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[w3526602]

Hi,

Last weekend, I "brimmed" the Freelander tank with diesel, (£50) drove home, parked in front garden. I haven't used it since.

This morning (seven days later) I went to start it, to collect my daughter.

Flashing light on fuel gauge, and needle reading Ziltch, So I took Barbara's Hyundai.

A couple of hours later, I went out, sat in the Freelander, intending to have a think. Switched ON ... as you do ... NO warning lamp, and gauge reads FULL. Turn key ... It started instantly.

Does anybody have any ideas? The best I can think of is a sneaky deterant against clefti-wallahs.

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[Worf]

Float on sender stuck? (assuming they have one)
If it does it again, try rocking the car and see if it clears it.

[w3526602]

Hi Worf,

Thanks for that.

But my logic (but what do I know?) says that the float was still floating before I filled the tank .. and the warning lamp definitely wasn't blinding me ... and I'm pretty sure the gauge was reading FULL after I filled the tank.

I doubt that the float sank during the ensuing week, then suddenly floated again between 10AM and 2PM.

But with modern auto-electrics, anything is believable.     Hey! Something that floats when full of electricity, but sinks when the juice is switched off ... how can I make money out of that idea?  Hmmm! Yeah! I reckon I could make such a device ... air bubble that expands when an element gets hot. A coal fired submarine? I'll get my coat.

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[Bradfordseries2]

It’s most likely to be a poor connection either on the sender unit itself inside the tank or on the plug on top of the in tank unit. It could also be a faulty sender unit, giving open circuit (empty tank) under certain conditions.

[w3526602]

Thanks Brad,

I had similar thoughts, but not the specific knowledge to think it through.

I've even less knowledge about the warning lamp.  Is it triggered from somewhere on the sender unit (meaning two faults) of from the gauge.

I thought I was past the days of brimming the tank every time the odometer reading ended in a double zero ... every one hundred miles, which is probably sooner than necessary, but gives a safety margin, and is easy to remember.

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[Bradfordseries2]

The light is triggered by the dash when it gets the voltage signal, sent from the tank sender,  below the threshold to turn the light on.

[Worf]

Looks to be a common fault. As will all things these days, the "experts" say "just replace it"
http://www.myfreelander.co.uk/Electrical/elecprobs7.htm
Interesting that "low sulphur fuel" causes it. Another case where something supposedly "greener" either doesnt work or causes problems. 
Oh dear, slipped back into grumpy old man mode

[w3526602]

Oh dear, slipped back into grumpy old man mode

Hi Worf,
 
if you need any help with that, feel free to call me. 

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There are still things on the dash-board that I don't understand. And the steering is heavier than I would expect from PAS ... but I have nothing to compare it with.

[w3526602]

Hi,

Nothing else has gone "doo-wally". I'm now approaching my second "brimming". I'm guessing it will take close to another £50 .. but now I know about the "trip" meter. With luck.I will find the note book containing the last meter reading.

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[diffwhine]

As Worf says - chances are that its the sender / low pressure pump unit in the tank playing up. Low sulphur fuel gave us a few headaches, but the only solution is to change it.
Steering on a the Freelander 1 was quite heavy, so that is most likely to be normal.
Where would you be without a Land Rover with electrical problems - and I don't think the Prince of Darkness (Joseph Lucas) even got a look in on the Freelander 1, so its Land Rover you need to blame on this one!
The annoying thing is that we know how to make tank pumps and senders work properly with poor quality fuels for years. We just don't do it because its too expensive.
If you need advice on features and functions on the dash, PM me at some point with the detail and I'll look into it.

[w3526602]

Hi Alan,

Er ... this thread has suddenly re-appeared on my menu, with no new mails.

Was it something else I said?

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