(Note) ¹ Saving the filling volume LPG car fuel tanks (85%)

Of course, drivers most often do not allow the gasoline light in the car to light up, which warns of a low fuel level in the tank. This warning indicates that it is time to refuel the car. But should we immediately go to the gas station and fill up the car as soon as possible? How much time do we have before the car runs out of gas or diesel fuel? Here is a detailed table for many car models, which reveals in detail information about how much fuel remains in the tank after driving. dashboard a low petrol or diesel fuel warning appears.

The table published below is an approximate value for a particular car model. Please note that the data is given for cars produced until 2015 inclusive. Also keep in mind that some values ​​in the table may differ slightly from the actual figures.

But on average, the following values ​​\u200b\u200bare obtained: cars, after the fuel level lamp in the tank lights up, can still drive about 50 kilometers, while SUVs and crossovers, which usually have an increased volume of fuel tanks, can drive on a burning fuel lamp about another 150 kilometers.

Does this mean that car owners can, when a low fuel warning appears on the dashboard, not rush to fill up? Of course not. Especially if you are in an unfamiliar area and have no idea how far the next one will be.

That is, despite the fact that in any car the fuel tank has a certain reserve of fuel, after the lamp is on, signaling a low fuel level in the tank, you should fill up your car as soon as possible and next time do not allow this warning to appear again. Always keep the fuel level in the tank until the fuel light comes on on the dashboard.

Is it dangerous to drive with low fuel in the tank?

Many do not know, but in addition to the risk of being left without fuel, if a low fuel warning is ignored, there are a number of problems that any car owner who often drives on an empty tank can face.

For example, frequent trips on an empty tank can prematurely bring the catalyst into exhaust system out of order, which will have to be repaired or purchased new, which is associated with huge cash outlays.

Including frequent trips with a low level of fuel in the tank can damage the fuel pump. The fact is that the fuel that we fill at gas stations is actually not clean (especially in Russia) and it contains various pollution fractions that settle at the bottom of the tank. When the fuel level is low, we run the risk that such sediment can enter the fuel system through the fuel pump. Especially, . It is at this point that particles of sediment from the tank can enter the fuel pump. With a normal fuel level, a similar risk of contamination fuel system minimal.

So if you don’t want to ruin yours, then refuel your car regularly and on time, without bringing the fuel level to low values ​​\u200b\u200bthat lead to a burning lamp on the dashboard.

Is the range on the vehicle's on-board computer accurate?

Many car owners often rely on the readings of the on-board computer. vehicle, which shows you the possible power reserve. Therefore, some drivers bring the car to a low fuel level, relying on the on-board computer indicator, believing that the specified range is true.

Also, many drivers, when a warning about a low fuel level appears, immediately look at the readings of the on-board computer in order to find out how much more the car can drive on the fuel that is left in the tank (power reserve).

But, unfortunately, the range is not accurate, as it is only based on the averages of your past road movements.

The fact is that the car's electronics will not be able to show you the true range, as it cannot take into account your current driving conditions in real time, which affect the consumption of gasoline or diesel fuel.

For example, if you were driving down the highway before the warning light appeared on the dashboard warning you of a low fuel level in the car tank, and now you are stuck in a traffic jam, the range displayed on on-board computer, is actually incorrect, since this figure is calculated when driving on the highway, where fuel consumption is actually much less than in heavy traffic in the city.

So don't count on a low fuel warning to keep you going for a very long time.

So how much fuel is left in the tank from the moment the fuel light comes on on the dashboard, and how many miles can you still drive before the fuel is completely used up?

If the answer to the first question can still be quite simple, then how much further distance you can drive on an empty tank after the fuel lamp on the dashboard of the car lights up is very difficult to say unambiguously, since it depends on real consumption fuel of your car at a certain point in time.

And consumption depends on many factors, ranging from your driving style and weather conditions, as well as ending with the rubber installed on the car and the road surface.

We have already, which disclosed in detail information about the power reserve on an empty tank. .

The same article complements the previous one, and also expands useful information for car enthusiasts.

Here is a detailed table by car models that shows you in detail how much fuel is left in the tank in your car after the low fuel warning light appears on the dashboard. Also from the table you will find out how many distances on average you can drive after an empty tank warning.

Table of the remaining fuel in the tank after the lamp on the dashboard lights up

(by brand and model)

Yes, sometimes we can find ourselves in a situation where we can’t refuel our car on time. In this case, in any case, sooner or later a warning will appear on the tidy that gasoline or diesel will soon run out.

We advise you not to ignore this vehicle electronics warning. But there is no need to panic. You still have time to find a gas station to fill up your car. Thanks to this table, you can roughly find out how much fuel you have in the tank, as well as how much the car's range is after the appearance of a lamp signaling a low fuel level in the tank.

