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Inaccurate gas gauge...

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Old 08-16-2007, 10:06 AM
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Inaccurate gas gauge...

When I fill my tank fully, the needle goes above the highest mark on the fuel gauge. The needle also drops slow until the half-tank point and once I'm below half a tank on the gauge, the needle moves down faster as fuel is consumed.

Does anybody know how to fix this? It really annoys me. It might be something as simple as a gas cap, but I thought I'd ask you guys for suggestions. Thanks
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Old 08-16-2007, 10:18 AM
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I was always under the impression that this was normal, as all of the cars I've owned have done the same thing. Minus the VW that didn't have a functioning gas gauge.
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Old 08-16-2007, 11:03 AM
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Originally Posted by nearthisbridge
I was always under the impression that this was normal, as all of the cars I've owned have done the same thing. Minus the VW that didn't have a functioning gas gauge.
Yeah I've had a few cars like that but also some that weren't...and my Maxima didn't do this like 6 months ago.
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Old 08-16-2007, 12:06 PM
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I have noticed the same thing. The last 1/4 goes down fast. Its just how the guage operates. Observe your milage per each quarter. I usallaly get about the same in each segment.
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Old 08-16-2007, 01:25 PM
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Mine's been doing this since I bought it six years ago. It takes a while to get down to half but once it reaches that point it starts to plummet, but I usually get around 350-400 miles per tank anyways. I think it has something to do with the gauge in the tank, but I could be mistaken.
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Old 08-16-2007, 01:30 PM
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That's normal.
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Old 08-16-2007, 02:24 PM
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Normal, but annoying. Even moreso that you still have like 4 gallons left once it gets to "E".
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Old 08-16-2007, 03:18 PM
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Another thing i noticed was when the fuel light comes on, they say you have like 20 or so miles before you're empty. my experience was about 10 miles and then i sputtered to the side of the road...
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Old 08-16-2007, 03:47 PM
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it happens to me as well. But I talked to my friend who works at Nissan and he said it's normal. It happens to most of the maximas
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Old 08-16-2007, 05:29 PM
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I had a problem when new....3 sender units under warranty. After fill-up, the needle would be over F, then drop to 7/8.

Funny how all this is moot in this day and age...my other car has a mpg computer so it's as if I don't really watch the needle that closely.
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Old 08-16-2007, 07:36 PM
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Its simple, the fuel level gauge is designed to be conservative. In order to get an accurate reading you'd have to bypass the gauge and just have it display the resistance/voltage of the sender. The FSM shows what it should read when empty and full.
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Old 08-17-2007, 04:30 PM
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My fuel light comes on when the needle is slightly below "E" and then I can drive at least 5 miles without a problem. I didn't want to get stuck so I filled up after that.
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