seen mine on my 98 Legacy wagon...

thanks!

[impreza_GC8]

I don't think it lights up when you turn the car on.
By the way, what I would give to see 300 miles on my tripmeter between gas fills. No fair. The turbo is fun but man is it thirsty.

[Bostonian1976]

^^ my check engine light is on at the moment for a knock sensor, and as a result I got about 170 miles out of my last tank!!

[anothernord]

I don't think it lights up when you turn the car on.
By the way, what I would give to see 300 miles on my tripmeter between gas fills. No fair. The turbo is fun but man is it thirsty.

I feel your pain. I get about 220 before the needle hit the "E" mark.

[1-3-2-4]

I've got 308 out of my tank before the light came on.. that's the highest I've had with mixed driving since I had the car..

[Brockley]

My light comes on when the needle is at the line, that means I have about 75-100 miles left. Then it goes out after 5-10 miles. after that, when the needle is just about to bottom out, light is back on.... that means about 1 gal...

[2.5GT]

I couldn't imagine going down that far lol.

[Brockley]

I pretty much run it down to a gal every time, or around 325 miles of mixed driving. my car never sits more than a night with that little of gas though.

[1-3-2-4]

I couldn't imagine going down that far lol.


I got it down almost that far but like it was said now that it's getting colder I will fill up before waiting the next day

[Brockley]

yea, I'm too lazy. oh well, atleast it feels good to see 340miles on the trip odo. every once in a while!!!!

[jey]

had to revive this. Is the light supposed to 'test' itself at startup, at least? I've never seen mine on my 98 Legacy wagon...

thanks!

It does not light up on startup.

[Navi271]

I tried to make mine come on a few months ago. I got scared and went to a gas station and put in 14.3 gallons! So I'm thinking either my light is out, or it comes on with 1 gallon left.

[1-3-2-4]

should go on before 1 gal.

[Navi271]

hmm.. that's what I was afraid of

[legacy22]

mine officially does not come on! haha ran out 1/2 mile from a gas station! 327 miles to that completely empty tank!

[mrpyb]

mine officially does not come on! haha ran out 1/2 mile from a gas station! 327 miles to that completely empty tank!

20.5 mpg?!? i'm sorry man..

[Navi271]

I'm getting that kind of mileage too, that's why I got scared and made myself go to a gas station. Hopefully getting new o2 sensors that might fix that mileage problem...

[mrpyb]

lets hope the o2 sensors do it for ya!

otherwise you might have to look into this,

http://www.aerocivic.com/

[Navi271]

lets hope the o2 sensors do it for ya!

otherwise you might have to look into this,

http://www.aerocivic.com/

HAHA! I've seen that before, that's so ridiculous...
Called the dealer and its like $100 or $150 for EACH sensor?! Maybe I'll put that off for a while...

[mrpyb]

thats outrageous!! try calling autozone and see what their price is...that seems insane

[Brockley]

eBay that shizz

[grt3]

mine hasnt worked in years. I just watch the spedometer.

[1-3-2-4]

wow.. so I was driving around today and got to work and all.. when time to leave everything was fine.. but when i went to make my first left hand turn first time I ever felt my car starve for fuel.. I only put in 1/3 last week but I was able to squeeze 174 miles off of that but I guess I was around 1 Gal or less.. I did not put in a full tank but the fuel light never came on but that might of been because it was pretty cold out too..

yes, yes not smart I know

[RH45]

My 97 Legacy wagon has been doing wierd things. Sometimes, the light will go on,when the tank is almost full, and sometimes, the gauge will drop to 1/2 tank or less. I pulled both sensors and tested them with an ohm meter and they SEEM fine...

Also, every once in a while, the door locks won't work on all the doors, and all of a sudden, the dome light won't work when any of the doors are opened.

I'm wondering if I have a bad body groung somewhere. Does anybody know where they are located???

[1-3-2-4]

my dome light wont work sometimes.. the switch is bad on the drivers side.

[Sambo]

my light wont come on at all, ill be flat out and barely able to take off because its sputtering so bad having to coast to the station and it still wont come on ... ive seen it come on about twice and both times it was barely at an 1/8 of a tank

[birukun]

Mine comes on, but then goes off so you have to catch it....... Now I just fill up at 1/4 tank.

[1-3-2-4]

The lower you go the more likely it will stay off when I start making left turns and the car starts to surge then I know it's time to stop at the gas station.

[impreza_GC8]

I once filled up my car with 15.2 gallons in a 15 gallon tank. I always run it down a far as I can go then fill it up to the brim.

[1-3-2-4]

lol once you get that low you tend to keep running it that low.

I had passengers in my car (full load) driving to NJ from CT everyone seemed to be amazed that I drove to the hotel on a empty tank.. they all thought the gauge was broken.

[frogsthatmoo]

I've gotten 325 miles out of a tank... once. Now I can hardly get it up to 250 miles on a tank (11-12 gallons at fill up).

