406oc.co.uk

So on the way home last night i registered the fuel guage reading 1/3 to 1/2 full. Got in the car this morning and it now reads 1/2 to 2/3 full. The only reason i can think is the heavy rain last night means water has got into the fuel tank, lots of water. Gone from a range of 186 to 314 miles.

Will the water sit on top of the diesel or will it mix, just planning ahead to when im on the motorway and it all goes wrong.

Mick.

Do you park on a incline ??

Yep, drive slopes slightly downhill, does that mean the water can get in easier?

Mick.

no it usually means the fuel gauge will read differently than
if the car was on the level .

The fuel gauge is willfully participating in a campaign of misinformation.

+1, the slope is the culprit.


After replacing the lift pump on mine and seeing just how basic the float system is and the internal shape of the tank,
I would say its almost down to the slope for sure.


* I might be wrong, but this effect is well known.

I blame the government

steve_earwig wrote:I blame the government

And me, but im a civil servant!!

Thing is, ive been watching the fuel guage over the last week or so as im seeing what it does to a full tank. I was on the motorway when it showed 1/3 to 1/2, then on the motorway again when it gained 1/3 tank. It was telling me 186 miles to empty which then jumped to 341 to empty!!

The latest figures seem right as it took £66 to fill up, prior to that i got 200 miles to £20 worth so in theory it should do 660 miles to £66, which it will with the latest figures but it wasnt on target until this happened.

Weird, but i am getting used to the Peugeot experience where nothing it ever as it seems.

I will update if and when i am on the hard shoulder with 1/4 tank of water and app the diesel gone.

Mick.

The thing is Mick i think it sometimes takes the computer time to catch
up . Sometimes when i park up for the night my mpg readings can be
quite low ( usually after thrashing the tits off it ) the next morning the
readings are still there until i have done several miles of sedate driving .
Of course if you do end up on the hard shoulder i shall deny all knowledge
of this conversation also i will deny knowing anyone called mick

by the way, water and diesel if shaken will "mix" like an emulsion, but on standing the diesel will sit on top of the water, as diesel has a higher surface tension and lower specific gravity. It floats, in other words. So if the tank had water in it, then overnight, your pump will suck pure water. Been there, done that lol

If it starts, then theres no water, the gauge is lying ;)

Showed this thread to my wife, she fell about laughing, her 406 did this from day one, showed a quarter full then halfway to work, about 20 miles, the gauge would read half full, it did this the whole time she had the car (6 years and 98,000 miles).

Presumably these things are just the plain old wire wound resistor with a brush moved by a float. So what the bleedin' 'ell's my one playing at, has it got the only bit of wire in the world that's got more resistance the less of it there is

Mines the same park facing dowhill with 1/2 or less in tank gauge always shows 3/4 when i re start sumetimes it clears sometimes not untill i fill up i never go more than 600 mls before filling as i dont trust the guages.

Cheers for all the replies, seems i have nothing to worry about then. This was the first time i had brimmed the tank since getting the car, i wonder if its been a while since it was filled up and that threw it out? I now have a can of fuel in the boot ready for when it runs out, or whatever will happen next!!

All i need to do now is stop the massive interference on the radio and i will be happy, new base and mast i reckon.

Mick.

if it runs out, will it self prime?