1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
It sounds like your fuel sender is functioning normally, then... if it reads full when you fill the tank, you don't have a soggy float. It seems your Saab is just very conservative about giving you a "reserve" of fuel when it indicates empty. Your numbers sound pretty close to mine, except for the total tank capacity.
We probably shouldn't run our tanks down to the last gallon or so anyway -- an empty tank is prone to collect moisture and internal rust. But it would be nice to have the accuracy for long highway trips wherein you're filling the tank more than once per day. If you have an 18 gallon capacity, then you're getting the low fuel warning with 4 or 5 gallons remaining, which means something like 120 miles or a couple of hours of highway travel left over. That seems like an excessive amount of time to be staring at a glowing low fuel light.
I have a crazy friend who wanted to find out how much gas her tank would hold. She filled a gallon gas can with gas and carried it in the car, then drove it around town until she flamed out! As the car sputtered and died, she knew instantly that she'd finally run out of gas. She pulled over to the curb, poured in her gallon, and drove a couple of blocks to the next gas station, then filled up. I would never pull this stunt myself, but some people just HAVE to know! :>
I don't think there's an easy "fix" for your problem. Really, we're talking about redesigning the fuel sender unit, having it read deeper into the tank. I haven't heard of an alternative replacement unit for our cars, but I think that's what it would take.
- = M = -
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