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My gauge reads accurately... right after it 'moves'. It tends to move in 1/8 of a tank increments. So it's accurate 1/8 of the time.  I know, about what I get for mileage, so I just try to fill up around 300 miles on the odo when I've got about 1/8-1/4 tank left.
2003 Mazda6s 3.0L MTX
Webpage
2004 Mazda3s 2.3L ATX
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If you think about the way the fuel gauge works, it makes perfect sense. There is an object that floats at the top of the fuel that tells how full the tank is by its position in the tank. Well if the tank is full, then the floating object will be at the very top. The object would not move until the fuel not only goes down, but it has to go down beneath the bottom of the object. So, depending on the height of the object, you could have an inch or two of fuel consumed before it actually moves and therefore shows a change on the gauge. Hopefully, this make sense...  Btw, I call it an object because I don't know the real name for it.
1999 Blk/Tan CSVT #654 - SOLD
2003 Suzuki SV650s
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So everyone thinks those guages are arithmetic... Didn't you ever get to do graphs on log paper? Every graduation you move to the right doubles the amount of gas in your tank, and when it's only on "F" you're at the half way mark.
MSDS, SHO-shop Y, custom 2.5" catback; xcal2; 63mm TB, K&N 3530; Koni struts, Aussie bar; THaines forks, Quaife, SpecII, UR fly; DMD; Nima UD pullies; Stazi brakes; f&r Pole120 mounts. Just a daily commuter car. Silver '98 SVT E0 #3159
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Originally posted by path914:
Btw, I call it an object because I don't know the real name for it.
I think the technical term is "float thingy."
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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Joined: Jun 2000
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Originally posted by klavender:
I've never seen a gauge that falls at the same rate throughout the whole tank. All the cars I've owned were that way. Stays on full for a while, then drops drastically. Them dern odd shaped tanks! 
Quite a few cars do, actually. In fact, the Mondeo might be one of them. Simply because (like my friend's A4) they have that "distance til empty" readout. The A4's gauge has always been accurate, even just going by the odometer alone. It's really not to hard for the computer to say "ok, we're getting 3/4 of the fully/empty impedance from the sender, but we know the shape of the tank means that it's 26/32 and not 3/4". Purty simple.
-06 GTO Torrid Red/M6
-98 LS with BPU
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mv .zig ..\for\great\.justice
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Originally posted by PDXSVT:
So everyone thinks those guages are arithmetic... Didn't you ever get to do graphs on log paper? Every graduation you move to the right doubles the amount of gas in your tank, and when it's only on "F" you're at the half way mark.
Do you mean logarithmic? 
Pablo Quintana
98 SE Sport Contour
Honduras, Central America
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Originally posted by blaze:
If you never let it get down there then the crap builds up. So now I let mine go to E and then go fill up. Just my experience. Thought I would pass it along.
Man that's weird. Never heard of that. 
Somebody else said on these forums that without gas your fuel pump overheats because it is cooled by gas.
NO GAS = HOT PUMP = ON IT'S WAY TO HEAVEN
I'd rather change my fuel filter more often.
I won't try your suggestion. 
Pablo Quintana
98 SE Sport Contour
Honduras, Central America
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Yeah my tour does the same thing.
Stays at full for a long time and then out
of nowhere the needle stops dropping fast!
Used to bother me but not anymore.
1999 Cabernet Red Contour
SE Sport V6 24V ATX
Southern California
1995 White Ford Explorer XLT
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Originally posted by pabloquintana:
Do you mean logarithmic?
are you posturing? 
i don't think the poster did, or i hope not as it has nothing to do with the scale of the measurement.
it's arithmetic as the actual reading of the "float thingy" has to be corrected using an arithmetic model or a lookup table if it's overly complex, this is not done in our cars.
this is a great overall post BTW.
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Joined: Aug 2001
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CEG\'er
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Originally posted by pabloquintana:
Originally posted by blaze:
If you never let it get down there then the crap builds up. So now I let mine go to E and then go fill up. Just my experience. Thought I would pass it along.
Man that's weird. Never heard of that.
Somebody else said on these forums that without gas your fuel pump overheats because it is cooled by gas.
NO GAS = HOT PUMP = ON IT'S WAY TO HEAVEN
I'd rather change my fuel filter more often.
I won't try your suggestion.
long before your pump overheats your car will stall and the pump will turn off. BTW, i don't think the poster meant run it until it stalls on each tank. just run it until it gets very low.
also note that the nominal amount of trash in your filter should stay the same.
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