Yes, the “slow fill” symptom is probably an EVAP problem. Unfortunately, it’s fairly complex and can get complicated to troubleshoot. The ‘canister vent valve’ may be clogged or defective, which shouldn’t be too expensive to replace.
I’m going to take a guess that the gas gauge problem is voltage-related. The voltage regulator on the alternator may be shot; I’m thinking the voltage is going up with the RPMs of the engine and the gauge reads higher with the increased voltage. I’m not sure if you would notice other things (lights, blower motor) changing as well, though. There also may be a voltage regulator for the dash gauges, but I’m not sure why it would fluctuate with engine speed in that case.
You’ll need a real mechanic, not some kid at a chain shop, to diagnose the problems (I doubt they are related, but it’s not impossible). As far as car repairs go, these might not be too pricey-hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.
Fill the tank up, and set the tripmeter if you have one, or make a note of the odometer reading. drive for, say, 100 miles, fill the tank up, and note how many miles and how much fuel it took. You can figure out how far a tank will last you, and fill up when you get below 1/4 tank or whatever. Reset the tripmeter each time you fill up. If you note the gauge reading before you fill, you should be able to see if it’s consistent, and what it actually indicates.
Yes, the “slow fill” symptom is probably an EVAP problem. Unfortunately, it’s fairly complex and can get complicated to troubleshoot. The ‘canister vent valve’ may be clogged or defective, which shouldn’t be too expensive to replace.
I’m going to take a guess that the gas gauge problem is voltage-related. The voltage regulator on the alternator may be shot; I’m thinking the voltage is going up with the RPMs of the engine and the gauge reads higher with the increased voltage. I’m not sure if you would notice other things (lights, blower motor) changing as well, though. There also may be a voltage regulator for the dash gauges, but I’m not sure why it would fluctuate with engine speed in that case.
You’ll need a real mechanic, not some kid at a chain shop, to diagnose the problems (I doubt they are related, but it’s not impossible). As far as car repairs go, these might not be too pricey-hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.
Fill the tank up, and set the tripmeter if you have one, or make a note of the odometer reading. drive for, say, 100 miles, fill the tank up, and note how many miles and how much fuel it took. You can figure out how far a tank will last you, and fill up when you get below 1/4 tank or whatever. Reset the tripmeter each time you fill up. If you note the gauge reading before you fill, you should be able to see if it’s consistent, and what it actually indicates.