FIX your Spyder fuel gauge and poor millage quick and easy!

[Axcessitall]

So I have been a Spyder owner since 2008 (Read a lot but post very little) and I noticed an issue developed after a few years with my Spyder with the fuel gauge reading LOW all the time. After 60 miles of driving my gas light would come on and I would get about 2 gallons in the tank to fill it back up but still the gauge would only read 1/2 tank at best.

So....

I pulled the sending unit out of the tank (This sucks, I have no words for this but I am sure I did when I removed and reinstalled it) and I took sandpaper to the sending unit fuel level contacts and the little arm that rydes up and down the contacts. Bingo fuel gauge read normal again! I was happy for a year (12k miles) but guess what? It's back to reading 1/2 tank after fill up same as before.

Now being one who does not want to deal with that nightmare of a sending unit / tank removal I decided to try a trick from back in my racing days - BG44K or liquid gold as most dealers, auto shops and high end tuners call it. I added about 3 to 4 ounces into a full tank and drove 180 miles and filled up the tank again. Guess what? This time the gauge read full! The BG44K removed the sulfur (or whatever it is) from the sending unit and all was normal.

One other side note, I was getting about 32 MPG during the first few years (After break in) of having the Spyder but after the BG44K I am now getting 38+ MPG with a noticeable boost in power. For anyone who has ever used BG44K you know this stuff works and for those who have never used it go down to NAPA or your local higher end parts / auto dealers and swing by the service dept and get a can. They are 11 ounce cans and you can dump the rest into your car or ATV or anything else you have with an engine (2 or 4 stroke). They run about $20 a can and this will NOT be found by all the cheap fuel cleaner products but rather behind the counter or in an area all to itself. Keep in mind BG44K is used in just about every "dealer" tune up and you WILL notice it in power and millage.

You only need to add about 3 to 4 ounces to a full tank of gas maybe once or twice a year depending on your millage (I do12k miles a year on my Spyder and only used it once) so it is not like you need to put it in every tank or anything like that.

So if you are having this fuel gauge problem or getting millage that you feel is low go ahead and give some BG44K a shot, it does not hurt and who knows it may just fix your gauge and pay for itself in the gas savings.

Please post your result and let us all know if this worked for you and what your findings are.

Back to reading...

John

[coz]

nice write-up on the bg44 k. welcome to the site. i wish more of the '' never heard from '' folks would also post what they know. it would help all of us out.

[Bob Denman]

Very interesting... I'm sure that we're all wishing that you had brought up this little tidbit earlier!

[Crisis]

Thx, ordered it.

[IGETAROUND]

For what it's worth it's also recommended by Click and Clack

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

So I have been a Spyder owner since 2008 (Read a lot but post very little) and I noticed an issue developed after a few years with my Spyder with the fuel gauge reading LOW all the time. After 60 miles of driving my gas light would come on and I would get about 2 gallons in the tank to fill it back up but still the gauge would only read 1/2 tank at best.

So....

I pulled the sending unit out of the tank (This sucks, I have no words for this but I am sure I did when I removed and reinstalled it) and I took sandpaper to the sending unit fuel level contacts and the little arm that rydes up and down the contacts. Bingo fuel gauge read normal again! I was happy for a year (12k miles) but guess what? It's back to reading 1/2 tank after fill up same as before.

Now being one who does not want to deal with that nightmare of a sending unit / tank removal I decided to try a trick from back in my racing days - BG44K or liquid gold as most dealers, auto shops and high end tuners call it. I added about 3 to 4 ounces into a full tank and drove 180 miles and filled up the tank again. Guess what? This time the gauge read full! The BG44K removed the sulfur (or whatever it is) from the sending unit and all was normal.

One other side note, I was getting about 32 MPG during the first few years (After break in) of having the Spyder but after the BG44K I am now getting 38+ MPG with a noticeable boost in power. For anyone who has ever used BG44K you know this stuff works and for those who have never used it go down to NAPA or your local higher end parts / auto dealers and swing by the service dept and get a can. They are 11 ounce cans and you can dump the rest into your car or ATV or anything else you have with an engine (2 or 4 stroke). They run about $20 a can and this will NOT be found by all the cheap fuel cleaner products but rather behind the counter or in an area all to itself. Keep in mind BG44K is used in just about every "dealer" tune up and you WILL notice it in power and millage.

You only need to add about 3 to 4 ounces to a full tank of gas maybe once or twice a year depending on your millage (I do12k miles a year on my Spyder and only used it once) so it is not like you need to put it in every tank or anything like that.

So if you are having this fuel gauge problem or getting millage that you feel is low go ahead and give some BG44K a shot, it does not hurt and who knows it may just fix your gauge and pay for itself in the gas savings.

Please post your result and let us all know if this worked for you and what your findings are.

Back to reading...

John

I am the most " doubting " of doubting Thomas's.....I have never bought a " shelf " fix in my life......BUT based on what you have said I'm going to try this......You are a great salesman/spokesman so please don't tell me about anything else for a while.....Mike

[ulflyer]

Sheesh! Now I want to try it too. Won't take long to find out if it works if you've been keeping track of your MPG.

