4runner4life

hello everyone, ive owned a 96' v6, 4wd for about a month now. i thought fuel tank capacity was 18.5 gal. everytime i drive it down to the gas light, it only takes about 14-15 gals. to refill it? do i trust the light or do i trust the trip meter? thanks for the help.

HBoss

If you have a '99 or '00 it may requre the fuel gauge TSB. Here's the thread to follow if that's the case:

Thread

Stump1883

I'm t same way with my 96' I'm prettysure that it is only a 15 or 16 gal. tank on the earlier 3rd gens. I know that the 99-02 mus have a larger tank, a friend of mine who has a 99 Runner always has to fill up less often and puts more in than me every time.

Rick F.

I had the same problem on my 2000. The TSB describes the fix and also lists what needs to be replace based on VIN numbers. However, the TSB is for '99-'00.

http://www.phorunner.com/recalls.html

Dr. Zhivago

I had the same issue on my 2000. When the low fuel light would come on it would only take 13.5-14 gallons to fill the tank. I had the Fuel Sending Unit in the gas tank replaced as part of the TSB and it solved the problem. Now when the light comes on, it takes about 16-16.5 gallons to fill it.

Take your truck to the dealer and bring the TSB to their attention and they may take care of it for you. However, the age of yuor truck means that the original 3 year/36K Mile warranty period has expired. The TSB only applies to the 99-00 model years as well. I had exceeded the 36K Mile portion of my warranty. A kind service writer by the name of Jay went to bat for me and persuaded the regional manager to buy the part if I would pay for the labor to install it. The labor only cost me $50.

So, even though you're out of warranty and the TSB doesn't fit your profile, it's still worth a shot to talk to the dealer about it.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Z

CLin9383

i think toyota purposely does it to make sure you dont get stranded..i've driven close to 30 or 40 miles while the light was on...so i'm thinking when the light hits, it's right around 14 gallons..it's an 18.5 gallon tank...the closest ive ever got to that was 16 gallons and that was the time i was driving for about 30 min after the light came on..it was a rough 30 min..i thought i was gonna get stuck in the middle of nowhere!!

pfdaxe

If it's anything like my Porsche...The light came on and according to the manual with the car, that meant it had 2.5 gallons left. Sort of a reminder that I needed fuel. Not necessarily that I was completely out. I think this is probably the same thing on the Toys except not mentioned in the manual.

Darren

I'm thinking on mine, the light is pretty close. The most miles I have run after it has come on is about 25. 19.9 gallons is the most I've put in it which I've done on several occasions. I don't think I've hit the 20 mark yet.

It will fill ~2 gallons after the auto shut-off. Don't get started with, "that is bad for the vehicle/sensors" though.

SLC Punk

All gen 3's have 18.5 gallon tanks.

The light comes on when i have 4 gallons left in both my 4Runner and Camry. My dad's 96 does the same thing too. Must be a Toyota thing...

JohnM

A TSB, what do you know. here I thought it was just like every other car I've owned, built with an unreliable gas guage.

I guess I'll have to call the dealer tomorrow and see what's what. Should be covered under the Certified Used extended warranty.

QuickSilver

After I got the TSB done on my fuel gauge (only replaced the sender unit), I was able to put in about 16 galllons of gas when the low fuel light comes on. Couple of weeks ago I intentionally drove my Runner until I ran out of gas, I had a two gallons spare fuel tank with me of course. From the time the low fuel light comes on until I ran out of gas, I was able to drive for 56 miles. This of course doing 75-80 on the freeway, keep in mind I'm supercharged, no fuel mods, no lift, stock tires.

Tony.

pfdaxe

I just dropped mine off at the stealer to have the TSB repair. Probably take 'em all day to get to it. Mine has all the symtoms listed. It comes off Full quick and I have never put more that 14.5 gals in.

sleepy1405

hmmmm that's weird, I don't think mine does that, we fill our 4runner up before the light comes on, and it takes about 14-15 gallons. WE fill up kind of by the 1/4 line or a little bit below that. I'm pretty sure if we waited till the light came on it would be more like 15-16

Stump1883

Well I just got my new Tech 1 Rockcrawler wheels so I need to get those installed and then I will call the stealer, and inquire about the TSB, but can anyone tel me about how much this thing could cost me. I'm running short on funds and I kinda need to know the expected price before I dive into things. Also if I know before I call then I can have a general idea if my dealership is charging to much or just right for the TSB. Thanks in advance.

pfdaxe

This TSB is for '99-'00 models

DavidO06

hey, just outa curiostity, how many miles are you guyst getting out of a tank of gas? I dont usually get more than 220.

CLin9383

highway miles i can squeeze out 275 with light on...city it's closer to 200...i was hoping the highway i could get 300 or 320...that'd be nice...when summer rolls around, i will be doing the MAF and TB cleaning and i'll report the results...hopefully it's more..

Darren

With stock tires, I could get around 340. The light came on at around 315.

With my 265/75 MT/R's ( ), I can go to about 310, and the light comes on around 280 miles. That is the displayed reading.

I have to take into account for the .5" difference though or whatever it is in the size change. So actually, it would be about 315-320 miles with the corrected calculation.

ALee27

i have that same problem. my brother noticed it first when he borrowed my car for a trip. the first 1/4 tank went withink the first 10 mins, and when the light went on and we went to fill up, it only filled about 13.5 gallons. i guess im gonna be going to the dealer to get this fixed. i have 54k and im not sure if its still under warranty, will they still fix it at no charge?

pfdaxe

It's covered under the factory 36 month(3 year)/36,000 mile warranty. I've had mine for just under 3 years and 32,000 miles. But, I also have the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty so I would've been okay anyway.

The stealer checked mine yesterday and agreed it needed the repair and ordered the necessary parts.