Interesting story about GM Fuel Gages
12-20-2003, 03:49 PM
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Interesting story about GM Fuel Gages
12-20-2003, 04:08 PM
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Interesting, I saw this story on the news a few months ago. The gauge in my car goes down and up sometimes with acceleration, does this have anything to do with it?
Highway 400 out of Toronto? That'* *looks over* next to my house :P
Barbara Elliott was cruising about 115 kilometres an hour in the passing lane of northbound Highway 400 last June. It was a typical rush hour drive out of Toronto — a crowded road and everyone in a hurry.
12-20-2003, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by repinS
Interesting, I saw this story on the news a few months ago. The gauge in my car goes down and up sometimes with acceleration, does this have anything to do with it?
Highway 400 out of Toronto? That'* *looks over* next to my house :P
Barbara Elliott was cruising about 115 kilometres an hour in the passing lane of northbound Highway 400 last June. It was a typical rush hour drive out of Toronto — a crowded road and everyone in a hurry.
Good find Jim
12-20-2003, 04:25 PM
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Originally Posted by fuddyduddy121
Unfortunately the article is slanted towards a GM deficiency, and not towards the impurities from the petroleum companies such as Petro-Canada or Shell.
No I think the acceleration is causing the tank to sloosh around that whats making your gauge sweep a bit. This is a corrosive material that the computer reads as 1/4 full when its actually empty.
12-20-2003, 04:39 PM
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Here are some excerpts:
From the facts it sounds to me like GM is only, at most, partially responsible.
The problem: So-called elemental sulphur, a corrosive material that periodically appears in gas and can cause gauges to go haywire.
Drivers who had problems last spring and summer primarily pumped gas from Petro-Canada and Shell stations. The two firms later confirmed their gas had contained elemental sulphur. It was picked up as it flowed from a refinery through a Toronto-area pipeline that had carried other petroleum products.
GM started working with its top parts supplier three years ago to change the metal composition of the critical contact portion of the sensor after a problem surfaced in late 2000 when the corrosive elemental sulphur appeared in gas in other parts of Canada and the United States. The tiny contacts in the redesigned part contain a precious-metal alloy that can tolerate elemental sulphur and avoid the wild fluctuations and false readings in gauges and possible highway danger.
One industry insider noted most other auto makers also use silver sensors. But the computer system used by GM in its cars makes them more vulnerable to readings showing some fuel when there is actually none, the source said.
"The bottom line is the auto and oil industries need to work together so all systems are compatible."
Drivers who had problems last spring and summer primarily pumped gas from Petro-Canada and Shell stations. The two firms later confirmed their gas had contained elemental sulphur. It was picked up as it flowed from a refinery through a Toronto-area pipeline that had carried other petroleum products.
GM started working with its top parts supplier three years ago to change the metal composition of the critical contact portion of the sensor after a problem surfaced in late 2000 when the corrosive elemental sulphur appeared in gas in other parts of Canada and the United States. The tiny contacts in the redesigned part contain a precious-metal alloy that can tolerate elemental sulphur and avoid the wild fluctuations and false readings in gauges and possible highway danger.
One industry insider noted most other auto makers also use silver sensors. But the computer system used by GM in its cars makes them more vulnerable to readings showing some fuel when there is actually none, the source said.
"The bottom line is the auto and oil industries need to work together so all systems are compatible."
12-20-2003, 05:28 PM
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well my car doesnt know how much gas it has after it gets down to a quarter tank. basically u cant tell how much gas is in the car when the warning goes off, because it will go up and down, all the way down to empty, then back up again :?
12-20-2003, 05:47 PM
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We should probably take the article...properly credit the article and keep it in archives somewhere, could potentially assist mechanical questions related to this information.
