I just bought a '97 4Runner SR5 - manual says it has a 18.5 gallon fuel tank - when the gas light comes on I'm assuming it has 1-2 gallons left.

Here's my story - when the light comes on, I stop at the first gas station I see and fill 'er up. Takes 14-14.5 gallons before the pump auto-shuts off every time. The guage reads full but the strange thing is that I can nurse another 4-4.5 gallons of gas into the tank. That's quite more than I'd expect for a top-off.

What's with that?

Thanks!

G

 

does this happen often? maybe the auto shut off kicked in early if it was filling fast and maybe excess vapour? i sometimes have the pump shut off in like 2 seconds if it is pumping too fast. usually happens when i is hot out. if you nurse the rest in the amount of splashback and etc.. may be reduced allowing you to add more.

 

I have never gotten close to 18.5 gallons in, and I have been EMPTY. When the pump shuts off automatically, have you checked your gauge? Is it reading full? something dont sound right, 4.5 gallons more is not a 'top-off', that's 1/3 tank!

 

I know what you're talking about - I think I can rule that out because it happens every time at different stations. Once it auto-shuts off, I can wait and try to continue filling the tank, but the only want to do that is to top-it-off - trickle it in.

G

 

payyourtoll - I agree - but the gas is going into the tank - I get much better mileage when I "top it off" with an extra 4 gallons! I was so surprised that I thought the extra gas might be dumping on the ground at the station somewhere under the rig, but not the case. It's definitely going into the tank.

The guage reads full when the pump shuts off - and it reads full after I top it off - I can't remember but it probably reads a bit past full after I add gas.

G

 

Those fuel lights aren't accurate and if I fill mine up right when it comes on I don't even think I can fit 14 gallons in and even when I get nervous that's it's getting close to empty after driving with the needle down on E I usually am only able to squeeze in 15.5 and the max I ever pumped was 15.9.

Don't get carried away with topping it off since overfilling can cause issues with the charcoal canister since it can oversaturate it. I don't think squeezing in another gallon after the "click" but much more could lead to problems.

 

Ditto....topping off is not a smart idea and could cost you money with the EVAP system.

 

Isn't the charcoal canister located by the master brake cylinder and 3 feet higher than the tank?

 

In the 4Runner, I had the light come on teh other day. However, I was only able to put in 13 gallons? WTF?

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...ght=fuel+guage

 

When the EVAP system does a purge, it will suck vapor (and gas if you overfilled) through the canister and into the intake. The canister is design for vapors but when liquid fuel gets in there it can become oversaturated and stop working.

 

I've only been able to get in like 14-15 gallons when the gas light comes on. I don't think it's bad, just makes sure that you don't run out of gas.

 

Thanks for all the feedback - then my question would be this - what kind of highway mileage can you get on a tank? Before I started doing my 4 gallon "top-off" trick, I was getting sub-300 - usually about 280 until the fuel light came on. I never tried to see how much further I could go after the light came on. On the other hand, when I reall fill 'er up and actually put 18 gallons in the tank, I'm getting 330 - 350 miles to the fuel light which isn't bad.

What's the dilly yo?

Thanks,

G

 

Max range for mixed driving is 230 - 260 for me. I usually have about 3 gallons left after I fill up, so I figure I could get about 300 if I wanted to. I don't think it's the best idea to drive around on E, and the way fuel pipelines break around here, I don't want to be stuck without fuel again.

 

So it sounds like my full range was pretty typical then before my 4 gallon top-off. Cool - thanks for the info!

G

 

Yeah,my mixed driving (I do like acceleration) I get anywhere from 230-270 so one the light comes on I know I can go a bit more and when I do fillup it's usually no more than 15.5 going into the tank.

 

I got 11 gallons after driving 20 mins with the light on today...WTF???