How's Your 'Fuel Thermometer'?

Nice to have you back, Readers!

Let me guess: You're confused by the title, aren't you? Keep reading, and you'll soon see what this edition is all about.

In the auto parts business, we get calls from a wide variety of customers, with an equally varied degree of car knowledge. Over the weekend, my boss fielded the call of a rather confused customer. He was so caught off-guard by the customer's thought process, that he relayed the story to us after the fact (in case we faced a similar situation). Here's the gist of the conversation:

Customer: Hi, I need a new 'fuel thermometer' for my Ford Fusion.
My Boss: What is the car doing to make you think that?
Customer: Well, I put $10 in gas in the car, and the needle only went up to the 1/4 [full] mark.

[At this point my boss looked up a fuel pump/sending unit assembly - probably $300 or so, if not more - and quoted it to the gentleman.]

Customer: Man, that's a lot! Uhhhh, maybe I'll just put some more gas in it.
My Boss: Okay, that sounds like a good place to start.

Now, let me point out a few things here:

1. The gentleman stated he had put $10 in gas in his car.
2. Gas prices in the area were ~$3.579 to $3.699 per gallon.
3. Math check: He added less than 3 gallons!
4. The Fusion (model year unknown) holds ~17 to 18 gallons.
5. The customer said his fuel needle only showed 1/4 full.
6. Math check #2: 18gal * 1/4 = 4.5gal. (Amount of gas in his '1/4 full' tank.)

So, if he was on "E" (or very near it) and added less than 3gal, it makes sense that he'd be lucky to reach the 1/4 mark!

You know, I am actually old enough to remember when a big stink was raised locally, over gas prices reaching $1.00 per gallon. I have vivid memories of driving my stepmom's Horizon during (junior year? of) high school, seeing the brand new Thornton's with its light-up price board that came ready for 'triple digit' figures, and noticing an employee was adding a '1' in front of the decimal. I distinctly remember the angry honks and shouts from cars that cruised by, voicing the driver's displeasure.
But, that was about 20 years ago. And, though I remember many people mentioning a weekly budget of a '$10 tank' for fuel, we are quite a far cry from those times. Your weekly fuel budget is probably at least $35 to $40, if not more. And that's mostly just for commuting to and from work/school and home! Let's face facts: Our fuel budgets are jacked up due to jacked up prices, not necessarily increased fuel consumption.

Oh, and by the way...

If *your* fuel guage does start acting suspiciously, please remember that it reports the fuel *level*, not the *temperature*. The part you may need will be called a 'fuel level sensor' or 'fuel sending unit'. It is generally a 'float arm' attached to your vehicle's fuel pump assembly, which is inside the tank. And most of the time, you wind up buying the entire fuel pump assembly to get it (hence the hefty price tag mentioned above).

Until next time, be sure to give your vehicle the Golden Rule treatment. But also remember to stop, think, and apply a bit of logic to any 'problem' that seems to arise.

See you again soon!

PPM