Ride cut short -- Fuel mystery

I had a 140 mile out-and-back planned for the day, since the 60°+ temps would be nice. My plan was cut short, however.

Went out to the Spyder and started it before putting my helmet on, as usual. The low fuel light was on and the gauge indicated empty, with 35 miles to empty displayed. Yesterday, I rode 130 miles on a full tank and it was half full when I pulled into the shop. Turned it off, put on my helmet and restarted -- low fuel light went out and the gauge indicated 1/8 of a tank, with 35 miles to empty.

Went to the nearest station and filled the tank with about 3.4 gallons, agreeing with yesterday's 130 miles. Gas gauge indicated full, with 258 miles to empty, so I left on my ride. 36 miles into the ride I looked down and the gauge indicated 3/4 of a tank. What the hell, thought I. I continued and at 39 miles I had half a tank -- maybe I left the gas cap off, so I stopped and checked and found it secure. I turned around, since the nearest fuel was back where I came from.

Riding 45 mph, I began my limp home. When I completed 72 miles the gauge jumped to 3/4 tank and 155 miles to empty, which is about right. Got to the station at 80 miles and put in 2 gallons of fuel. 45 mph produces 48 mpg!

The gauge (or sensor, or software) had apparently malfunctioned. Next time it happens I'll suspect the gauge first, but I'm going to make a dipstick for the fuel tank and keep it in my tool bundle. Fuel stations are too far apart in this part of the country to be unsure about remaining fuel.

2020 RT. It’s a warranty issue. Don’t settle for it or come up with yet another work-around, get it fixed.

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Originally Posted by Snowbelt Spyder

2020 RT. It’s a warranty issue. Don’t settle for it or come up with yet another work-around, get it fixed.

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If I can't duplicate the problem, it will be one of those "It seems to work fine now..." dealer responses that just waste everyone's time.

That sounds pretty much par for the course with BRP's problematic fuel gauges, low fuel warning lights, &/or senders - mine STILL does much the same after a few replacements of each.... only sometimes it doesn't take anywhere near as much as 36 miles from being and showing Full to suddenly drop to show Empty - the record so far has been about 200 yards!! :gaah: And yes, the tank WAS still full!! :rolleyes:

Since my 2013 is now waaay past warranty & their initial efforts to 'solve' this, I'm not paying to have this 'fixed' again; I just rely on the trip meters showing 'distance from last fill', just like I did on all my older & less technologically advanced bikes - well, once I graduated from the real old bikes where you hadta pop the cap & slosh the tank anyway! ;)

Good Luck! :thumbup:

You are relying on a mechanical device that is notoriously inaccurate ..... after 1000's of tanks of gas I know what my average fuel mileage is .... I ONLY fully fill my gas tank ( 14 RT ) ... and zero the " B " counter ..... from checking the " B " counter I pretty much know how far I can travel before I run out of gas ..... for my Toyota Sienna it;s much easier ..... If the LOW fuel light comes on I know I have 1.72 gal. of gas left and then drive accordingly ...... Mike :thumbup:

Since its a post 2018 and it seems the fuel gauges have been pretty reliable since then I think its safe to say you have a problem that should be fixed and it should not show up again.

Peter and BlueKnight911: The old trip odometer ('B', just like Mike) is such an ingrained habit I still use it for fuel to this day. This being the first time for this error (in 6000+ miles), I was smelling for fuel leaks and looking for soot in the pipe. Now I know better and will trust the odometer. It is reassuring to know it's a common failing. Thus far it's only fooled (and failed) me once...

ButterSmooth....Should you need to come my way for a shop repair, let me know. There a guest bedroom and bath and space in the garage.

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Originally Posted by RICZ

ButterSmooth....Should you need to come my way for a shop repair, let me know. There a guest bedroom and bath and space in the garage.

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Thanks Ric. Only one data point on the problem so far. If I can't duplicate it, the dealer sure can't.

