Xantia – fuel evaporating

[andy5]

On mine the fuel gauge is damped enough that it stays low for a while from cold, and doesn't reach the true position for about 10 or 15 minutes. Maybe that's why it seems to have lost some when parked for a while

The warning light seems to be broadly similar, so it's possible to get home with the needle just on the top of the bottom band on the gauge, no warning light, then leave home the next day with the light on, stop 15 miles away for a few minutes, then the light does not come on with the next restart.

This means sometimes it's difficult to figure how much is in there when it's getting low only doing a couple of short trips each day.

Apart from that the gauge is fairly linear, though there is about 150 miles of range before it drops below the top mark

And the tank holds more than the spec I've seen. 65 litres declared, but the most I've added is 77 litres.

[Mandrake]

On mine the fuel gauge is damped enough that it stays low for a while from cold, and doesn't reach the true position for about 10 or 15 minutes. Maybe that's why it seems to have lost some when parked for a while

Let me guess, you park on a slight slope ? In which case when you turn the key on it will jump straight to an incorrect reading due to the tilt, but will then take many minutes of driving over (on average) level ground for it to correct itself as it slowly averages the varying reading from the tank sender. I'm sure that's all that's happening to Zohar as well. (I think Zohar has fallen off the wagon as he hasn't posted a followup to his original post )

Apart from that the gauge is fairly linear, though there is about 150 miles of range before it drops below the top mark

And the tank holds more than the spec I've seen. 65 litres declared, but the most I've added is 77 litres.

Different model Xantia's seem to differ, the gauge on my 2 litre petrol wasn't too bad for linearity but the one on my V6 is anything but linear...

Good going adding 77 litres as well - most I've ever managed is 58 litres into a supposedly 65 litre tank, and that was with the low fuel warning light complaining a good 30 miles or more before filling up...

[Chris570]

I used to fill my car up with the engine running (bad i know) and the 2 mile drive home would not see the gauge move. upon ignition off and back on the fuel gauge would give a true(well by xantia standards) reading.

I frequently get 70 litres in the tank, and when my light comes on the needle doesnt move at all when that happens.

But as always with the Xantiae the gauge is only accurate in 3 places, Full, Some and Empty

[andy5]

Let me guess, you park on a slight slope ? In which case when you turn the key on it will jump straight to an incorrect reading due to the tilt, but will then take many minutes of driving over (on average) level ground for it to correct itself as it slowly averages the varying reading from the tank sender. I'm sure that's all that's happening to Zohar as well. (I think Zohar has fallen off the wagon as he hasn't posted a followup to his original post )

Different model Xantia's seem to differ, the gauge on my 2 litre petrol wasn't too bad for linearity but the one on my V6 is anything but linear...

Good going adding 77 litres as well - most I've ever managed is 58 litres into a supposedly 65 litre tank, and that was with the low fuel warning light complaining a good 30 miles or more before filling up...

It's true it's on a sloping driveway, and also the back sinks although it shouldn't. But I thought this happens even when not at home. Maybe I should point down the drive and see if there's a difference.

When I first got the car, it did more on the first tankful than my BX ever did - 700 vs 692 miles, so then I wanted to see how far it would go. The next tanks were roughly 750, 800, 850, 900 miles as I gradually didn't chicken out and fill it. So of course I then ran out at 931 miles about a mile before a garage I was going to, which used 72.6 litres.

Strangely the tank seems to have got larger since then. 75.6 was the best until the 77.0, which did rather surprise me.

You can get an extra few litres in by adding more after the first pump cutout, so that might explain part of the apparent size difference, and yours might still have had another 3 or 5 litres that time.