I want my 4 gallons!

H

hrt4me

New member
who remembers the quote "I want my two dollars!" from the 1985 film Better Off Dead...?

anyway, I've had my Gen3 4Runner for a little over six months now, and those few times when the fuel gauge needle was virtually bottomed out, I have only ever been able to add ~14.5 gallons of unleaded fuel to fill up the tank, despite the fuel tank capacity being officially listed as 18.5 gals; so where is my missing 4 gallons???

bottom line, I want to accurately track my fuel economy/mileage and need to start with correct input data...
 
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Get an ultragauge - after a few tanks it will accurately tell you how many gallons you've used and how many remain. Also tells you lots ofther cool stuff.
 
I have to agree, and say that it is most likely a reserve. I have driven mine an extra 70km's (roughly 43miles), when the empty light turned on!

I wouldn't recommend anybody do this... I did, because I didn't have another gas station to stop at, until I hit that mile marker! lol!
 
My new 4Runner is pulling the same crap on me, luckily MPG is still at 19.5-21 like my old one, but my overall range still is down.
 
Seems like there are dozens of threads on this. Those 4 gallons are probably there! At least they are there in my gas tank.

To find out how much gas you have, you might do what I did (at your own risk). Fill the tank up all the way, drive it until it stops running. Of course, carry a couple gallons in a gas can with you! Make sure you know exactly how much you have in the gas can (I used 2 gallons), and go to a gas station to fill up as soon as possible after you run out. Now you know how many gallons you have in the tank.

If you want to recalibrate your gas, so it more accurately reflects the amount of fuel, you can do that too (search for it, I've lost the instructions from the FSM.) This is not for the faint of heart, as you have to drive around and find uphill and downhill slopes where you will stop and recal. The change is not easily predicted, but with enough trial and error, you can get it right. Before doing the recal, I knew what my average gas mileage was. THen I drove until I should've been at half tank (~8 gallons burned). Then did the recal procedure on various slopes, uphill and downhill, until it read half a tank. That was 6 months ago, still works adequately.
 
At your own risk is correct. I would advise against. Your tank probably has a lot of crap in the bottom of it which can get pulled into your filter. Depending how much crap you have it could cause problems.
 
Good point. But the intake is on the bottom, so it's always picking up that stuff. For those worried about it, you can always replace the filter afterwards.
 
There is a gallon or a little more of unuseable gas since the pickup doesn't sit on the bottom of the tank so to not pickup sediments on the bottom. When my tank is "empty" I rarely get much more than 15 and a half gallons in the tank.
 
but is the reserve really close to 4 gallons?

I filled up this morning with 14.5 gallons when the needle was bottomed out, but the fuel indicator was not lighted...
 
There is no reserve, I don't know why people suggest that there is. There is just a poorly calibrated gauge. There is only one way to find out how much gas is available for your engine to use...

If you overheat your fuel pump doing a one time experiment, then it was ready to blow anyway! My usual practice on my '87 Toy Pickup was to drive 50-60 miles after the warning light came on. The pump still worked fine when I let it go with 230k miles.

Or you can keep driving it as if it only holds 14 gallons, your call.
 
Just checked my notes, and I got 17.5 gallons as the "usable" amount of gas in my 4rnr. From full tank until it sputtered and died. Your results may vary!

Keep in mind there is a huge amount of variation in fuel station fillers, and when they shut off. By huge, I'm talking about as much as 1.5 gallons for my 4rnr. If the filler shuts off early, you have less usable gas in your tank. My 2002 Tacoma does not exhibit this variability, likely due to the different plumbing in the filler neck.
 
Different years are different in this respect. '99's are particularly bad. Then they redesigned the fill vent to allow more gas to enter the tank.
 
Last two fill-ups I put in 17.4 and 17.5 gallons respectively. Second time I cut it too close, truck stalled out four times, got it to the gas station on luck and fumes. So my experience is 4Runner will get around 17.5 gallons out of the 18.5 gallon tank. I figure just over 17 gallons or about 210 miles at my mpg and you start rolling dice.
 
Glad I'm not the only one to have this. I always thought it was weird the last quarter tank lasted longer than practically the rest of the tank combined. I learned in high school I could go a lot past the empty mark. I once filled up over 18 gallons, before I knew that the tank only held 18.5 :)
 
I'm sure this has been discussed to death elsewhere - but - does anyone know why some people (like me) average just over 200 miles per tank while others get 350 plus?

I have a 2000 with 97,600 miles on the odometer and a few months ago had a very thorough and expensive tuneup done by a mechanic I trust. I have a stock suspension and fairly new Toyo Open Country AT/2 P65/70R16 tires on Toyota rims that I believe are original to the truck. To my eyes my 4Runner is in very good operating condition considering her age.

Not that it makes a huge difference I compensate for the error between 15 inch and 16 inch wheels when I calculate mileage. I don't understand why I can't get anywhere near the mpg some of you guys are getting.
 
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