Reserve Tank?

OK, this was fun. Driving home on Friday & the car starts acting like it's running out of gas. I know the needle goes much further down when the key is off, but I ran out anyway. this VDO gas gauge says "R" at the low end of the scale (obviously for Reserve), but I've never seen any tank switches in this car, so I figured it didn't matter.

Sounds like I may have a reserve tank that's never been connected? Is this common?

Just to make it more fun, the car has been running like total crap since then, so I think I may have pulled some nasty sludge from the bottom of the tank through the fuel system. Might have to pull the carbs & flush everything

I had a '57 VW that had a reserve area of tank (lever below tank above center tunnel) - of course it didn't have a gas gauge! Suspect your sending unit is not calibrated (if a bug sender then it's a wire arm that gets bent)to accurately indicate an empty tank. Yup - hopefully you have filter below the tank that you can change out to remove rust and crap that reside at bottom of tank.

i always do the x= how many gallons in tank, y= approx. MPG=Z how many miles u can go on tank....set ur tripometer and subtract say 50 miles and u know exactly how far u can go,

Bob----sounds like you are an old pilot! That's the formula fo never having a worry about fuel, isn't it?

There's no reserve tank on your car That letter "R" stands for RUN

Thought it meant "rust."

Reserve tank?
Warren White used to carry a full five gallon jerry can in the back of his Beck.
I'm not sure how Karen felt about that.

"R" for RUN as in run to the gas station with a gas can in your hand.

Bill, my Spyder is calibrated to read full when full. When it hits 1/4, I get gas. I can still run for a little while, and usually get about 160 miles on a tank. Usually around 130-140 miles of local driving is when I hit the pump.

I do carry an empty 1 gallon can in the front trunk. It is big enough to get you to a station and small enough to fit in the trunk.

Ah, so its RUN to nearest station with empty gas can!

yeah, that's the first time I've let the tank get below 1/4 since I've had it. I guess you guys are right, R means RUN.

Was just wondering if there were any functional reserve tanks in use.

Bill, The "tank" has no reserve. It's the petcock that gives you the reserve. The "reserve" petcock has two standpipes. The taller standpipe leaves about a gallon in the tank , the shorter pipe is to access that extra gallon.
I have a petcock but haven't installed it yet. On my list though.

^ and a visual:
http://www.evwparts.com/vwparts/Busto71Fuel/211209021D.html

Fuel/fuel gauge related:
Stumbled across a reference to a "fuel vibrator" and naturally curious, it lead me here first:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?search_keywords=fuel+vibrator&search_terms=all&search_author=&search_forum=-1&search_time=0&search_fields=all&search_cat=1&sort_by=0&sort_dir=DESC&show_results=topics&return_chars=200 and
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=394018 and then here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=452675&highlight=fuel+vibrator and...
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231562&highlight=fuel+vibrator and'''
http://www.midsouthvw.com/TechTips/tech_tip_FuelGauge.htm and here:
http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/htm/fuel_ga.htm
Sorry, not needlessly dumping off BS here, just adding a different POV since I was unaware of this "fuel vibrator" device...will require some patience and a curious mind (maybe a cold one as well...)

There are important things to know about your car, any car, that can only be discovered by personal experience but whose outcome may determine whether you keep the car... The one is a matter of personal taste and bragging rights, but the next three are really important?

1. How fast does it go? Not theoretically, for REAL?
2. Minimum stopping distance when maxiimum terror is involved.
3. When does it REALLY run out of gas?
4. How far can I push the car by myself?

angela

Just did the tank sender and vibrator on Bridget. http://bridgetmgtd.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/gauge-update/

Somehow all the gas went away over the past two weeks. I swear I've hardly driven the car, but today on the way to work she was heading for "R." When I got there I checked and, sure enough, not much fuel in there. No visible or smellable signs of a leak. Put about 8 gallons in on the way home and she reads full now. We'll see what she looks like in the morning.

Here's what happens when the vibrator is faulty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmL4_obBXI&feature=player_embedded

Interesting indeed; can't wait to see how this concludes.

I had a similar problem with my gas tank. Once. Then I bought a tank that had a "reserve" capacity in it. It's a 15 gallon tank. That's what, a 6 or 8 gallon "reserve"? Problem solved.

just check ur MPG. that will tell alot

Well, if anything, you now know where the gauge needle reads when you are totally empty....when you near that mark, head for the gas station.

Another telling sign is when the needle stops wagging a bit...most of ours do that a little from gas sloshing back and forth in the tank.

~WB

I spent most of my youth running out of gas...now I can afford to never let it go below half tank before getting more!

May try changing the fuel filter first and see how it runs. Had a simiar problem and this simple and easy change of part fix it.