Border Patrol X-rayed my truck

[WD40]

Wednesday morning we drove down to a little town in Mexico on the Texas border. Spent a few hours shopping and just killing time. This is something we do about two times a week so you don't have to jump on me about how dangerous it is over there, because I am going again in a few days.
Coming back into the USA the Border Guard asks me to pull up behind a van they had just parked, and to unlock all of my doors, turn off the engine and step over to a bench and have a seat, they were going to X-ray 6 cars and trucks. They fire up this big 2009 F-550 with a box van on the back and drive down beside all of our cars and trucks. After they are done they say OK, your free to go.
My truck starts just fine, but I get down the road a few miles and my fuel gage is reading a full tank, and I knew I only had a half tank when I left home and I have a locking fuel cap.
To make a real long story a little shorter, I called Robert (powerboatr) and tell him my tell of woe. I then took the battery cables off for about 30 min before putting them back on and now all is fine again.
Doug

 

[RoyBoy]

And how could a fuller fuel tank be a woe??

Glad you n Robert got it figured out

 

[Stroked68]

I think yer onto somethin here.......

 

[Fine69]

Maybe the X-Ray truck made a big magnetic field that somehow messed with your sending unit? You may have to start wearing aluminum foil hats down to Mexico so they can't read your mind!

 

[nswsparky]

I am pretty sure the sending units for the fuel are mechanical contacts, no circurts boards or magnetic strips that would be effected by a x-ray.

 

[Stroked68]

Wheres the flux capacitor when you need it so we can go back and test what happened to yer truck

 

[02SilverStroke]

I then took the battery cables off for about 30 min before putting them back on and now all is fine again.
Doug

Did you figure out what happened? That had to be a really powerful x-ray.

 

[powerboatr]

Did you figure out what happened? That had to be a really powerful x-ray.

they are very strong, and focused, however teh dose is said to be less than flying in a plane at high altitude for several minutes
i guessed the xrays messed with the ecm/pcm somehow and made it give a false reading
could have been something unrelated to the xray, like the two guys he had hiding in the fuel tank
Back Scatter X-ray

i first thought, no way an xray would cause weirdness, but then again you just never know what the equipment is capable of. the actual strength and wave lengths are pretty tight lipped so the bad guys have a harder time sneaking in folks like wd40

 

[Stroked68]

Well look how much solar flares from the sun effect electronics. And thats from far away. Since it was focused on yer truck really close I'd say it would def mess with yer truck.

 

[JLDickmon]

Maybe the X-Ray truck made a big magnetic field that somehow messed with your sending unit? You may have to start wearing aluminum foil hats down to Mexico so they can't read your mind!

I'm sure that would go over good at the border...

that would be one of those "bad decisions that makes a good story"