Fuel Gauge Faulty

[Pee Sicks]

Hi, having some trouble with the fuel gauge on my p6, it wasn't working too well when I bought the car, when the ignition was switched on the needle would creep up to just under the 1/2 mark, regardless of how full the tank was.
The car had been fitted with a brand new sender unit only a week or so before I bought it (I went under and checked, nice shiny new one indeed) so I wondered if the wiring had been inadvertently reversed during fitting. Having now swapped the wires over, the gauge reads full constantly, unless I am driving at a high sustained speed eg 70 on the motorway, when it will swing down to the 1/2 mark before returning to "full" when I slow down.
Is it likely that the sender unit has been incorrectly fitted, or is it the gauge itself at fault? Any known issues with these?
All replies gratefully received folks

Regards,
Stu.

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Hi Stu,

There are many fuel tank senders on the market for many different vehicles, but like all senders, they need to match the guage in order to work correctly. Do you know for sure that the sender that was installed was the correct item for your Rover?

Ron.

 

[Pee Sicks]

Thanks Ron,
Unfortunately I have no idea if it is the correct one that has been fitted. Are there differences between the 2000/2200 and V8 senders?
It did occur to me that my fuel tank doesn't look anything like the one shown in the diagram of the 3500 workshop manual, though I don't see that any other shape of tank could fit the available space in the car. In view of this, if the car has a different tank fitted, that the wrong sender has been ordered.
I'll try cleaning the spade terminals on the sender as they are a bit mucky with grease or oil, see if that does the trick.
Thanks again,
Stu.

 

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Hi Stu,

Are you able to take some photos of your fuel tank please? Both from below and from within the boot would be excellent, then we can see if your tank is as it should be or whether your Rover is sporting a custom made item.

Ron.