[nikolaus.conrad]

When ever the light comes on for me, thats when I put gas in my Subie. I figured the light would be a good indicator to measure my MPGs. So everytime I got gas, I'd write down the number of gallons I put in the tank and reset my trip Odometer to see how far I could drive before the light came on. The light came on a few weeks ago so I put 7.410 gallons in the tank (I think it was $20 of gas). I had covered 229.2 miles when the gas light came on again. If my math is correct, I achieved 30.93 MPG. ^^

[jey]

Sorry to rain on the parade but I bet the gas pump clicked off before it really got to full, cause your gas tank holds 14 gallons...

[RH45]

I cleaned all the grounds I could find, and now my fuel gauge, and low fuel light seem to be working the way they are supposed to, and the power door locks SEEM to be working properly again, but, the dome light is still acting up. It will only go on if it is turned on at the light, and there doesn't seem to be any power at the door jamb switches, or, at the light by the rear hatch. I'm THINKING the power goes from the main light, and down to the door jamb switches, and to the rear light, and that I have a broken wire up in the ceiling somewhere.

[riceboyler]

Most of the posts in this thread seem to be talking about BDs and their unreliable fuel gauge. How about BE's? I just got mine and I'm either getting about 21 mpg, or it's on early...

[1-3-2-4]

today was the first time I ever got 321 out of the tank but it was almost all highway miles and a long 200 mi drive.

Sorry to rain on the parade but I bet the gas pump clicked off before it really got to full, cause your gas tank holds 14 gallons...


i thot fuel capacity was 15.9?

[jey]

Sorry to rain on the parade but I bet the gas pump clicked off before it really got to full, cause your gas tank holds 14 gallons...

i thot fuel capacity was 15.9?

Right, actually 15.9 gallons. So if the gas light went on and the gas pump clicked off at 7.4 gallons, something doesn't add up. Either the light came on WAY to early or the 7.4 gallon fillup wasn't a full tank. The latter is more likely, I've had gas pumps click off early before.

[nikolaus.conrad]

The tank was nearly empty when I added 7.4 gallons. So when I left the pump, I had a little less than 1/2 tank of gas. Sorry about the confusion. lol

[StatGSR]

^ um yea, you cant calculate mpg that way.......


that's like, hey i drove 300 miles, then added only 1 gallon of gas cause that's all i felt like adding... 300 miles per gallon w00t!

[1-3-2-4]

Hmm I noticed the outback I can go lower then I did with my other legacy.. never once did it sputter when making left hand turns like my other legacy did.. and it was resting on the peg.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/09/IMAG0862-2.jpg

[Dead91silvia]

My light comes on when it feels like it... I've had it come on and then only take 9 gal's... But then I do remember once it didnt come on for a long time and when I went to fill it, the tank took 14.5 gal's.

I have put 15.3 in it once, she didnt wanna get across the intersection right then, rolled in dead... haha

[nikolaus.conrad]

Ancient thread bump lol

In my Outback, when it's on E, it's empty. Any lower than E and I only have 30 miles to find a gas station.

[1-3-2-4]

I wonder if I was able to roll longer because the tank can't build pressure since I have yet to replace the filler pipe.

[ESSYMOND]

SOoOoooooooo....... Is there a way to fix this??

[1-3-2-4]

As of when the light comes on? Not really.. more has to deal with the thermistor the light is less likely to come on when it's cooler out. Like this morning I went to get gas and over the past 3 days I've watched it go under E and resting on the peg and it never lit up.. Now let it be 70+ out then yes it comes on.

[ESSYMOND]

Driven my car for 4 years and never seen the light on, bet its just busted lol.

[harrymaneuvers]

Mine has stopped coming on... it used to come on way late... now I can run my car down to fumes and nothing comes on.

I have had MULTIPLE occassions of putting more than 15.5 gallons of gas into the tank.

I was going to try replacing the sending units but I have just been lazy.

[Bimmerman]

I think my light has been burned out these last 6 years, I've never seen it turn on, and I have actually run the car out of fuel.

Oddly enough, when I ran it out of gas and it died, it only took 12 gallons to fill my tank....which is odd considering it's a 15.9gal tank. Do these cars suffer fuel starvation issues in 100% normal driving situations when the tank is 3/4 empty? My 95 sure seems like it.

[chrish8r]

i saw mine for the first time yesterday. after seeing this post i wanted to see if mine worked....well tuesday i ran it till almost empty(below E) and it sputtered just as i pulled up to my house..i filled it up with a gallon or two. the next day on my way back from school, the light came on and i forgot to bring the gas can so i was in a blunder of remembering where the closest gas station was.....luckily i made it there(probably on fumes lol). so i know mine works.......well when it wants to

[sorapolc]

mine doesn't come on at all too... if it's the bulb? what's the specific for it?