[Lukester]

Great Post,
My '11 RT-S fuel gauge just started doing this today. I know the tank is full, but gauge shows two bars from full. went to get gas yesterday when the fuel light came on and I filled that puppy to the brim, but the pump showed i only put in 3 gallons. i am buying this today and will give it a try. Thanks for giving me options verses dragging my spyder to the dealer to get bent over. Peace.

[ARtraveler]

Great Post,
My '11 RT-S fuel gauge just started doing this today. I know the tank is full, but gauge shows two bars from full. went to get gas yesterday when the fuel light came on and I filled that puppy to the brim, but the pump showed i only put in 3 gallons. i am buying this today and will give it a try. Thanks for giving me options verses dragging my spyder to the dealer to get bent over. Peace.

Circa 2012.

[Wildrice]

I am the most " doubting " of doubting Thomas's.....I have never bought a " shelf " fix in my life......BUT based on what you have said I'm going to try this......You are a great salesman/spokesman so please don't tell me about anything else for a while.....Mike

I am also a "Doubting Thomas" One dance don't make it a romance. Unless there was some serious contamination in the fuel system I'll remain a "Doubtful". Thus I can't wait to hear from others who have used this BG44K & hold a validated judgement based on the following future results.

[Easy Rider]

Well it's been about 6 years since this revelation was first announced and in that 6 years..........exactly ZERO owners have reported any positive results here. Maybe the original post was spam. That "owner" still only has ONE post.

[cyclelover63]

I work have worked in auto dealerships for 27 years and have seen BG44K work. I don't know about fixing a fuel gauge,but it does get rid of carbon. I have used a bore scope before and after and can attest that it works.

[Buckeye Bleau]

I guess that I too fall into the category of a skeptic.
1. The post was made in 2012
2. The OP states that he has ridden Spyders since 2008.
3. Did you notice that he states that he added the treatment to a full tank then rode 180 miles?

The 998 series engine and tanks would not have a 180 mile range except with tail wind down hill onsmooth dry roads..... and then pushing the envelope of the tank capacity.
Maybe he added fuel in the middle, and just failed to mention it. Or maybe I misread it.

Joe

[2RTsGV]

I guess that I too fall into the category of a skeptic.
1. The post was made in 2012
2. The OP states that he has ridden Spyders since 2008.
3. Did you notice that he states that he added the treatment to a full tank then rode 180 miles?

The 998 series engine and tanks would not have a 180 mile range except with tail wind down hill onsmooth dry roads..... and then pushing the envelope of the tank capacity.
Maybe he added fuel in the middle, and just failed to mention it. Or maybe I misread it.

Joe

Interesting analogy Joe, alas I don't agree with it. My wife and I both have 998's and we regularly fill them up between 140 and 160 mile mark on trips and the most we fill them with is 5.4 gals. In fact we spent a day riding in the Arkansas national forest around Oark area (no gas station for miles) hills / mountains everywhere and finally found a gas station open in a one horse town. We had 168 miles on the tanks, sure the gas light was on and yes we were worried we weren't gonna find a gas station but interestingly when we filled the tanks, they only took a little over 5 gals, which means there was still over a gal in the tank.

[Easy Rider]

they only took a little over 5 gals, which means there was still over a gal in the tank.

You might be closer to OUT than you figure.
Sometimes the "advertised" tank capacity is more than the "usable" capacity.
Especially if the nozzle cut off a bit early on the previous fill and you didn't notice.

[2RTsGV]

You might be closer to OUT than you figure.
Sometimes the "advertised" tank capacity is more than the "usable" capacity.
Especially if the nozzle cut off a bit early on the previous fill and you didn't notice.

I don't know anything about tank capacity and usable capaticity .. but I do know that at 168 miles on mountain roads with no wind behind me to push me along and around 5 gals from a 6.6 or 6.9 gal tank .. there was still gas left .. and I anticipated that I could have gone at least another 35 miles before it was critical to get gas or running out .. besides, that puts the range around 200 miles which is about 4 hours in the saddle and I don't know about anyone else but my old bones need to be stretched out around the 140 mile mark anyway. So I am happy with the range my bike gets

[canamjhb]

When I was younger (a lot younger) we use to put moth balls (naphtha) in our fuel tanks to improve performance. Maybe it worked..... At least we thought it did at the time. But that was long, long time ago.

[Easy Rider]

When I was younger (a lot younger) we use to put moth balls (naphtha) .............

Different "naptha". This is "white gas".

And severe engine damage sometimes occurs from moth balls (‎Naphthalene).

[canamjhb]

Different "naptha". This is "white gas".

And severe engine damage sometimes occurs from moth balls (‎Naphthalene).

And that just might explain why I learned engine rebuilding at an early age.....

[ARtraveler]

I guess that I too fall into the category of a skeptic.
1. The post was made in 2012
2. The OP states that he has ridden Spyders since 2008.
3. Did you notice that he states that he added the treatment to a full tank then rode 180 miles?

The 998 series engine and tanks would not have a 180 mile range except with tail wind down hill onsmooth dry roads..... and then pushing the envelope of the tank capacity.
Maybe he added fuel in the middle, and just failed to mention it. Or maybe I misread it.

Joe

I got 184 miles and refilled with 5.8 gallons on my 08--SM5. One time. I don't like driving below empty. No additives--Ever.

[STELLING MAN]

The best tank I ever got on my 2013 RT-S was 172 miles, and It took 5.5 gal to fill up..