10L of fuel has made no difference to miles left

[andrewparker]

Chaps, I've just had to make a splash and dash fill up (got a Sainsbury's fuel voucher at home that I want to take full advantage of) putting in roughly 10 litres of diesel and it has made absolutely no difference to the miles left. It was on 5 when I put the fuel in and shortly after driving off it ticked down to 0 miles.

Have I got a hole in my tank or what?!

[jv]

Has the gauge moved?!

[monkeyhanger]

I don't think it reacts to small top-ups, perhaps there is a threshold like 1/4 or 1/3 of a tank? I've stuck a fiver in and not see my range move (because I didn't want to hand it in to the garage with a full tank for warranty work in case it became someone's runaround while in the dealership's care.

[andrewparker]

That's good to know, I think. Surprising really, 10 litres is a 5th of the tank and the gauge didn't seem to move at all!

[mcmaddy]

The tank is shaped so that a small splash near empty makes no difference at all. Try the same thing nearer full and it changes the read out.

[andrewparker]

Well I drove 4 miles to the garage this morning, fuel gauge was stone dead at the bottom and mileage read zero. Let me put in 38 litres until the first click.

[mcmaddy]

so still room for another 12 litres then 

[monkeyhanger]

If you don't put enough in to get you out of the red in one go, it will not register, or if it does, it will add a very modest number of miles.

I have been playing this game for most of last week. When I knew my R was imminent, I was putting in £3 to £6 a day in from empty. The needle never moved. On the day I drove to Durham, I worked out that I must've had nigh-on a gallon beyond zero miles left (due to the non-reading), it still made for a tense drive to the dealership, doing 18 miles beyond zero reading.

[Mark V GTD]

I drove about 20 miles with range on zero this evening....