Recalibrating Gas Needle... annoying...

MunG35 · #1 10-15-2004, 09:49 PM

From what I undertstand my 95 DX has an 11.9 gal tank. The gas needle always falls really quick to empty and whenever I fill it up its only about 7-8 gals empty... it drives me nuts... could it possibly be a problem that the car was barely used for a year until i got it from my dad in August. I got my license then and then it started being used regularly. So my final question is what's wrong with the damn needle and is there anyway to recalibrate it?

I also have to give it in for a 60,000 miles tune-up... can they recalibrate as a part of it...

Please hit me back with some info, thanks in advance.

P.s -- Anyway to install a gas light in a car that didnt come with one :-\

GScivic7 · #2 10-15-2004, 09:53 PM

your bobber mechanism thing ( I don't know what the fuck its called) might be messed up. I believe that as it falls with the level of the gas in the tank it sends a signal and thats how your gas guage knows how much is in the tank.

BTW: I never trust any of the gas guages in any of our cars. I just go by mileage. Every 250-300 miles or so and it's time to fill up.

Civic_D16Y5 · #3 10-16-2004, 01:52 AM

i agree, i went from about an 1/8th tank o gas to half, im like WTF!!! MOFO!!! so im jsut like i hope i dont run out of gas when im at half

97CivicX · #4 10-16-2004, 01:27 PM

just go by millage. like gscivic said, 250-300 is usually a good time to fill it up. unless your one of those people who get 300+ mpg. i think ive only ever not filled my tank all the way like 4 times in the year and a half ive owned it. i always fill it to the top and always reset the trip

94SolGrl · #5 10-16-2004, 02:31 PM

it might be something wrong with the tank floater mechanism... a lot of the times in older/unused cars it fails. A foolproof way to know is to go to a gas station and fill your tank, then pull into a parking spot at the gas station/a neighboring parking lot and let your engine idle for a moment or two. See where the needle goes to. If it doesn't go to full, pull your gauge cluster, pull the needle, and physically move it to full... a lot of the times if anyone has messed with the gauge needles at all, the needle for the gas level got knocked around. Chances are in the favor of it being a floater thingie. But I also go by mileage, so it's all good.. If you know for sure you get 239 miles to a tank, then you have no chance of getting stranded, unless you forget to check your trip and try to go for 240 miles.

rushb18 · #6 10-16-2004, 03:09 PM

The only way i know of it is to take it to dealer ship and get screwed and have them install a new cluster that way its all legal and your cars title will still be good and it wont say not actual mileage if you wanna fix it thats the best way..But you can get a used cluster and have unknown mileage and it will all be false or just do what they all said go by trip odometer and just follow that but it wont always be the same if you give it hell or baby it once you do it a couple of times you will know when to gas it up..Later

snowman2005 · #7 10-16-2004, 05:42 PM

my guage does the same. im guessing honda made it that way so we dont run ourself dry of gas in the middle of no where or they just didnt care if the needle was acurate or not.

Civic_D16Y5 · #8 10-16-2004, 08:08 PM

i think the redline on gas it at about 2 gallons left, sl like snowman05 said, we wont get stranded, ive never fille up more than like 8 and a half gallons, and i have never gotten 300 miles =( honda says the hx can get 400 to the tank, but im f00k no, i "Race" too much anyway to get that mileage

GScivic7 · #9 10-16-2004, 08:33 PM

^^^yup, most cars have a 2 gallon reserve

CivMoeEJ8 · #10 10-17-2004, 09:31 PM

I'm pretty sure your car has a gas light if it's a newer model.

snowman2005 · #11 10-17-2004, 09:34 PM

wish 92-95 models did. goan have to find out how they do it on the 96+ models

94SolGrl · #12 10-18-2004, 11:51 PM

I believe on www.teamdelsol.com under the how-to is a gas light how-to... and a lot of Sol internals/parts work with civics... just a thought.

Civic_D16Y5 · #13 10-19-2004, 10:44 PM

ive only seen my gas light once, and that was for a second, and i dont know why, i think it was cold out tho, but it was gone and never saw it again

B1SiR6A · #14 10-19-2004, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Civic_D16Y5

ive only seen my gas light once, and that was for a second, and i dont know why, i think it was cold out tho, but it was gone and never saw it again

LoL...funny to me...so i can drive about how many miles when im on the little red line?

p.s. i have a gas light

eckoman_pdx · #15 10-21-2004, 08:33 PM

Yeah, most cars, as GScivic7 said, go to the "empty" redline before they really are. That way you hace a few gallons left so you don't get stranded, as was said. The best thing to do is Fill you tank up full, and re-set the trip meter...then drive it until your gas needle goe to empty.

Go back to a gas station. Not the trip meter mileage when you get there. Fill up the tank until full again. Note how many gallons you filled up. Divide the trip meter mileage by the # of gallons it took to fill the tank. This will give you your "miles per gallon." Now multliply that by 11.9, and thats how many miles you have MAX in your tank...if you multiple the MPG number you got by 10, that will give you the miles you can go approx on 10 gallons..if you fill around the mileage you get from 10 gallons, you should always have a little bit extra in the tank in case. This is also a good way to get a feel for how the gas needle gauge reacts to the true amount in the tank. It also gives you an accurate reading of how many miles per gallon you get, so you'll be able to use to trip meter to further varify when it's really time to fill up.

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