Low Fuel Light?

Jun 08, 2004 10 Replies

I recently bought a 98 model Series II and the fuel light does not light up when the tank is low on fuel. I thought it the globe must have gone, but after reading a few threads, and i mentioned there was no Low Fuel warning light in this car but they didnt state it directly.



Can someone confirm if this car has a Low Fuel warning light?


I can confirm if there is a low fuel warning light. But since there is none, confirmation remains pending.

However, fortunately there is a low fuel warning *sound*. :) Listen for a loud silence: this will indicate low or missing fuel.

Leon

I was stunned at how badly calibrated the fuel gauges on Miata are. On my 96 when the needle was dead on 'E' you had about

1/4 tank left. About 3 needle-widths below 'E', the gauge hit the peg. At that point you still had over 2 gallons (1/6 tank) left. Under normal conditions, I rarely filled up until the needle was buried below the 'E'. The tricky bit was remembering how long the needle had been against the 'empty' peg. Unfortunately I got used to driving around with the needle well below 'E', and I did run out of gas once.

Well, the "Very Low Fuel" LIGHTS will come on shortly after the engine stops. Many of the instrument lights will come on. It's a good idea to start looking for a place to get gas when the needle on the gage is just above "E". It saves a lot of time walking to where you were going.

Bruce RED '91 (with new clear taillights)

So...... there is no light indicating low fuel level? Why did they leave it out?

Why would they put it in?

Because - silly them, they thought that most people properly interpret a fuel guage.

Paco

97 Montego Blue Miata 91 Toyota Previa 77 Suzuki RE5

As in "The needle's on 'E', so I've got a quarter of a tank of gas"?

Stop bragging, Grant. The rest of us have to content ourselves with gauges that work as the owner's manual describes: on "E," two gallons remain.

I like the fact that Mazda didn't use a return spring to send the needle back to "E" when the ignition is off. I can check the tank as part of my instrument scan at start up, while I'm fastening my seatbelt. A low-fuel light is unnecessary on long trips, because my bladder is full long before the tank is empty. And because the fuel gauge is still part of my regular instrument scan.

Hah... Well I just got to know mine over time. I let it get a little below the line and it holds somewhere around 11 gallons. It's supposed to be bad to suck up that last half gallon of fuel anyway because of all the crud in the bottom of the tank.

I second that. On a long trip I've found that gas stops are usually pretty close to necessary bathroom and stretching out stops. My only complaint about my car (which is my fault) is that since I set it up for autocrossing with the FM springs, the ride on a long trip on the interstate is a little punishing.

Paco

97 Montego Blue Miata 91 Toyota Previa 77 Suzuki RE5

From whgat I could find out, the Low fuel light is market dependent. Obviously the USA version does not have it.

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