MX-3.com

Lol
all this for a little light? The guage should do the trick on it's own. If by some chance your needle is not moving, fix it. Or add a massive shift light at the same time, that tac is a pain to read too.

RS_OBD'oh_2 wrote:Lol
all this for a little light? The guage should do the trick on it's own. If by some chance your needle is not moving, fix it. Or add a massive shift light at the same time, that tac is a pain to read too.

To each his own. I use the tach when shifting, of course, but when crusing down the road for hours, I tend to keep my eyes on the road and traffic, and appreciate the warning light.

Mike Wakeham wrote:Hi All,
In answer to edger above. The guage stops reading due to the sender being knackerd. It is basicly a coil of high resistance wire with a slider attached to a float. Similar to a scalextric throttle gun. The float sits ontop of the gas and as the level changes the slider moves along the coil of wire changing in voltage, this gives the reading on your guage. Over time the coil wears out and splits, once the slider reaches the split it'll stop reading on the guage. Just replace the sensor from pretty much any Mazda from the same year from a junk yard, they're all the same. When mine broke I got one from a 323.

So how difficult is this to do? what are the steps? thanks

if your car did not come with the low fuel system... I'd just leave it the way it is. How hard is it to go by the needle? If it's low... it's low. Plan your trips. If you are going out of town, fill up. Way too much work for ZERO gain.

edger0587 wrote:

Mike Wakeham wrote:Hi All,
In answer to edger above. The guage stops reading due to the sender being knackerd. It is basicly a coil of high resistance wire with a slider attached to a float. Similar to a scalextric throttle gun. The float sits ontop of the gas and as the level changes the slider moves along the coil of wire changing in voltage, this gives the reading on your guage. Over time the coil wears out and splits, once the slider reaches the split it'll stop reading on the guage. Just replace the sensor from pretty much any Mazda from the same year from a junk yard, they're all the same. When mine broke I got one from a 323.

So how difficult is this to do? what are the steps? thanks

Been a while since I've done this so going from memory, please bear with me!!

Pull out your back seat the lower bench part. In the centre is the cover for the fuel pump and sender. Remove the cover only held down by 4 screws.
You should now see two fuel pipes (to engine and return, can't remember which is which!) and a wiring connector. Disconnect the wiring multi plug and start the car and run it untill it cuts out, this will relieve the fuel system of pressure as the pump is disconnected.
Release the clips on the fuel pipes and disconnect, get some rags and cover the pipes as you pull them as there will be some fuel still in them, might squirt a bit as they are relasesd as the pressure has dropped but not fully gone but at safe levels.
Remove the pump and sender assembley, I think it's just screwed down.
You should easily be able to spot the fuel guage sender as it'll have a black float attached via a thin metal arm. There are 2 bolts holding the sender to the plate, remove and disconnect the wiring. Remove the sender and replace with a junk yard one.
Refitting is the reversal of removal!
Once you've connected everything back up and try to start the car, it might crank over a bit longer than normal while it builds fuel pressure back up. Or you can just turn the ignition on and off a few times to prime the pump.

Once you've removed the old sender, have a look inside, you should be able to see where the coil of wire has split.

Mooneggs wrote:

Mike Wakeham wrote:If you were to fit one, you'd need the low level sensor in the tank and associated wiring, and a new cluster. The low level light doesn't work from the guage reading there is a little sensor attached to the sender in the tank.

that's what is involved...

I'm finding it very interesting there is no fuel light for euro mx-3's... I wonder why that is?!

I'm just assuming that's what is involved, just guessing, propably more wiring would be needed or you could retro fit the original cluster. Haven't looked into it much! Too much hastle!

I wondered why we didn't get a low fuel light either. The euro 323 with the same dash and clocks had it?? The sender I pulled from a junk 323 had the low level sensor on it, just had to remove it before it went in the MX.
Does come in handy, but I have read on here you only get 15 miles range when it comes on?? Not very far! My old Laguna would be 50 miles once the light was on.
Us Europeans don't get a check engine light too..... or cup holders!

We all know we are running out of fuel when what happens? Yep, that little yellow light starts lighting up on the dashboard. Like Pavlov's dogs, we know it is time to fuel up, but how does our car know that it needs gas?

michaelparez wrote:We all know we are running out of fuel when what happens? Yep, that little yellow light starts lighting up on the dashboard. Like Pavlov's dogs, we know it is time to fuel up, but how does our car know that it needs gas?

Are you seriously asking this question?

michaelparez wrote:We all know we are running out of fuel when what happens? Yep, that little yellow light starts lighting up on the dashboard. Like Pavlov's dogs, we know it is time to fuel up, but how does our car know that it needs gas?

Wat da fffffffffffff

Ryan wrote:I think its kinda redundant anyway. When you get near the bottom line, you're running out of fuel....

I would be sad without mine. When it comes on steadily, it means I've used exactly 10 gallons. I always know my mileage.

Mike Wakeham wrote:Hi All,

European versions don't have the low fuel warning light. Don't know why that's just how it is!

If you were to fit one, you'd need the low level sensor in the tank and associated wiring, and a new cluster. The low level light doesn't work from the guage reading there is a little sensor attached to the sender in the tank.

Too much hastle to fit one but that's just me!

In answer to edger above. The guage stops reading due to the sender being knackerd. It is basicly a coil of high resistance wire with a slider attached to a float. Similar to a scalextric throttle gun. The float sits ontop of the gas and as the level changes the slider moves along the coil of wire changing in voltage, this gives the reading on your guage. Over time the coil wears out and splits, once the slider reaches the split it'll stop reading on the guage. Just replace the sensor from pretty much any Mazda from the same year from a junk yard, they're all the same. When mine broke I got one from a 323.

That's not completly true. Mine has a fuel warning light and is European.
In 9 of the 10 cases the people with a warning light have an odb 1 car. (In the dutch community)

Mad Cow wrote:

Ryan wrote:I think its kinda redundant anyway. When you get near the bottom line, you're running out of fuel....

Well in my case my fuel level sender was broken for a while and I had to rely on the light to tell me my fuel level, it's pretty useful as a failsafe measure.

Yes, in my case also same like that only,,,

My guess is that it if you REALLY wanted a warning light, it wouldn't be hard to make one, as long as you put it somewhere else, like a little LED in the plastic dash panels. You could get the system from a wrecked car that uses a similar setup, and just wire it to the LED, instead of tearing your dash apart.