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Fuel Gauge 2002 Odyssey

13K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  Intrepid175 
#1 ·
I have a 2002 EX-L. The fuel light comes on when there is still 8-9 gallons of fuel left. Is anyone else having this problem?

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#2 ·
Welcome to the board. If you search the archives you will find a number of posts on this. Two things you can be sure of:

1) The amount of fuel left in the tank when the light comes on varies from one Odyssey to another.

2) The amount left is at least 5 gallons when the light comes on.

You'll just have to remember to drive another 60 miles or so before filling up!

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Richard
2002 Granite Green EX-L
Splash Guards, Cargo Tray, Weathertech Mats
 
#3 ·
Yea, I think this is a common prolbem. I see this with my vehicle also.

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Odyssey 2002 Granite Green with DVD. Mudguards, and Fender flares.
 
#4 ·
Well now, I've read a lot of complaints about having 5 gallons left when the low fuel light comes on but 8-9??


That's basically half a tank. I personally don't have any problems with the 5 gallon part but I'd have to speak to the dealer if the darn thing was coming on at the half way point. Enough is enough!




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Drive Safe,
Steve R.
'01 SS LX
Cargo tray, leather steering wheel, mud guards, alarm, fog lights, transmission cooler, in-dash CD player, Kelton subwoofer, under seat storage tray.
 
#5 ·
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by tbearsch:
I have a 2002 EX-L. The fuel light comes on when there is still 8-9 gallons of fuel left. Is anyone else having this problem?

</font>
I have had my 2002 EX one week and have experienced this annoyance with 5-6 gallons left in the tank. I called the dealership and they seemed like this was an unusual problem and said to bring it in. I searched the web and found an interesting review that mentioned this problem at the following web address: http://www.epinions.com/content_17280634500
Sounds like this is something that Honda needs to zero in on. I am disappointed at this point but I wonder if anyone else has had this problem corrected at their dealership, and is it really correctable??
 
#7 ·
Boy, Was I ticked when I drove my Ody for the first time and realized that the darned vehicle got me only 260 miles for the whole tank ? then lo, I had 6 gallons in the bank. Just an annoyance for the time being but could be a problem when you are driving thru Wyoming and realize that the tank is REALLY empty and the next gas station is 100 miles away...

Ticked Off in Colorado
 
#10 ·
Here is what I was told this week. Like you Honda told me they didn't know how to fix and they have stopped trying. They are turning their attention to other fixable issues. I let them know I wasn't happy with a 15 gallon usable gas tank. If I was the only driving it I know, but if somebody else dosen't know that there maybe 5-6 gallons left when the light comes on and it is on "E". I hope you are right and they are looking further, but in 8 months of trying to understand and many calls to Honda I feel now they have just been stringing me alone.
 
#11 ·
I got tired of the pathetic fuel gauge on our old pathetic Volvo so I ignore it and use the trip odometor instead. I always fill the tank up and I know that I can get 300 miles on that tank of gas - worst case. I fill up around 250-275.

Now when my wife forgets to reset the odometer...that's when the fun begins


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Dave
 
#12 ·
I have just topped off my new 2002EX-L Navi for the second time. Car was running during the fillup (there is no self serve gas stations in NJ by law, but Regular was only 87 cents a gallon). I pulled in with 1/2 tank. The issue is that during the fill up the needle never moved. I shut the engine off and restarted, then the needle went to full. Sound familiar to anyone?
 
#13 ·
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Blooleader:
I have just topped off my new 2002EX-L Navi for the second time. Car was running during the fillup (there is no self serve gas stations in NJ by law, but Regular was only 87 cents a gallon). I pulled in with 1/2 tank. The issue is that during the fill up the needle never moved. I shut the engine off and restarted, then the needle went to full. Sound familiar to anyone? </font>
I don't know of too many people that fill up the fuel tank with the engine running. It's not the safest thing to do. I have filled up the car with the key on (engine off) on other vehicles I've owned and watched the fuel gauge rise during the process but never with the Ody. I haven't a clue why the gauge wouldn't reflect the rising fuel level without cycling the ignition switch.


