So there I was sitting at lights waiting to join a large 3-lane roundabout and I noted that I pretty much had it to myself. I decide to nail it and go for max attack until my exit. Off I trot and the STI sticks limpet like to the road even with the upset of a 1st-2nd change under hard cornering. I then hit the straight with my foot flat to the floor and headbutt the steering wheel before then being shoved in my seat again. Glance down and sure enough - almost empty!

Oh how I've NOT missed that

Oh how it took me back

 

Shhhh - don't tell pslewis about fuel surge, he's a non-believer...

You, me and all others who've experienced it must be lying as some sort of fuel surge myth conspiracy! :

 

LOL, Oh I'm a believer all right - lets just say I'm experienced in this area. Anyone that doesn't believe in fuel surge need their head seen to. I've owned a VTS, MY99 Turbo, S2000, 2x Pug 406 V6 and an STI 5 and driven hundreds of other cars and ONLY the two scoobies would do this on low fuel after hard right handers. With one car you could maybe argue it had some other problem but not two!!

 

All classic scoobies do it. Not sure about the new age. There is a fix though, there is something that can be fitted into the fuel tank, fuel vortex thingy (sorry its been a while since I looked at one). Cost was about £100.

Personally, I just keep the tank filled up A scoobie on less than 1/4 tank with spirited driving is not going to get far anyway

 

Never a truer word spoken!!

 

I've only ever had fuel surge on a literally empty tank, by that I mean you can hear the fuel pump gurgling.

I reckon your jet pump (the siphon thingy that transfers fuel to the other side of the tank) is blocked up

 

my blob and hawk eye have both done it when i have just under a quarter. Same island too in both cars

edited to add this: The other week it actually broke down on me due to lack of fuel. I was just taking the scoob back, picking up my dailly drive, petrol needle was just fractionally below the 1/4 line, i thought that i would fill it up next time. It spluttered a bit after about half a mile, i pulled into a layby about another half mile down the road and it just stopped, no fuel light. Got dad to bring some fuel out and it was fine then. Since then thought i would test it to see if the fuel light worked and its since come on, and the car has worked when the gauge has dropped to near the red

 

It's not just Scoob's - my old Astra 2.2 SRi used to do it. I could never allow it to go below a 1/4 cos I'd be setting off from lights, etc just as I am midway in 2nd gear the revs would just drop off nothing I could do, then all of a sudden...boom, power is back on. Got right on my frigging boobies!

 

My '95 WRX does exactly the same, I had a chat with Roger Clark Motorsport guys at Autosport, they suggested a STI fuel pump, it has a small res. bottle on it that makes sure the pump has fuel all the time...apparently.

I could do with some info on how to get rid as I find it quite dangerous on roundabouts.

 

Fortunately I've not experienced it yet in mine or the last one (sti5 type R) but I did get it a few times in my escort cossies and once in my RS turbo.




Yeah by the steering wheel

 

You're a believer all right

 

That wouldn't be the Calder Roundabout would it Kenny ?

 

Gogar, heading from the bypass towards the maybury thus a full three quarter turn

For those that don't know, such as Andy, about 4 years ago there was the infamous fuel surge thread where I'd spun my MY99 on the gullane road following a mid-bent violent loss of power (fuel surge). There were other factors that day such as dodgy rear tyres and patchy conditions but the thread went on for page after page with people basically saying I was cr@p and lifted off.

Having had 4 years more driving experience and almost 2 of them in a fairly focused rear-wheel drive car and having been reminded how violent the engine braking in fuel surge conditions can be I'm still 100% sure that it was this loss of power that caused the weight shift all those years ago. At the time driving my VTS was still fresh in my head and basically its a case of lift and you die in that car so it just wasn't something I'd do!

Water under the bridge but I'm someone infamous for it on this site

It was a real moment last night though as I'd completely forgotten all about fuel surge.

 

Ahhh
Saxo Boys infamous fuel surge....raises its head once more.
Hope you have your flame suit zipped up ready for the old timers to re-emerge.
The be fair SB. To my knowledge this is actually a potetial problem. Something to do with the design of the fuel tank baffels - which momentairly effects the supply of fuel when running empty and cornering hard. A little design fault that is rarely mentioned.

Steve

 

OH, I believe ........... to do otherwise would mean I will be banned from ScoobyNet!!
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Fuel surge is NOT something I have experienced .... as I can drive properly!!

Only those who cannot engage in spirited driving without getting gears and throttle mixed up complain of Fuel Surge - those who CAN drive well never experience it.

Well, thats it - thats me banned - GOODBYE

 

LOL, its cause you've got a cr@ppy UK car that can't corner Pete

 

MY My99 did this, first time, lost power realy horsing it through a tight bend and got a bit Only a problem with 1/4 tank or less. Always used to do it on the same bend

My Pug 406TD does not suffer from this at all!
Perhaps we should rename it FUEL SCOURGE instead

 

I’ve definitely suffered from fuel surge in the MY04 STi I used to have.

This was with the 1/3 of a tank of fuel and occurred after exiting a roundabout in 2nd gear. This led to the ECU recording the fault in its tables (or whatever they’re called), resulting in a slight hesitation that was more noticeable then in 3rd or 4th gear. I spoke to Mike Wood about the problem and he confirmed he had encountered fuel surge. I then had to have the ECU reset to clear the problem. From then on, if the fuel was approaching 1/3 – ¼ of a tank, I’d take it easy not to replicate the problem coming out of certain corners/roundabouts.

Subaru must know about this, as the Spec C has a special fuel pump to alleviate this problem.

 

Have this problem when running low, when it does kick back in though, the flames that come out

 

when you get fuel surge like this, will it cause det?

 

On both my classic's At about 1/4 of a tank it would do it on very tight right handers but left OK

I have also experienced it on the Bugeye but tank was well down and again on tight right handers.

But generaly try to ensure it doesn't happen on Trackdays by topping up regulary as seriously not good for the motor.

Tony

 

I would have thought so as when the engine fires it it isn't igniting anything.


Not really detonation though?

 

What the hell is a fuel surge lol? I have no idea

 

post number 1

 

Don't worry - after the last time .............We have not forgotten

 

Interesting theory - so air predetonates?

It's probably fair to say the engine runs rather lean for a few seconds though

 

Its not good for the engine, that is for sure. I have not managed to find the fix that was advertised on here a couple of years ago. I have found some people selling solutions, but they are charging $2000+ Australian Dollars...

There was some pipe that you needed to put in your fuel tank, people did report that it fixed the problem. I did not want to spend the cash so never looked into it again.

 

Ask yourself WHY Subaru would create a Fuel Tank which didn't work properly when 1/4 full?

 

Dunno..

But then Ford managed to make cars for nearly the entire 1980's that rusted immediately and Rover made cars that fell to bits as soon as you drove them out of the showroom..

So a dodgy fuel tank is a pretty minor thing for a company to get away with

 

I take the point about ROVER ................... but, we are talking the Japanese here - they do NOT get it wrong!