Lexusfreak

I'm taking my ES into the dealership this week for some minor factory warranty work. I have a question about the fuel guage that I wanted to ask fellow members before I did.

As most of us know our tank is 18.5 gallons (or 70 litres for us canuck's). I have noticed when the tank is about 3 - 4 notches above the half way mark that it still takes about a total of a half a tank's worth (9.25 gallons or 35 litres if not a little more) of fuel & I'm not "jamming" the last drop of gas in the tank. When the nozzel stops when filling up I usually put another $1.50 - $2.00 in and thats it (we pay about 0.72 - 0.85 cents a litre roughly depending on fuel grade in which I use Sunoco Ultra 94). Can anyone tell me if this is normal for the fuel guage to register a little more than is actually in the tank? or should I add this to my list of things the dealership should have a look at when taking it in for the other stuff? The guage is working, but it's just a little off as far as being totally accurate & wonder if it's a sign of possible future problems.

AusLex300

Well atleast it sounds like yours works... Mine is not set properly.. For instance, when I fill it to the brim, it will sit above the full sign and stay there until I use about 1/4 of a tank.. But if I only put in about 1000Yen (10 litres) then it will dissapear after only a little bit of driving, and the fuel light will come on... I dont know if it has been tampered with, or it has been in an accident that I dont know about? Might be a similar problem you are having?



Chris

Lexusfreak

Intresting Aus, perhaps we have a simular problem. Let's see what other members have to say about our issue.

lexusk8

Lexusfreak, I'm guessing there might be a problem with the fuel gauge sensor (if such a thing exists) on your ES. I've never encountered a problem like that before on the cars I've owned.

However, I had a 'Check Engine' light and 'TRAC OFF' warning last year on my '01 ES. I took it into the dealership, and they said it was due to a bad charcoal canister. I told them how I used to pump a little bit more gas into the car whenever the fill-up automatically stops, and the service advisor told me that could be the reason why the CC went bad and eventually caused the CEL and TRAC OFF lights to go on. Many months later after the CC fix-up, everything's fine with my car, and I've changed my pumping habit so that I remove the fuel nozzle as soon as it automatically shuts off at any fill-up. Just something to keep in mind for your ES..

Lexusfreak

Thanks lexusk8, I will keep that in mind Did you have any sort of leaks due to the bad charcoal canister?

lexusk8

The charcoal canister is an internal item located in the fuel/emissions system (i.e. near the back of the car). I don't believe it caused any external holes or leaks, but I'm not aware of any leaks at the time of the bad CC. If there were, the service dept would notify me

Lexusfreak

Good point, thanks for the input.

mmarshall

It's more or less normal for a tank that is actually full for the needle to actually register above the "F" mark.
So you can drive around a while and the needle will not actually drop below the "F" mark for some miles....depending, of course, on the shape of the fuel tank, the filler pipe, and the position of the float.
That probably explains why you may use the better part of a quarter-tank before you actually get below the "F" mark.
It's a good idea with any fuel-injected car not to get much below a quarter to a half-tank....especially whan it is cold and damp outside. Moisture in the air can condense overnight in the tank if it is not kept reasonably full...although this is less of a problem than it used to be with today's gas additives and airtight evaporative systems. A low gas level in the tank can also unport the gas intake holes when cornering....the gas sloshes all to one side of the tank, unports the intake hole, starves the fuel pump, and the engine can stall. Some cars have the pump actually inside the tank to help keep that from happening.

Lexusfreak

Thanks MM & I agree about keeping the tank as full as possible to prevent moisture, not to mention frozen lines in the winter as well. From what you have all mentioned to me, I'm pretty confident that my fuel guage is working as it was designed to. Thanks everyone!