Electronics Need help wiring something up? Thinking of adding an electrical component to your car? Need help troubleshooting that wiring glitch?

sure you have heard this one a few times

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Old Dec 18, 2002 | 11:21 AM
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Disturbed8472's Avatar
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sure you have heard this one a few times

The sending unit for the gas gauge in my car is EXTREMLY inacurate, so is it 1 a design flaw or 2 is it old and needs to be replaced, if it is a design flaw is there an aftermarket sending unit I can replace it with? BTW I am going to eventualy going to go with a Dakoda Digotal dash that looks something like this
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Old Dec 18, 2002 | 12:05 PM
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Disturbed,

The fuel gauges in our cars (and most GMs) are notoriously innaccurate. they are correct at FULL and EMPTY. Aside from that, even though the potentiometer used for the fuel level sensor has a linear taper, the mechanism that operates the potentiometer does not operate in a linear motion. Due to this, the gauge indications will change very slowly until the tank is about 1/3 full, then the gauge will change quickly. When the gauge reads about 1/2, you probably really only have about a 1/3 fuel load. That first half tank of fuel seems to last forever, then it goes away like you have a hole in the tank. Even the new ones do this.
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Old Dec 18, 2002 | 12:23 PM
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alright I already knew that it was teribly inacurate, but is there any aftermarket sending units that is more acurate?
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Old Dec 18, 2002 | 01:37 PM
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Originally posted by Disturbed8472
alright I already knew that it was teribly inacurate, but is there any aftermarket sending units that is more acurate?
unless the sending unit can compensate and be adjusted, then no.

The reason the gas gauge is off, is because of the way the gas tank is designed

i read in another post that it is designed like a V shape or so..so it goes slow.. then it will drop faster, faster.. etc.
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Old Dec 19, 2002 | 09:44 AM
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From: Tampa, Florida
Car: 88 Iroc-Z
Engine: 355ci
Transmission: WC-T5
They have those gas tanks that keep a constant level of gas in the cylinder which gives an exact reading, right?
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Old Dec 22, 2002 | 01:19 AM
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when i hit the gas hard i have a full tank, when i hit the brakes hard i have an empty tank bad sending unit?
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Old Dec 22, 2002 | 01:05 PM
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It says in the owners manuel that the gauge only reads correctly while the engine is "under load". It is a pain to watch the gauge bounce around, but it is a neccessary fact of life for Camaro owners.
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Old Dec 25, 2002 | 11:48 AM
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From: Salem, NH
Car: 1999 Chevy Cavalier
Engine: 2.2
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Axle/Gears: it's part of the transmission
that's the gas sloshing around, that happens in every car...
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