Techron Concentrate Plus is fixing my fuel gauge

[330indy]

my 2001 530i with 110k miles had a 1/8 low indication with fillups during the summer. I have been adding Techron since, and it reads to the full line now. Whew!!

by the way I use BP Ultimate almost exclusively, with occasional V-Power fillups.

 

[Audi Junkie]

MaxLife fuel additive says it frees up fuel senders.

 

[Gary Allan]

I find this a curious thing. Not doubting it at all. Way too many instances of remedy. What in the world would make something in fuel foul the float?

I wonder if it can be tied to some behavioral aspect. I mean like infrequent fueling (short/limited mileage over time) that would allow the fuel to sour ..a corrosion element in the metals used and the failure of cosolvents ..or whatever.

 

[demarpaint]

Could it be that some people still do $5 fill ups? Since the tank is never really full it messes things up. I have a co-worker buddy that runs his van from 1/4-1/8 of a tank. He does short trips local jobs and throws a few $$ worth of gas in it every few days.

 

[Gary Allan]

That would fit. Having the float only experiencing a limited range might do something. I guess they baffle tanks pretty well. I recall my 65 Olds would bounce around. Other manufacturers damped the output to leave the gauge stable. Now I think the baffling makes the float not bounce too much.

 

[Jason2007]

Sulfur in the fuel attaches itself to the float, hence the malfunctioning. Techron removes the sulfur, hence the gauge starts working correctly again.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Could it be that some people still do $5 fill ups? Since the tank is never really full it messes things up. I have a co-worker buddy that runs his van from 1/4-1/8 of a tank. He does short trips local jobs and throws a few $$ worth of gas in it every few days.


That does not affect anything.

 

[330indy]

http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/...p/B130506g.htm
for bimmer owners

 

[severach]

This link will work better.
SI B 13 05 06: BMW Group Fuel System Cleaner Plus

 

[330indy]

thanks

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Could it be that some people still do $5 fill ups? Since the tank is never really full it messes things up. I have a co-worker buddy that runs his van from 1/4-1/8 of a tank. He does short trips local jobs and throws a few $$ worth of gas in it every few days.


That does not affect anything.


I wouldn't go that far. Opening the fuel tank when humidity is high, and not filling it all the way allows a lot of water vapor into the tank. Under the right conditions, it will condense on the internal surface of the tank, and end up as liquid water in the gas. Not good, especially if done on a repeated, consistent basis.

On the other hand, this strategy, applied consistently long-term, will necessarily avoid one of the traps I've fallen into -- having a car totalled with a full tank of gas. This is, we hope, an infrequent occurrence, but nevertheless, it really, REALLY sux when the ins co declares your car a total, and you realize it's sitting on some lot holding ~20 gallons of expensive gas that you'll never get back. . .

 

[SecondMonkey]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Could it be that some people still do $5 fill ups? Since the tank is never really full it messes things up. I have a co-worker buddy that runs his van from 1/4-1/8 of a tank. He does short trips local jobs and throws a few $$ worth of gas in it every few days.


I still usually get $15 or $20 if the price is high, I don't fill up unless the price is at the bottom and going back up. Wouldn't surprise me at all if this affected my fuel sender, although it wasn't accurate when it was new.