lightning

Well-Known Member

• Jun 16, 2017

• #1

How far can you go in a Defender TD5 when the fuel gauge reaches the bottom of the orange segment and goes in to the red.
The fuel light comes on half way into the yellow.
Has anybody driven until it ran out? Mine went into the red on the way back from Scotland yesterday, after a detour.
l did about 12 miles before l could get fuel.

 

tottot

Well-Known Member

• Jun 16, 2017

• #2

In my experience every landy is different,have recently fitted a new sender in mine and the fuel warning comes on sooner now.

 

Grem

Active Member

• Jun 16, 2017

• #3

Don't want to be running out even if you've got a can of diesel

That is for older diesels anyway, not sure about a TD5, maybe it would prime and self bleed?

 

julianf

Well-Known Member

• Jun 16, 2017

• #4

As above, there won't be a clear answer. The sender is basically a potentiometer.

If you go to some electronics place and buy a potentiometer, it will have a fair bit of percentage error - ie they won't all be the same.

Get one, and submerge it in a tank of diesel, and I can't think it getsnmore accurate.

 

julianf

Well-Known Member

• Jun 16, 2017

• #5

My partner can get to work and back after the light has come on on our 300 TDI.

That's 12 miles each way, with cool down in between.

We always have a can in the back, but never end up using it.

Note, we run on bio, and I have plenty of fuel. Its just when she tells me at 7am that its in the red....

(She only learnt how to use the petrol station a couple of months ago - has been driving about 3 years.)

 

Brown

Well-Known Member

Full Member

• Jun 17, 2017

• #6

On the TD5 it also depends on the angle of the float arm. It's a bit of bent wire. OK, it's fairly high quality stiff wire, but that's what it is. I had one that left you a comfortable cruising distance after the warning light turned from yellow to red before running out, and then replaced it after a fuel starvation problem. The new one left you no room for error at all and ran out almost as soon as it was in the red. When the TD5 is about to run out you notice that the acceleration is a bit less responsive an the top speed starts dropping. Now I have yet another pump - a Siemens I think - and that's like the first one.

 

lightning

Well-Known Member

• Jun 17, 2017

• #7

If you do run out, will the TD5 auto purge function get the engine started after you put some fuel in?
l know it doesn't have the facility on the tdci.

 

Brown

Well-Known Member

Full Member

• Jun 17, 2017

• #8

lightning said:

If you do run out, will the TD5 auto purge function get the engine started after you put some fuel in?
l know it doesn't have the facility on the tdci.

Click to expand...

Yes, it's pretty similar to what happens if you've had the pipes apart or changed the filter. I find mine needs a couple of runs through the purge sequence to make it easy to start. I usually switch the ignition on and depress the accelerator 5 times, and let the pump run, switch off, run, switch off etc - it does this about six times on mine. Then repeat the process, and after that it will usually start.