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2010 Fuel Gauge Inaccurate

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rebel1

Member
The fuel gauge on this 2010 E/G/classic showed empty when the "range" showed I had 98 miles to go.. The first time I fueled it showed 98 miles to go and took 3.9 gals. The second time it showed empty, but range of 89 miles to go and it took 4.1 gal. The third time I tried to run it until the low fuel light came on but was afraid I was going to run out so I fueled with 41 miles to go and it only took 4.88 gal. Each time the needle was on E, the middle of the E and the last time as low as the needle would go below E for about 25 miles. It seems that the "range" kind of relates with the amount of fuel it takes to fill it up. My question is this: If the dealer wants to bend the float arm to make the needle more accurate, won't this also change the "range"???? Is there more than one sensor in the tank???
Thanks
Bob
 
Sorry I don't have an answer to your question, but my thinking would be along the same lines as yours. But if you wanted to see when and if your low fuel light is working then you could carry some extra gas with you in case you run out of fuel and your light doesn't come on.
 
Unfortunately the tank has an "irregular shape" (for a vessel...it looks GREAT) and the "rheostat" has what people say in the industry "--a linear taper"...meaning the variable resistor varies 1/2 = 50%, 3/4 = 75% etc. verses audio taper (used in volume controls in days of old which was logarithm (non-linear, say stepped taper).

Unless HD had a special taper design to calibrate it or did a lot of research, calibration coverage would be "sketchy" at best. Still, if you rely on a guage, HD R&D should have come up with a decent solution given the time for the 2010 models, as they have had plenty of research to fix this warranty issue. NHTSA could get involved if it is serious enough, as running out of gas is not a good thing.
 
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Here in Washington State if you run out of gas on the freeways you can be cited. At least that's what one State Patrol officer threatened me with when I ran out of gas in a van I had just bought that still show 1/4 tank left. He let me off because I produced the registration showing I had indeed just bout the van and was actually on my way home. So having an inaccurate gage on a bike could cost you a ticket here. Always go by the trip odo is what I do. Use the idiot light as a warning.
 
Just got off the phone with the "local" dealer. Made an appointment for next thursday. I'll see what they say. Hopefully it will be something better than "we can bent the float arm" like the dealer in Grand Junction said. They will also check out the throttle issue.
Bob
 
I have the same problem with my 2009 Ultra. My gauge will show empty while the odometer says I still have 80 miles to empty. I just don't pay much attention to the gauge. My low fuel light comes on somewhere between 30 and 35 miles to empty on the odometer and tends to count down much more quickly than the actual miles I ride once the light is on. However, once it reads 'r lo' rather than showing the number of miles to empty, I can still go about another 15 miles.

As stated in another thread, when you pay that much for a bike, you expect the gas gauge to be somewhat accurate.
 
Rebel1, don't despair, if the rheostat calibration of the part is there, it very well could be only the float arm needs adjustment. No reason to think otherwise if the part is not defective. Assembly line work means "--grabbing the next part off the shelf and putting it in..."!

I doubt very much that each and every bike going through get a calibration check of the fuel guage. Mass production inspection techniques since the great world wars made "sample by lot" testing rather than 100% testing in vogue and do not forsee any deviation from that method of QA/QC on the horizon anytime soon.
 
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I can see how it could be a pain to not have a perfectly accurate gauge, but, your electric fuel pump is in the tank, and like in cars, needs to be in fuel to cool. I'd rather my gauge showed as having less than what is actually in the tank. Sort of a security cushion. Most gauges are not accurate and the Harley's last gallon is the reserve so shouldn't show up on the gauge.
 
I agree that it is better to have more fuel than what it shows. If there is no way to calibrate the gauge without changing the range and low fuel light, I will live with it. I would like to see the guage a little more accurate. I'll see what they say next thursday.
Thanks
 
Picked up the bike from the dealer this evening. They ordered a new fuel pump and sender assembly. Seems that it has been broken from day one. The tech drained all the fuel out of the tank and the range never went below 20 miles and the low fuel light never did come on. I'm glad I didn't run out before they figured this out. The new parts may take awhile to arrive since they say Harley distribution will shut down for at least two weeks. Don't know for sure when that will happen. Seems this dealer may actually be concerned and willing to help with these problems.:)
 
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