Don’t forget current:barf: fuel price issues & getting rid of winter “blend” mixture at pumps:sour:
:spyder2: first stretches after hibernation, stabilizer may have protected while sitting & just need good tank or two run through :dontknow:

The comment about winter blend is right on. I forgot about that one. :bowdown:

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Originally Posted by Bfromla

Don’t forget current:barf: fuel price issues & getting rid of winter “blend” mixture at pumps:sour:
:spyder2: first stretches after hibernation, stabilizer may have protected while sitting & just need good tank or two run through :dontknow:

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I've ridden my Spyder all Winter, so far, so there are no storage induced issues. I guess I can't see how changing fuel formulation would effect the fuel gauge. Especially when it self-recovers...

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Originally Posted by ButterSmooth

I've ridden my Spyder all Winter, so far, so there are no storage induced issues. I guess I can't see how changing fuel formulation would effect the fuel gauge. Especially when it self-recovers...

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Winter blend issues have to do with performance. In your case, the fuel gauge seems to be the culprit. Both my 2010 and 2011 RT's had wonky fuel gauges. Since then, issues seem to be quite rare. Both you and Peter have had some interesting issues. For yours, should be fixed under warranty.

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Originally Posted by ButterSmooth

I've ridden my Spyder all Winter, so far, so there are no storage induced issues. I guess I can't see how changing fuel formulation would effect the fuel gauge. Especially when it self-recovers...

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IF & when it recovers

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

Winter blend issues have to do with performance. In your case, the fuel gauge seems to be the culprit. Both my 2010 and 2011 RT's had wonky fuel gauges. Since then, issues seem to be quite rare. Both you and Peter have had some interesting issues. For yours, should be fixed under warranty.

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hopefully is just a fixable sticky float, unfortunately what made it stick If not the additives. :dontknow::dontknow::lecturef_smilie:

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Originally Posted by Bfromla

IF & when it recovers



hopefully is just a fixable sticky float, unfortunately what made it stick If not the additives. :dontknow::dontknow::lecturef_smilie:

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It did recover near the end of the shortened ride. It can't be a sticky float, because it started full and then dropped rapidly and linearly from there. The gauge reading dropped well below (1/2 tank) the fuel level before recovering, so it went down like a leaking float, but then it popped back up. Doesn't sound like a float problem to me --- I suspect something in the sensor reading algorithm needs to be made a little more robust. At least it doesn't go to full throttle like a Toyota...

Since the float changes a resistance value as it goes up and down it could be as simple as a loose connection. A loose or broken wire would mimic an empty fuel tank.

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Originally Posted by EdMat

Since the float changes a resistance value as it goes up and down it could be as simple as a loose connection. A loose or broken wire would mimic an empty fuel tank.

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Well, I took a few minutes and looked at the manual. The fuel gauge is a 'stupid' gauge, while I expected a 'smart' Can-Bus sensor. The resistance goes up as the fuel goes down. You're probably right, a poor connection at one of the connectors. Those problems usually have one or more causes: loose connector contact springs (GM's specialty), dust in the connector pins, and in low current circuits 'dry' contacts (the less current flowing in the circuit, the more susceptible they are to contact problems). Cleaning, tightening, sealing and lubing the connectors is the cure for connectorosis. If it happens again, I'll be ready. As a note, these are the kind of problems a dealer tech can rarely fix.

Went for another ride today and at first turn on the fuel gauge indicated 1/2 tank on a known full tank. Miles-to-empty was 101. Started down the hill and the gauge s-l-o-w-l-y recovered to full. The miles-to-empty was whacky all day, but the gauge seemed to be ok. Called the dealer for an appointment and his first opening is 22 days out. At least it's rideable until then. The slow recovery of the gauge is interesting...

The RT spent Saturday at the dealers. It took the better part of a month to get the appointment. The service department was very cooperative and found the sender to be failing. They were kind enough to put things back together so I can ride while we wait for parts. Hope that's the fix!