I need to trust my fuel gauge

[Gliderman8]

Well, I just learned a lesson.... was on my way back with the top down and enjoying the fall weather.... WHAM--- the engine quits on me. Since this is the first season on the road since the rebuild all sorts of things are going through my mind.
In the end, it was just out of fuel. I should have trusted the gauge when it read "E"
Some nice guy in the house I was stopped in front of bailed me out with enough gas to make it home.
The only damage was to my pride :frown:

 

[tony barnhill]

That's why they make'um!

 

[DrEntropy]

:lol:

Wassamatta wif a LONG stick?!?

 

[aerog]

I don't trust my fuel gauge, I rarely let it get close to "E". On both the Miata and the MG I reset the trip odometer at every fill up and cross check the gauge with the mileage.

 

[tony barnhill]

Scott....do you fly?

 

[Gliderman8]

Scott....do you fly?

Tony- That's why my plane of choice is a glider... no fuel gauge to worry about :laugh:

 

[Gliderman8]

:lol:

Wassamatta wif a LONG stick?!?

I don't think I needed a stick for this one Doc... maybe a club to smack myself in the head for letting it run out.

 

[tony barnhill]

Just wondering if you trusted any other guages or whether you only have problems with the gas guage...hehehehe

 

[Gliderman8]

:lol:
After this Tony, I don't trust any gauge. Since it has already proven that it is accurate to within + or - 50 percent

 

[aerog]

Just wondering if you trusted any other guages or whether you only have problems with the gas guage...hehehehe

Don't trust ANY of 'em. The best fuel gauge was on a J3 Cub - a cork with a wire stuck to the top. You watch the wire slowly drop as the fuel level drops.

 

[Gliderman8]

Don't trust ANY of 'em. The best fuel gauge was on a J3 Cub - a cork with a wire stuck to the top. You watch the wire slowly drop as the fuel level drops.

Scott you are exactly right.... that's why my plane of choice is a glider... no fuel gauge
Although, when I was flying power, I remember flying a Grumman Tiger that had visual fuel sight gauges on either side of the fuselage.

 

[Tinster]

When my tank is full the gauge reads full
When my tank is 3/4 the gauge reads full
When my tank is half the gauge reads half
When I run out of gas, my gauge reads 1/4

I use a calibrated stick before I set out
for a drive. Much more accurate that the gauge.

dale(Tinster)

 

[aerog]

Scott you are exactly right.... that's why my plane of choice is a glider... no fuel gauge
Although, when I was flying power, I remember flying a Grumman Tiger that had visual fuel sight gauges on either side of the fuselage.

Yeah - at least when the ground is close you know it's time to land :wink:

As the electronics are getting better and the prices come down more and more people are moving over to fuel-flow gauges and fuel totalizers. We've had them in all our work airplanes and they're amazingly accurate...heck, even in our brand new 2009 airplane the fuel gauges are always weird, the fuel computer is always dead on.

 

[Gliderman8]

It's much simpler in the glider Scott... my fuel gauge is called a variometer... when it goes "up" I know I have fuel... on the other hand when it swings downward you might say I am SOL

and need to find some terrafirma soon.

 

[Gliderman8]

When my tank is full the gauge reads full
When my tank is 3/4 the gauge reads full
When my tank is half the gauge reads half
When I run out of gas, my gauge reads 1/4

Dale I know what you mean... When I run out of gass I just go and lie down and when I wake-up I'm ready to go