I have been reading that some people say they have a light come on when they are low on gas.....but I am not sure if my car does. It is a 95 se mtx.....anyone help me out on who has these things?
pre 98 did not as they have more colors on the dash, the red on the gas guage is suppose to indecate the reserve gallon or something like that
I just hate how inacurate that guage is....sometimes it will be at the bottom of the red and I will have 2 gallons left and other times I have 1/2 gallon left. anyway to fix this annoying thing?
my 95 SE mtx doesn't, i was always under the assumption that we didn't have this option.
maybe someone can enlighten us on what years/models had this feature.
brapple already did enlighten you. Pre98s no low gas light. 98+ yes low gas light.
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
brapple already did enlighten you. Pre98s no low gas light. 98+ yes low gas light.
ohh, shut DOWN!
- could I get one by swapping dash parts with a post-98? and is the light accurate at all? I usually fill up early, but my commute home from school is the most podunk roads in north central PA, and there just aren't gas stations sometimes.
Seeing as it was added in later years, probably would have to do a lot of rewiring. I guess there is a chance the wiring is already in the cluster harness, but probably not. There are unused holes on every cluster, such as the "sport" indicator that was used in Europe and is on our clusters but not used. I can't remember if a gas light was one of the unused on our clusters. My guess is if it is one of the unused things (I could check in a couple of months if no one else gets around to it), then there is no simple way of adding a light. If it's not, then MAYBE swapping a new cluster in would work, but I still doubt it (not without adding buncha wiring).
I highly doubt you could switch clusters to get the light as since it was added later there would be the wiring for it
if you don't trust the gas guage start noting the miles per tank, as that should be fairly consistant and let you know when you need to fill up
you should be watching your mpg as if it goes down for other reasons then weather you know you have a problem
well, I do have a leaky injector so measuring gas milage isn't really going to work that well. Also, last monday I drove 300 miles and still had over 1/4 tank left and a week later I did the same drive and I had way less then 1/4 tank. I should get that injector fixed one of these days though.
try some fuel system cleaner, maybe the float is gunked up and sticking
did that...been there...3 bottles of seafoam didn't fix it.
Have you heard of a gas station? Fill your tank up at 1/4 and your worries will be over. I have this light on my Taurus and I think I have only seen it once.
Yeah, but when I drive 300 miles from college to home on the weekends I like to make it without stopping and having some left over.
Originally posted by 95Sleeper:
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
brapple already did enlighten you. Pre98s no low gas light. 98+ yes low gas light.
ohh, shut DOWN!
- could I get one by swapping dash parts with a post-98? and is the light accurate at all? I usually fill up early, but my commute home from school is the most podunk roads in north central PA, and there just aren't gas stations sometimes.
I thought not all pre98 SE's had the same standard options; and if anything this option would have been available with higher up models in earlier year than in later years.
plus my SE for an example doesn't make any sense it has no ABS, no Trac Control, no leather, yet has a sunroof, power everything and had the stock CD head unit. Get this my 95 has no trunk light, I've seen many pre 98s not necessarily SE's with trunk lights "how could you explain that"
So who knows maybe someone might have a pre 98 with low gas indicator light, or maybe Ford got this one right added this option when they changed the body style.
If you fill up when you leave you should be fine. I drove from NE - MN 600+ miles and only had to stop once to fill up. You don't want to learn the hard way that your car should get 421 miles per tank like I did
It cost me over an hour of my time to get some gas. It's not worth the time, just take a 15 min break and fill up. It is even easier now that you can use your ATM card at the pumps. You don't even have to go into the place.
over 400 miles per tank!?!?! Is that with a duratec? Cause straight highway driving I can get slightly over 300.
Originally posted by abwamo:
Originally posted by 95Sleeper:
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
brapple already did enlighten you. Pre98s no low gas light. 98+ yes low gas light.
ohh, shut DOWN!
- could I get one by swapping dash parts with a post-98? and is the light accurate at all? I usually fill up early, but my commute home from school is the most podunk roads in north central PA, and there just aren't gas stations sometimes.
I thought not all pre98 SE's had the same standard options; and if anything this option would have been available with higher up models in earlier year than in later years.
plus my SE for an example doesn't make any sense it has no ABS, no Trac Control, no leather, yet has a sunroof, power everything and had the stock CD head unit. Get this my 95 has no trunk light, I've seen many pre 98s not necessarily SE's with trunk lights "how could you explain that"
So who knows maybe someone might have a pre 98 with low gas indicator light, or maybe Ford got this one right added this option when they changed the body style.
see my post before, pre 98 had more color on the dash then post 98's
Everything you list about your SE is an option and power everything was standard late in 95, by all means the LS mystique should have a duratec as it is the equizalent of a LX that had the Duratec standard, but I have a Zetec in my LS and all the goodies but leather, premium sound and the sunroof
as for the trunk light, must be missing as I beleive all contours have a trunk light
anyone wanna fix my car for me?
Originally posted by brapple:
as for the trunk light, must be missing as I beleive all contours have a trunk light
if the light is missing the wiring wouldn't be missing too. I didn't know about trunk lights were available until i saw Trujap's 97 GL that had one, and he couldn't beleive that i dont have one on my SE. my SE is an early 95 "built in fall of 94" so who knows what happened there.
BTW i also get around 400+ miles per tank on the highway.
98+ has a gas light that comes on with approxiately 2 gallons of fuel remaining in the tank.
