'98 Pontiac sunfire sending unit ~ opinions

**TrailLeadr** · 04-22-2009, 06:09 PM

My daughter's 1998 Pontiac Sunfire has developed a hole in the tank. Now let me take a step back and explain my thinking here. She's not really driven it much for me to get an idea of the kind of driver she will be. However I suspect she's going to be one of those kids who drives until the tank is bone dry.

So I figured since I'm going to be pulling the tank and putting in a new one, why not give the sending unit float bar a little bend in the upright direction so that the tank actually reads lower than it really is. I'm sure she'd catch on to this after a time, but maybe until then she wouldn't be driving it until it's dry.
The less frequent I have to go bail her out on the side of the road because of no gas the better I like it, plus it's all the better for the fuel pump, blah blah blah.

So what are some of your thoughts. Do it? or any reasons you can think why I really shouldn't do this?

**Cableguy** · 04-22-2009, 07:05 PM

Ah missleading your children...a favourite pass time of my own.

I have tried that myself but in the opposite direct (cuz I was tired of it reading wrong.)
I would only have to say that the pick-up is in the same location...so empty is empty LOL

I say go for it! (Since your going into tank anyway)

**TrailLeadr** · 04-23-2009, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by Cableguy

I would only have to say that the pick-up is in the same location...so empty is empty LOL

Well true, but I'm hoping she pays some mind to the gauge, rather than be oblivious to it.

**TrailLeadr** · 04-24-2009, 09:28 AM

Ya know how they say that your tank has a certain amount of reserve fuel in it even when the needle hits E. I used the fuel pump to drain the tank, and when the pump started sucking air I let it run for about 20min more just to be sure it drained the tank as much as possible. I had the car on as level angle as possible, and when I pulled the tank and poured the remaining fuel out, this much came out.

This is about 1-1/2 gallons. It's in one of those big cheese ball containers that you buy from the wholesale stores like BJ's, Costco, or Sams. Also this tank didn't even have a maze in it, just a baffle about the middle of the tank.

Seems like a waste, because you'll never get to use that fuel unless you were constantly headed uphill, maybe then you could use most of it.
Granted I know you should never let your tank run that low, but I was just suprised to see how much fuel is left behind that the pick-up can't access.

I drained fuel from another tank that was to be a donor tank, this one with a maze inside, and still the same amount of fuel. (was a year newer)