We decided to conduct this experiment due to periodic complaints from car owners about gas stations, which allegedly do not add fuel to the tank and write in social networks that they filled more than the volume of the tank at the gas station.

The rationale for this is filling an almost empty tank with more fuel than indicated in the car's owner's manual.

We delved into the design of the car and found technological prerequisites that explain the different real and documentary (in the performance characteristics of a car) fuel tank volumes. Now we decided to confirm our arguments and set off with five different cars at the filling stations of one of the major fuel market operators.

The test involved two vehicles with diesel engines– Citroën Grand C4 Picasso and Renault Duster and three gasoline cars– Volkswagen Bora, Skoda Octavia A5 and Ford Mondeo. All five cars arrived at the place of the experiment with a minimum amount of fuel left in the tank.

Test preparation

Before starting refueling, we asked the filling station workers to check the accuracy of the filling station. To do this, all gas stations have a special 20-liter measuring container with a high-precision graduation of the neck, which allows you to determine underfilling or overfilling with an accuracy of 20 ml.

After “wetting” the measuring container (mandatory procedure), 20 liters of fuel were poured into it. Mernik confirmed that the column was pouring accurately, after which we began to refuel our cars.

Refueling result

The main condition for refueling the aforementioned cars was filling the tank with fuel right up to the neck, i.e. we have already seen that the fuel is at the very top of the neck. Looking ahead, we note that, in fact, more fuel is placed in the tanks of all 5 vehicles than indicated in the performance characteristics (in one case, by as much as 17 liters!).

Filled first Citroën Grand C4 Picasso. With a 55-liter tank (according to performance characteristics) and a residual one division of the electronic fuel level sensor, 51 liters of diesel fuel were poured into the tank. Excess - 2-4 liters.

Renault Duster in his almost empty tank, he held 62 liters of fuel with factory data of only 50 liters. Excess - 15-17 * l.

In the car VW Bora poured a little more than 52 liters of gasoline with factory data of 55 liters. Taking into account the remainder, the excess of performance characteristics may reach 3-5* l.

Real tank volume Skoda Octavia A5 significantly exceeded the data stated in the performance characteristics. 62 liters were poured into it at a rate of 55 liters. Excess - 12-14 * l

In a 70 liter tank Ford Mondeo with a residual mileage of 26 km fit almost 71 liters of gasoline. Those. real volume excess is 8-9* l.

The results of this test confirmed our theoretical conclusions: the actual volume of the fuel tank differs from that specified by the automaker within significant limits ( from one to 10 or more liters).

So drivers should keep in mind: if you were filled with a few liters more than you expected at the gas station, this is not a reason for a scandal. This is most likely a feature of your fuel tank.

*Including unaccounted for 4-5 liters of fuel below the gas tank float

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It would seem that there can be nothing tricky inside the fuel tank - after all, it is just a container for gasoline or diesel fuel, perhaps especially durable and resistant to hydrocarbons. But it seems so only at first glance

The fuel tank has a shape determined by the design of the vehicle. Often it, being a single volume, is, in fact, two connected containers. For what? The fuel supply is a significant load for a car, approximately equal to the weight of one passenger, which is a lot. Of course, this "passenger" is modest in urban minicars: their tanks have a volume of 35-40 liters. For mid-size sedans and hatchbacks, the tank capacity is 45-60 liters, for heavy SUVs - 75-90 liters, for commercial vans- 90-120 liters, and for mainline tractors - already 300-600 liters.

Half full or empty?

Tank placement is a challenging task for engineers. After all, you have to take into account the load on the car, which, when refueling under a traffic jam, can fall on one side. You have to somehow divide the tank, turning it into a kind of butterfly in shape. Well, or positioned so that even when fully refueled, other devices compensate for the load on one of the sides. When choosing the location of the tank, the risk of damage in a collision is also taken into account.

The capacity of the tank is a conditional value, it is impossible to fill it up to the stop, there will be some air left in it. When the car rolls, fuel can overflow from side to side, and this is fraught with a dangerous situation. We all know from the theoretical course of a driving school which of the tankers is more prone to capsizing: filled to the top or half empty. A significant mass of fuel, moving inside the tank, can also upset the balance of the machine. How do they deal with it? Partitions are made inside the tank to prevent overflow - their dimensions and location are carefully calculated.

Each tank is equipped with a ventilation system. In the heat, the fuel tends to evaporate, and the increased vapor pressure can even break the tank. And when gasoline or diesel fuel is produced, the pressure in the tank drops - it can flatten. The ventilation system not only prevents this, but also traps fuel vapors, preventing them from escaping into the atmosphere. A special valve prevents fuel from spilling when the vehicle rolls over or rolls heavily.

