Hi guys,

My petrol gauge has been playing silly buggers for the last couple of days. It had been sitting on 3/4 of a tank, and then in the space of two minutes it dropped to empty (warning light on and computer showing 2.3km left). I was worried about a fuel leak so i stopped at a servo and tried to fill up. 12L later the pump said the car was full. Sure enough when i got back in the gauge said full. This was tuesday. By yesterday afternoon it was saying 7/8 full, but on my trip home from work (about 20kms, Lidcombe to Toongabbie) it was down to almost half. On the way in this morning I was keeping an eye on it and once again it dropped to empty for about 10 mins. It now reads just over 1/4 full.
Has anyone seen this before? Can anyone think what might be causing this before i take it to a mechanic? It's under warranty, but i don't want them tearing the car apart to find the issue if i can narrow it down first. Gotta get the timing belt done anyway, but would prefer to avoid paying an arm and a leg in excess.
Thanks for any help.

Busted fuel level sender unit. Not that rare. Had a faulty one in my TR and during summer it used to randomly tell me i had no fuel left.

Thanks for the info Parker.
Any idea how expensive these are to fix?
Can a complete newbie (like myself) have a go? Or should i go bearing a bottle of JD to my make who's a mechanic?

Definitely the fuel level sender unit. Last time i checked the part was about $70, i don't think they are too difficult to install either. As far as i know you just remove the back seat, open up the fuel tank, unplug the old, plug in the new. Might have to open your fuel cap first to depressure the tank, but i'm pretty sure thats all you need to do. Worth a shot doing it yourself if you are confident.

Thanks M4DDOG. I might have a look myself, and then if i panic (i'm good with my hands but not confident with cars!) i might go to my mate. Can you pick up the part anywhere in particular? I'm in Syd.

Go to a Mitsu service centre with a spare parts dept, they can order it in for you. There is one in Penrith, not sure of others.

It's really easy to get to the plate covering the full tank. There are two plastic pulls in front of the rear left and right seats that released the seat base, pull it out and voila!

The fuel gauge on my Verada and now TL play silly buggers, trip computer is pretty spot on, the gauge is way off. Shows empty with over 20L still in the tank lol

That is pretty strange Mitchell.
Thanks for the advice. I have just bribed my mechanic friend with a bottle of JD, so he will give me a hand replacing it. I will watch what he does and hopefully not have to pay again :D

Blacktown Mitsubishi might be the closer, (they are at a different location from the dealership and service centre). They are also open on Saturday mornings :) and take orders over the phone if you have a credit card.
Best of luck!!

$90ish from Mitsubishi. Around 30 mins work. There's a pretty good how to in here somewhere, watch the fuel pressure. I had to take undo the fuel cap too to stop fuel spraying inside the car.

Regards, Tony

All sorted!
Took a bit of doing, mainly getting the pressure valve off without breaking it..... Thanks for all the advice guys!

All sorted!
Took a bit of doing, mainly getting the pressure valve off without breaking it..... Thanks for all the advice guys!

Yeah that part is so annoying!

Yah and to make matters worse it started raining just as i got to that bit and my driveway does not have cover...... Car didn't get damp but i certainly did! :rant: