[Roscoe]

The gas gauge on my '06 shows wild swings from day to day. Traveling about the same number of miles the gauge will show markedly different gas usage.
Can I rely on the gauge showing the true amount--more or less-- of gas left in the tank? :?

 

[martin82]

No. 1/2 tank on the gauge really means the tank is less than half filled. It seems like going from full to half on the gauge = more miles driven than 1/2 to 0 on the gauge. At least that's how it is with my "E".

 

[ramblerdan]

Welcome, Roscoe.

This is Xequar's take:

Don't trust the gauge. OTOH, the low-fuel light is very conservative (see).

 

[breese524]

I've found that 1/2 tank is highly accurate, anything lower than that usually errs on the safe side so you don't run out before you hit the empty line. I'm not sure how far down past the empty line the needle will go. Also note that I have an '07. Your '06 might be slightly different.

 

[xequar]

Welcome, Roscoe.

This is Xequar's take:

Don't trust the gauge. OTOH, the low-fuel light is very conservative (see).

Sir, you've just made my day! :grin:

I tend to view gas gauges as suggestions as to when I should get gas, not a true measure of how much gas I actually have. That image was of the gas gauge in my old Astro van, which read all sorts of goofy. It suggested whether I should get gas or keep driving, but that was about it.

The E's gas gauge, although a bit better than my Astro's, still isn't good for much more than a suggestion.

 

[f5000sl]

Our gauge in our 07 is ok at best. It dives fast and hangs out just above 1/2 tank for about 50mls, by the time we hit 1/2 tank, we really used about a 1/2 tank, then it dives again to about 1/4 tank where it levels out.

I really haven't seen too many fuel gauges that are close to accurate all the way through the range. My GMC drives forever on the 1st 1/2 tank, and becomes very accurate once the closer it gets to empty. (which IMO is all that counts.)

My VW is pretty good throughout the whole range, but can sometimes lack accuracy in the beginning.

 

[Snuffleupagus]

On mine, the gas pump light turns on on the eighth hash mark. When my needle is on the E mark, it means I still have roughly 22 highway miles left. Don't ask how I know. LOL :-D

 

[buttermilk]

Mine still has about 3 gallons left when the light comes on and the needle is just slightly above empty. It seems to go from the full mark to half real quick.

 

[lizzurd]

On mine, the gas pump light turns on on the eighth hash mark. When my needle is on the E mark, it means I still have roughly 22 highway miles left. Don't ask how I know. LOL :-D

Does the 22 miles include the walk to the gas station when you ran it dry?



I can laugh about this.....I was so used to how far i could go with the E after the fuel light came on that when i got my Accord i stretched it a little too far.....First time i ever ran a car out of gas in 25 years of driving

 

[Snuffleupagus]

Does the 22 miles include the walk to the gas station when you ran it dry?

No, just a hop, a skip and a jump. LOL :grin:

I didn't run out of gas, but I was keeping a close eye on my gauges when the gas light turned on. I was on a long stretch of highway. It was late at night. Every gas station I found were closed.

When the needle hit the E mark I started counting miles and saying my prayers. Thankfully, I found a place that was open and right off the highway at 22 miles from the E mark. I don't remember how many gallons I put back in but it was close to the tank's max capacity.

I may have been able to go for a few more miles, but I didn't really want to find out that late at night, far away from home. That experiment is for another time.

Ever since then, I knew when I hit the E mark, I have about 20 miles left to go.

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

You know what...?

Hey gang...!

Since I do have a newer E, I think I do have a slightly more accurate gas gauge than most but... I never let it run below half... Definitely from Mama... Kind of like the "clean underwear" advice while growing up... She doesn't like to stress and by doing so, less stress in her life...

So I'll tell you what, the next chance I'll get, I'm actually going to break that ½-tank rule and fill up my 2-gas cans (plastic: 3 & 5 gallons) to see just what will happen when the (D,D,WR) light comes on... I figure no matter where I end up, 8-gallons should be more than enough to get me back to civilization...

I remember during the 1st week of ownership, last August, I did have the low-gas (DANGER; DANGER; Will Robinson) light go on but being so paranoid, I filled up right away... So now, I'm going to suck it up and hopefully do a roadtrip wherein I can just drive straight til it empties...

Hopefully I'll be close to an off-ramp/gas station...!!! Otherwise, look for me in the news between Sacramento and Los Angeles...! I'll definitely burn SOMETHING to get rescued...! LOL!!! Hopefully it's not grapevines nor almond trees...!!! LOL!!!

LBD

 

[xequar]

Hey gang...!

Since I do have a newer E, I think I do have a slightly more accurate gas gauge than most but... I never let it run below half... Definitely from Mama... Kind of like the "clean underwear" advice while growing up... She doesn't like to stress and by doing so, less stress in her life...

So I'll tell you what, the next chance I'll get, I'm actually going to break that ½-tank rule and fill up my 2-gas cans (plastic: 3 & 5 gallons) to see just what will happen when the (D,D,WR) light comes on... I figure no matter where I end up, 8-gallons should be more than enough to get me back to civilization...

I remember during the 1st week of ownership, last August, I did have the low-gas (DANGER; DANGER; Will Robinson) light go on but being so paranoid, I filled up right away... So now, I'm going to suck it up and hopefully do a roadtrip wherein I can just drive straight til it empties...

Hopefully I'll be close to an off-ramp/gas station...!!! Otherwise, look for me in the news between Sacramento and Los Angeles...! I'll definitely burn SOMETHING to get rescued...! LOL!!! Hopefully it's not grapevines nor almond trees...!!! LOL!!!

LBD

Burn a McMansion! Eight gallons of gasoline might be enough to take down a couple of them, too :razz:

*Xequar does not condone arson or other illegal acts. See dealer for details. Offer void where prohibited. Your mileage my vary. Do not pee on an electric fence or tug Superman's cape. Not all Toyotas are uncontrollable death traps. Enlarged to show texture. Not tested on laboratory animals. In other words, it should be obvious that I wasn't surious, and that it was a joke that was, in retrospect, in very bad taste.

Seriously though, the E's gas gauge is much like the payload capacity recommendation from Honda: VERY conservative. Last week I had my gas gauge below E. I was going to fill up at the station by my apartment as I got home, but they were refilling the underground tanks so I decided against it. I woke up the next morning, drove my car to work, then to a meeting, then half-way home, all with the gas gauge below E. I put 13.6 gallons into the 15.9 gallon tank.

At least it's like my Mystique, where the gauge was so bad that the low fuel light came on literally with the gas gauge below E (the light meant 4 gallons left in that car).

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

Wuhahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...!!!

Burn a McMansion! Eight gallons of gasoline might be enough to take down a couple of them, too :razz:

*Xequar does not condone arson or other illegal acts. See dealer for details. Offer void where prohibited. Your mileage my vary. Do not pee on an electric fence or tug Superman's cape. Not all Toyotas are uncontrollable death traps. Enlarged to show texture. Not tested on laboratory animals. In other words, it should be obvious that I wasn't surious, and that it was a joke that was, in retrospect, in very bad taste.

Seriously though, the E's gas gauge is much like the payload capacity recommendation from Honda: VERY conservative. Last week I had my gas gauge below E. I was going to fill up at the station by my apartment as I got home, but they were refilling the underground tanks so I decided against it. I woke up the next morning, drove my car to work, then to a meeting, then half-way home, all with the gas gauge below E. I put 13.6 gallons into the 15.9 gallon tank.

At least it's like my Mystique, where the gauge was so bad that the low fuel light came on literally with the gas gauge below E (the light meant 4 gallons left in that car).

Watch out Ronald... I'm a Hardee's/Carl's Jr. fan anyways...!

Thanks for the McWonderful idea...!!! LOL!!!

LBD

 

[mikeh0128]

rookie gas milage issue?

i have a 08 LX AWD. besides doing a milage check. i have 162K on my box. what kind of milage "should" i expect? im freeway driving mosty. should i do i smog pretest to make sure if the enging is behaving itself. i have no check engine lights but my milage appears to be SUCKY. 150miles and im sucking more than 1/2 of tank of fuel. any words of wisdom? thanks mike

 

[ramblerdan]

> any words of wisdom?
Yes. Calculate your fuel mileage. Forget the useless "miles per 1/2 tank" method.
EPA estimates for your car are 19 city, 24 highway, 21 combined. Somewhat less is to be expected; anything better than that is a gift.

 

[xequar]

i have a 08 LX AWD. besides doing a milage check. i have 162K on my box. what kind of milage "should" i expect? im freeway driving mosty. should i do i smog pretest to make sure if the enging is behaving itself. i have no check engine lights but my milage appears to be SUCKY. 150miles and im sucking more than 1/2 of tank of fuel. any words of wisdom? thanks mike

Yes I do.

It's a gas gauge, not a precise measurement of the amount of gasoline in your tank. Gas gauges are not meant to do anything more than suggest whether you need gas or don't need gas. The only proper way to determine if your car is operating properly is to fill the tank, drive a distance, refill the tank, and then divide the number of miles driven by the number of gallons of gasoline used to drive that distance. (or if you're using the metric system, you can divide the number of Liters you used by the number of Kilometers you drove, then multiply by 100 to get the L/100 KM). NO OTHER METHOD WILL TELL YOU IF YOU'RE USING AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF FUEL, PERIOD! Gas gauges are useful suggestive tools, not indicative of a precise measurement.

 

[mikeh0128]

rookie gas milage issue?

thank you X i will do that.

 

[Avis VanRental]

On my '06, the needle swings about the width of itself past the empty and full lines. I don't start worrying until I can see gap between the right edge of my needle and the left edge of the empty hash mark. And even then I usually only get 13 gallons into the tank before it shuts off and the needle's way past full. I probably get 50 miles out of it after the light comes on. Someone in a similar thread did a great photoshop of what the needle positions really mean and it was spot on.

 

[xequar]

On my '06, the needle swings about the width of itself past the empty and full lines. I don't start worrying until I can see gap between the right edge of my needle and the left edge of the empty hash mark. And even then I usually only get 13 gallons into the tank before it shuts off and the needle's way past full. I probably get 50 miles out of it after the light comes on. Someone in a similar thread did a great photoshop of what the needle positions really mean and it was spot on.

Was it this one?

Or one of these?

 

[Avis VanRental]

It's the first one, which I now see you had already posted above. The firewall at work blocks a lot of the graphics on EOC without me knowing it. I had to check at home to realize it.