HELP: fuel needle is off and seat help!

[kevmac858]

hey guys, i just bought my e30 yesterday and when filling it up with gas, the tank filled up (like i stupidly kept adding gas until it overflowed a little, i know stupid me) when it only indicated on the dash it was 2/3 filled. i was wondering if it would be an easy fix to move the gas needle over 1/3 or if it would be a different process.

also, the passanger seat does not move forward/back along the track but the drivers seat does. i'm pretty sure its supposed to move and wasn't sure if you guys knew if this is a common problem and how to fix it. i plan on taking it out and trying to find the problem today but figured any extra help would be nice. thanks!

[Ivan2terrible]

I suppose if it's really full u could move it to the full position.. ESP if ur clocks were tampered wit in the past..
Sometimes it's got to do wit a certain earth under the clocks..

[kevmac858]

it is definitely completely full, it overflowed on me at the pump because of my ignorance and stubbornness hahaha. the ODO gears have been changed when the broke previously idk if that affects the gas levels though. will the gas needle still work if i just move it by hand or will i need to take out the entire dash? and i have no clue what "certain earth under the clocks..." means

[FredK]

The gas gauge and the temperature gauge are each held into the cluster by a single nut. Sometimes these nuts loosen up and cause the gauge to read incorrectly. I don't think I've heard of a partial failure like yours, though. I'd take the cluster out and disassemble it, clean the contacts, and reassemble it, and see what the readout is.

[Herr Faust Schinken]

It could be the the fuel level sender is on its way out

[kevmac858]

alright i will look into that. i just bought it yesterday so i am still very new to getting my way around the car. the previous owner is also sending me another part dealing with the thermometer but i don't think they have anything to do with each other

[kevmac858]

and also FredK the temperature gauge does read cool, about the same amount below as the gas, which could definitely be the problem, i will definitely look into doing that

[Wild Ride]

The temperature gauge possibly reads low depending on what thermostat is in the car it could be due to malfunction of the gage or sender. Having the gauge read low or the car run a little cool is ok as long as it is not climbing into the red. I use a low temp thermostat in my stroker and the gauge reads lower than half during normal driving conditions and straight up and down when I am auto crossing consecutive laps.

Easiest fix for the seat is find a nice set of sport seats with working functions and swap them in (its four 17mm bolts and 5 min). They are SOoOOOO much nicer and more comfortable than your current seats.

As far as your fuel level You can zero out your trip odometer when you get gas. I generally fill up at 220-260 miles per full tank as the gages are not very linear or accurate in any e30 i have driven or owned. One must understand the electronics are 24 years old and new clusters are prohibitively expensive. You can always try swapping in a different gage and see if it reads different its not very difficult. Also the gauge may lie but the LOW FUEL light doesn't lie ask me how I know.....

[Wild Ride]

alright i will look into that. i just bought it yesterday so i am still very new to getting my way around the car. the previous owner is also sending me another part dealing with the thermometer but i don't think they have anything to do with each other

The ambient temp sender you mention is not connected to these the fuel or engine temp gauges.