In modern tanks, as a rule, an electric fuel pump module is also built in. Important to remember: pumps for modern systems car power supplies do not like to work “dry”, because of this they quickly fail. Therefore, do not let the fuel run out completely, try to refuel as soon as the reserve light comes on, because the fuel pump is not cheap, and even the cost of replacing it ...

Do you smell?

In most cases, access to the pump module is possible from the passenger compartment passenger car(often with removed or raised back seat). But it happens that you have to remove the entire tank from the car, and this is almost impossible without a lift or a garage pit. However, sometimes the pump works properly, but the tank still needs to be dismantled due to damage. How so, you ask, because it is very durable? It's true, but ... A bad head can break even more.

In my practice, there were three significant cases. In the first, the owner of the “middle-aged” already foreign car complained about the rattle from under the bottom while driving. It seemed to her that the muffler sagged and touched the asphalt. Having looked under the bottom with a flashlight, I found that one of the steel bands on which the fuel tank hung had burst from old age and corrosion! Naturally, it was impossible to fix the malfunction on the street, and we drove slowly and carefully to the nearest service. Fortunately, we were able to repair the damaged tape, rather than looking for a new one.

Another situation: once in the country, I felt a strong smell of gasoline emanating from the car. It was a wake-up call: it shouldn't smell like that. Looking under the bottom, I saw that fuel was actively dripping from a hole in the bottom of the tank. Broke? No, it looks like someone was trying to drain the gasoline in my absence: the hole was like a chisel, a random stone “caught” on the highway will not leave such. Then it was possible to “turn” the hole a little, drain the remaining fuel, remove the fuel intake, get into the tank with a hand and close the hole with a “sandwich” of a bolt with a nut and four washers (two steel and two rubber). "Sandwich", I must say, served for several years.

But in the third case, the tank of the SUV was pierced in "combat" conditions, and despite the fact that it was covered from below with reliable steel protection. Removing it showed that gasoline was leaking from under the rivet, which apparently secures the internal partition. No one undertook to weld the place of damage: the craftsmen are afraid to approach gas tanks with a welding machine, even if the tank has lain empty or filled with water for a week (everyone is well aware of the consequences of an explosion of fuel vapors). A new tank, even without fuel equipment, pulls on 30 40 thousand rubles. It was possible to manage at lower costs: the damage was sealed with the composition " cold welding».

sledgehammer strike

Fuel tanks are made of steel, aluminum or special plastic (polyethylene). How durable is plastic? I learned about this from the story of an employee of the UAZ plant. When a single 68-liter tank was developed for the Patriot instead of two 36-liter tanks located on the sides, multilayer plastic was proposed as a material. The commission that accepted the sample doubted its strength. One of its representatives was offered a sledgehammer: they say, hit with all your might and see what happens. He hit - and the sledgehammer rebounded, almost injuring him. Buck was unharmed.

Why do we stand up for the strength of the tank so much? That's right, we are afraid of an explosion of fuel in case of damage. But it is not so much an explosion that is dangerous, but a spill of the same gasoline and a large burning area, because it is not gasoline that burns, but its vapors. In addition, they are very difficult to extinguish. The same applies to diesel fuel: its vapors do not flare up as readily as gasoline ones, but it is even more difficult to extinguish spilled diesel fuel.

Which board to drive up to the column at the gas station? The filler neck can be located either on the right or on the left, this is indicated by a small arrow near the gas station symbol on the instrument panel (although sometimes it is not there). Cars with a tank mouth on the left, I call professional for myself, the rest are designed for white-handed women and tanker services.

Do not forget to close the neck cover and lock the hatch. Cases of fuel drain by intruders are still not uncommon. Although sometimes the tank is so cleverly arranged that it is problematic to pump out fuel. So you can’t help a friend in a difficult situation.

Refueling "pistols" of diesel dispensers have different size. The larger ones are designed for the filler necks of heavy trucks. The necks of some pickups can also have a similar diameter, then refueling under a cork on a cargo column will last a matter of seconds, which is convenient in cold winters. And in commercial vans, on the contrary, there are "passenger" necks - such a paradox.

Interesting fact fuel containers such as airfield tankers can be reported. They have a special device called Dead Man's Switch. When filling the tank at the oil depot, the driver or foreman is obliged to manually interrupt the fuel supply every few minutes, then start it again. This is done so that the system “understands”: the filling is under the control of a person, he is alive, everything is in order with him. If you do not interrupt the filling in time, it will be turned off automatically.