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by okarl: Like you Honda told me they didn't know how to fix and they have stopped trying. They are turning their attention to other fixable issues. I let them know I wasn't happy with a 15 gallon usable gas tank. If I was the only driving it I know, but if somebody else dosen't know that there maybe 5-6 gallons left when the light comes on and it is on "E". I hope you are right and they are looking further, but in 8 months of trying to understand and many calls to Honda I feel now they have just been stringing me alone.
</font>


The 4-5 gallons left in the tank when the low fuel light comes on (mine is a couple of needle widths above the "E" mark at that point) is very common. It doesn't necessarily mean that that is "all" you've got access too. I've put right at 18 gallons in my Ody on one fillup. The gas gauge was solid on the "E" line when I pulled in and I'd been driving for about 70 miles with the low fuel light glowing at me.

Most folks don't like the light coming on that early but it's really not that big a deal. As long as the gauge is consistant then we know where we're at. Fuel gauges, in general, weren't intended to be precision instruments anyway. They're purpose is to provide us with a "trend" so that we're aware of the general fuel status. Some may argue that they've had fuel gauges that were very accurate. My previous car was also pretty close (better than my Ody seems to be) but I've had many others that weren't. This is something that can be very variable between individual vehicles.

As far as the dealer is concerned, I understand your feeling of being "strung along" but everyone needs to understand something, and this applies to all auto dealerships. If the manufacturer has erred in the design or manufacture of an automobile or a part on that automobile and hasn't come up with a fix for it, there's really nothing the dealer can do about it. They can't redesign the car and they can't adjust a part that wasn't designed to be adjusted beyond it's original manufacturing process. Even if the dealer can adjust something, if the manufacturer won't pay for that process, there's nothing they can do. They simply won't do warrantee work for free any more than they'd do an engine overhaul on a car with 100k miles for free.

I personally feel that if Honda gets enough complaints on the fuel gauge issue, they will change things but I won't be surprise if the only Ody's that see the improvement are the new ones. Ody's that are one, two, three or more years old are probably out of luck. I hope they prove me wrong.



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Drive Safe,
Steve R.
'01 SS LX
Cargo tray, leather steering wheel, mud guards, alarm, fog lights, transmission cooler, in-dash CD player, Kelton subwoofer, under seat storage tray.
 
#14 ·
I am still not convinced this is not an intentional design. With th eother four Honda's I have owned I found the gas light to come on when there was at least 3.5 gallons left. I even proved it once by running out of gas on BOTH my 98 Accord and my 96 Odyssey (on purpose...I had a gas can with me). It seems to me that after 14 years (of my Honda driving) Honda has 'graduated' the scale upwards.

I was told on delivery that the gas light should come on at about a quarter tank (and it does).

My 1998 Accord had a wierd problem. The gas gauge would never read completely full (far from it). Honda replaced the gauge once but said the problem should return. The blamed gas additives for messing up the sensor/sending unit. Seems odd the Honda was suddenly 'confused' by the additives in gas since they rarely change.

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1996 Odyssey 120,000 miles
2002EX Odyssey w/towing package
http://www.homestead.com/weaverhouse/index.html
 
#15 ·
Dealing with instruments in my job 2 terms come to mind.
ACCURATE-which the guage is clearly not and
REPEATABLE-which the guage is since it is consistently wrong. I agree it IS a pain, but once you know the situation after a few fill ups, you can adjust and move on.
 
#16 ·
Someone else posted this several months ago: since the gauge is reliably wrong, isn't it a GOOD thing that you know exactly how much gas you have left? I guess I just can't see what difference it makes whether it has remaining 5.6 or 2.4 as long as you know exactly what it is. Either way, you know, so you fill up or don't on the warning. Candidly, it's comforting to me to know that I'll not be caught in the mountains with little left.


Just a cheerier way of looking at it, I guess.

And I'd rather worry about the gas gauge than the transmission.

[This message has been edited by MerpsMom (edited 12-11-2001).]
 
#17 ·
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MerpsMom:
And I'd rather worry about the gas gauge than the transmission.

</font>
Amen to that!!




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Drive Safe,
Steve R.
'01 SS LX
Cargo tray, leather steering wheel, mud guards, alarm, fog lights, transmission cooler, in-dash CD player, Kelton subwoofer, under seat storage tray.
 
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