[DraEagWol]

Why are all gas guages so innacurate?

How many of you stop filling your tank when the "auto stop" kicks your gas pump handle off? How many continue to top off the tank till the very brim?

I fill up to the very brim, I can usually get another 3-4 gallons of gas when the 'auto - stop' first kicks the pump handle off.

I have a real pet peave with gas gauges! Full is not "really" full - to capacity of tank, and "empty" is not really empty! If the manual says I have an 18.5 gallon capacity, by george I'm gonna make sure I'm at capacity when I fill er up. This though means it takes a bit before the fuel gauge goes past Full, and of course, when it reads a half a tank, you really have less than 9.25 gallons left. If you watch your gas gauge, your 1/4 tank range is really only about 2-3 gallons of gas, which would mean a full tank on your gauge is only about 8-12 gallons of gas, outta of 18.5. That is pretty shoddy if you ask me.

They make digital gas guages that are pretty accurate, why can't they configure the "analog" floats to reflect an accurate amount of gas in your tank?

Ok... so that's my rant and pet peave for the day..

 

[DraEagWol]

ooops... sry for the typo's... can't spell Gauges correctly! HA! It's bad enough I did it in the title.. let alone again in my rant... ah well....

 

[Xaque]

I fill up to the very brim, I can usually get another 3-4 gallons of gas when the 'auto - stop' first kicks the pump handle off.

You need to be careful about this. The tank, and evaporative emissions control system, relies on room for the gas to expand and contract. If you top off of are not allowing this room and run the risk of flooding the system thus ruining it. Not only does this cost money to fix, but it can also make your car run poorly (by causing vacuums in the fuel tank leading to stalling, premature fuel pump failure, etc).

Also, sometimes the gas you are "topping off" is actually just going back into the pump's evaporative emissions system, not your tank.

This is why it's important to stop when the pump stops.

 

[DraEagWol]

Xaque, I did not know this. Why then is that never mentioned in the manual, and why then do they tell you, that you have an 18.5 gallon capacity? You would think that when they mention your gallon capacity they would put a caveat on it stating to leave at least 2-4 gallons of "breathing" or vacuum room...

None the less its misleading and annoying to know that I then have only a 14.5 - 16.5 gallon capacity tank.

I'm wrong again... Page 284 say's to not top off your tank after the pump clicks off.
I sit corrected. none-the-less, the capacity is misleading.

 

[Xaque]

Xaque, I did not know this. Why then is that never mentioned in the manual, and why then do they tell you, that you have an 18.5 gallon capacity? You would think that when they mention your gallon capacity they would put a caveat on it stating to leave at least 2-4 gallons of "breathing" or vacuum room...

None the less its misleading and annoying to know that I then have only a 14.5 - 16.5 gallon capacity tank.

I'm wrong again... Page 284 say's to not top off your tank after the pump clicks off.
I sit corrected. none-the-less, the capacity is misleading.

You know, there are so many little things in life like this... I struggle just to keep up some days.

 

[CrosstourJed]

Yes topping off is bad for your car. I just met a guy who bought a 2010 Camaro and he had to pay for damaging his car because he continued to top his car off. DO NOT TOP YOUR CAR OFF TO THE BRIM.

 

[Army Dad]

Yes topping off is bad for your car. I just met a guy who bought a 2010 Camaro and he had to pay for damaging his car because he continued to top his car off. DO NOT TOP YOUR CAR OFF TO THE BRIM.

Agreed, I know a few people who have had damage due to overflow.

 

[jcg]

Topping off

I have a Chevy Prizm. I always topped off the tank until the check engine light came on.

$600 plus repair was probably caused by the gas backing up into the gas tank emission system plugging up some kind of filter as per the mechanic.

An expensive lesson.

 

[Army Dad]

I have a Chevy Prizm. I always topped off the tank until the check engine light came on.

$600 plus repair was probably caused by the gas backing up into the gas tank emission system plugging up some kind of filter as per the mechanic.

An expensive lesson.

Major ouch! Sorry for your troubles but thanks for sharing first hand.

 

[DraEagWol]

Well we are now all agreed regarding not to top off the tank...

What about the misleading capacity, or the accuracy of the gas gauge?

 

[Army Dad]

Why are all gas guages so innacurate?

How many of you stop filling your tank when the "auto stop" kicks your gas pump handle off? How many continue to top off the tank till the very brim?

I fill up to the very brim, I can usually get another 3-4 gallons of gas when the 'auto - stop' first kicks the pump handle off.

I have a real pet peave with gas gauges! Full is not "really" full - to capacity of tank, and "empty" is not really empty! If the manual says I have an 18.5 gallon capacity, by george I'm gonna make sure I'm at capacity when I fill er up. This though means it takes a bit before the fuel gauge goes past Full, and of course, when it reads a half a tank, you really have less than 9.25 gallons left. If you watch your gas gauge, your 1/4 tank range is really only about 2-3 gallons of gas, which would mean a full tank on your gauge is only about 8-12 gallons of gas, outta of 18.5. That is pretty shoddy if you ask me.

They make digital gas guages that are pretty accurate, why can't they configure the "analog" floats to reflect an accurate amount of gas in your tank?

Ok... so that's my rant and pet peave for the day..

Reading back on this, I've never squeezed 3-4 gallons in after auto shut off. Old habits die slowly, the few times I've topped off not thinking I never get over .5 gallon. Both in the CT and the Ridgeline, the same thing. Try this, put the auto fill on a lower speed or back off on the handle if you do it manually. Perhaps the flow rate is kicking you off way too early. Just a thought.

And, as far as capacity, I usually gas up between 1/3 and 1/4 remaining. My observation is that I usually put the amount of fuel in that the gauge would indicate, i.e., a third of a tank and about 12 gallons is pumped in.

Maybe Rusty or someone in the know can comment on whether or not topping off continually might play havoc with the accuracy of an analog float system.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[Michael N. Marcus]

This discussion takes me back to when I was a teenager. Before picking up a date in my mother's Plymouth, I'd go the the gas station and tell the guy I wanted "a dollar's worth of regular." He'd pump the gas, wipe the windshield and check the oil and battery. The car sucked, but the service was fantastic.

 

[Michael N. Marcus]

In New Jersey, it's illegal for drivers to top-off their tanks, because self-service gas stations are illegal.

The Dumb Mafia Kids Full Employment Act of 1981 ensures that children of Mafia "made men" who are not smart enough or tough enough to be mobsters, can have jobs pumping gas.

(Please: no complaints that I'm anti-Italian. I definitely am not.)