...not that you should ever intentionally run the tank that low.
Originally posted by elraido:
anyone wanna fix my car for me?
how many miles do you have on your car and when was the last time you had it tuned. you'll be amazed at what i tune up will do a 10 year old car.
The car had 140,000 miles on it when my mom got it...she drove it for about 5000 miles then sold it to me. The records that we got said that it had an mobil1 oil change every 3-5k, spark plugs at 95K along with other tune up stuff. The car idles GREAT (smoooooooooooth as new) and still has the new car smell....mmmmmmmmmmm new car smell
Originally posted by elraido:
over 400 miles per tank!?!?! Is that with a duratec? Cause straight highway driving I can get slightly over 300.
Yes that was with my first 95SE Auto.
So you got at least 50,000 miles on your plugs and who knows how old the plug wires are. Probably injectors, lower and upper intake manifolds never been cleaned. Start with changing your air filter and using a good injector cleaner. See if that helps and work your way to the plugs, wires, fuel filter�
Do you have any CELs maybe you have a clogged cat or bad O2 sensor.
Do you feel your secondaries kick in around 3800 RPMs?
No cels...and the air filter is good (even though once I start working in a couple weeks I am going to go K&N), and now that I think about it I really am not sure if those wires have been replaced or not
but considering how well the car has been taken care of I am thinking they have been replaced...only one way to fix that for sure. Fuel Filter was changed at around the 95K mark. I have used fuel injector cleaner though (seafoam). I do think the cat is going on it though....I get the rotten egg smell from time to time.
I don't think the PCV has been changed though....
I have a low gas light ... found out one day
When you start your car and all the warning idiot lights light up for diagnostic check, you will see if you have a low gas light or not.
Originally posted by RawBurt:
My 99 svt does...
Yup, same with mine. 
maybe when I am low I will just tape a little pic of a fuel dispenser on my guages.
Originally posted by 98 SE:
I've had my gas hand so low it wasn't touching the 'E' at all. I was worried I wasn't going to make it to a gas station. I didn't think it would be 50 kms till the next gas station either. But I made it.
Originally posted by 98 SE:
I have a low gas light ... found out one day
When you start your car and all the warning idiot lights light up for diagnostic check, you will see if you have a low gas light or not.
Methinks you need some glow guages! I forgot what a normal guage cluster looks like!
Originally posted by 99contourdriver:
Methinks you need some glow guages! I forgot what a normal guage cluster looks like!
Haha ... I don't spend money on car modifications. (I know, don't have a heart attack everyone!) No amp'ed up stereo system, no aftermarket rims, no aesthetic or performance mods ... all I've got is a nice alarm, a cheapie radar detector mounted above the rearview mirror, and an Alpine head unit my sister put in the car ... that's it!
All my money toward the car goes into repairs. 
The very few mods I have are functional over aesthetic as well.
Originally posted by DemonSVT:
98+ has a gas light that comes on with approxiately 2 gallons of fuel remaining in the tank.
...not that you should ever intentionally run the tank that low.
I was going to say this, but you got it first... I intentionally ran my tank low because of wanting to test mileage from stations here. I decided that when the gas light came on and the needle was right on E it would be a good time to fill up. Got between 11-12 gallons back in...
My old Accord, the light would slowly illuminate at 1/4 tank with it fully lit at about 3/16 tank. Served me no real purpose.
As soon as the gas light comes on, you have in theory about an estimated 50 miles before your last drip of gas. My buddy's Mercury Cougar gas light comes on every time it says 50 miles remaining in the tank. I figured same fuel pump/sending unit and similar electronics, the same holds true for us too. I only drove it about 40 miles once after the light came on (highway w/ no gas station around), and i didn't wanna wait till the next station to find out
I never go below that mark
I used to never go below 1/4 tank (heck, never went below half) but then I entered college and had to wait till payday each other week.
And the magic work of college comes up....thank you....being a poor college student does suck. But I do start working again in a couple of weeks (about 30 hours per week), to go along with 2 upper level computer classes, my last class for my minor...and still trying to get into another class. That is a crap load of hours per week...geez. 15 hours of class a week plus the 30 for work....then teachers say you should be doing 2 hours of work out of class for every hour in class. So that brings up another 30 hours....for a grand total of 75 hours per week!!!! Someone shoot me..please..you will be doing me a favor. Then I don't need to worry about gas.
Being a college student rocks. The lack of money is just a minor annoyance. I'm rockin 12 hours of easy classes this semester. I need to get a job just to keep me out of the bars.
I am doing computer orgignization (in other words exactly how a computer works...gates, registers in memory etc), artificial intelligence, and conflict management. Those first two suck.....hard.
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
Being a college student rocks. The lack of money is just a minor annoyance. I'm rockin 12 hours of easy classes this semester. I need to get a job just to keep me out of the bars.
what he said 
Holy crap does our gas needle go DOWN. It was past the red and midway into the E and I still had a gallon
Originally posted by elraido:
Holy crap does our gas needle go DOWN. It was past the red and midway into the E and I still had a gallon
Check this out, I was used to newer cars having a sorta "reserve" or inaccurate gauge where it said you were empty before you actually were.
I was test driving a 1971 Caddy with the 500 someone put in it (should have had a 472). It had maybe a 1/16 of a tank, drove it a few blocks and when the needle was on empty, it meant empty... imagine that