Fuel Gauge Issues...

Pretty much....but, with a fully boxed frame.

But, if I wanted a Taco (had several) I'd own one unlike the cat I responded to implied.

 

it is about cost of a system to provide dead accurate level and the electronics to go with it,

or use what works and understand that no one on earth has an actual problem
understanding the relationship to fuel left and gauge position, and it doesn't freaking matter
except to obsessive compulsive types.

--->>>>>>>>>>build your own gauge...all parts are available online
and you can run it with raspberry pi module and backup radar. or you can remount the
tank with the guts from an old passenger seat with weight sensors and go by the
weight of the fuel load (much much more complicated)....go nuts<<<<------------------------------------



gauge drops when fuel is used, correct ?

it is consistent tank to tank, correct ? (if not is broken)

it will take the average reasonably intelligent owner about 3 tanks to figure it out.

reserve light comes on when you have 40-60 miles left (or about 2-2.5 gallons), correct ?
so what is the prob ?

gas tanks are designed for
1-crash suitability as the primary goal.
2-secondary is fuel delivery
3-third is fuel remaining
4-it's gonna have a weird friggin shape which means for each dram of fuel
the ratio of fuel remaining based on sensor input needs to pass through a complex
algorithm before it sends it to the cluster. ain't no one but Nasa got time for that

...it's a friggin float, and sensor is based on where it's floatin...simple. works.

to make an accurate gauge every-time at every moment will take a shit load more money and engineering

so, you want to just keep stacking and stacking cost on top of an already costly vehicle ?


mang....
some of the shit problems this forum collects is incomprehensible

 

To me it only seems like it is off a gallon and a half. The last 1/4 is just cause Toyota does not want people running out of gas. Not sure what the big deal is. As you lose weight mileage goes up then Toyota does not want you to run out of gas and mess up your fuel pump

 

-Bravo-

 

I'm sorry you can't comprehend my shit problem, but thank you for your insight.
Your post is simply justifying ways around an inaccurate measuring device though.
A measuring device should be accurate, otherwise what's the point?
If this gauge just showed a needle and refuel light, then I wouldn't have a problem.
But the gauge has indicators for full, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, and empty.
If the indicator says I'm full, but I'm not, then that is literally a fault.
If the indicators are proven to give unreliable indications, then that is a literal problem.
Your mindset, in an engineering sense, is just not helpful. No company would advance their vehicles if they thought like you.
I stand by my assessment that a fuel gauge should be accurate if it decides to indicate measurement. There is no value in inaccurate measurement.
Some of you guys are upset with me pointing this out. I apologize for micro-aggressing you with my fuel gauge belief system.

 

my assessment -is- from an engineering perspective...for a multi-billion dollar corporation perspective as well...

I solve engineering problems for extremely large corporate and government entities, and I know --exactly-- why certain
things are designed and built a certain way....it's for reasons. I don't know shit about the math and materials for gas tanks,
but I know the corporate machine that made it and sold it, and what the teams involved go through...

the end product I can examine and try to understand and think about,
and I have far more Ah HA ! that makes sense moments with Toyota, than ones where I say 'well that is a shit design'

#1 for toyota is keep product moving and increase profitability and toyota does this better than any other car maker today.

 

You have to understand what design limitations are first. This is a standard float level guage. The measuring device travels up and down a rod and that's relayed back to the dash. That whole unit has to fit in the tank in a spot it's unlikely to get damaged.

So if the tank is say 10 inches tall, the float and measurement device must be less than that. There's also a stop/retainer on each end which prevents the float from coming off the rod, which is bad for obvious reasons. That reduces the travel range of the float from that 10 inches to probably 9.5. That explains why it takes a bit for the float to start registering the fuel level dropping. The reason you still have fuel in the tank when at E is because if it was spot on, plenty of people would run out of gas.

 

It's not about the accuracy of the measurement, you're missing the point. Having a fuel gauge that is extremely precise isn't necessary for 99% of the people buying the vehicle. It simply needs to show the driver the relative amount of fuel left in the tank so the driver can make an educated assumption as to when they will need to put more gas in the vehicle before running completely out.

It doesn't need to be perfectly accurate for this. And really unless the fuel gauge has a numerical representation of gallons or liters (for us Canucks) there is absolutely no need for it to be completely accurate.

Look at the temp gauge, there's no numbers on there at all. Why? Because you don't need to know the exact temp of the engine, you need to know when it's overheating.

The accuracy of the speedometer isn't precise either. It shows a number every 20 km/h (or mph). Why? Because you really don't need to know when you've reached 53 mph.

The gauges simply provide the driver with enough information to make accurate decisions depending on what is being measured.

 

If the fuel gauge bothers you I would hate to know what else bothers you. I dont want to know.

 

Way too much logic here.

 

I know, I'm sorry!

 

Again, people missing the point and justifying inaccurate measurement for some reason. I'm sure there are examples, but can anyone think of another measuring gauge that's 20-30% off that people use?

An accurate fuel gauge is not necessary for 99% of people? Ok, and neither are onetouchwindows, an odometer, mirror heaters, ABS brakes, touchscreen headunits, etc etc etc This is not about need. I don't need an accurate fuel gauge, but I will question why the gauge I do have is consistently 20-30% off accuracy.

People don't do consumption cost analysis on engine temp. Same with speedos. Miles per gallon and efficiency, in today's society, has a lot of weight to the consumer. It is the one gauge that directly reflects a cost, that directly reflects refill timing. I don't think it's such a inflammatory outrage to point this out, or expect it to be improved, after 100 years of application.

 

Agreed. However, I have a Yamaha FZ-09 motorcycle that is worse. It has a five "block" digital fuel gage. When the first block disappears, the tank is nearly half empty. Each of the next blocks disappears faster than the previous until the last block only goes about 15 miles before the fuel light comes on. Is it annoying? Hell ya it is. Have I learned how much fuel I have left at a given time? Yes. I still don't like it and would prefer that each block gave me the same number of miles as the last block. I know how many miles I get out of a tank, and usually just watch the odometer to know what percentage of fuel I have left.

 

DING DING DING DING!!!

 

I think it's a 3rd generation thing. I know my 2nd gen gauge is exactly right.

 

if all 3rd gen 4 banger gauges work this way, it is intended and decided

if only op gauge is this way, then it's busted or the combo meter is busted

my 4runner gauge used to read full, then jump to 1/2 and stay there, then
go lower once I was on half a tank. toyota replaced my combo meter, problem fixed.

 

Why do you need the gauge to be more precise for MPG calculations?

Fill tank, drive for a bunch of miles (keep track of exactly how many miles), refill tank when gas gauge gets close to empty (or anywhere in between for that matter), refill tank recording how many gallons you just replaced in tank, miles divided by gallons = MPG.

I don't even care about this, I use the probably inaccurate computer reading if I'm at all curious.

 

You know, I was thinking, the OP could get a fuel flow meter installed. After all, NASCAR uses them so they must be precise, right? I mean those cars never run out of gas, do they?

 

Only good thing I got from this thread is that I have a "queef wireless charger" in the truck.

The wife will be thrilled to hear that.