How much fuel do you take?

[Dusty_GMT800]

I looked online and google says I've got a 26 gallon tank in my 02 Tahoe, however the pump says otherwise, after driving roughly 180 miles, using 3/4 of a tank, my tahoe only took 14 gallons. Which is pretty far off from what it should have taken.
So how much gas do you guys usually take to fill up?

 

[iamdub]

The gauge isn't very linear. It's only half-ass accurate at full and empty. If you really wanna test it, carry a can of gas with you next time the tank is low and go until it sputters. Have you tested this out a few times? Some pumps are sensitive and shut off easily. If you wait about 20 seconds, you can put more gas in it. I've had pumps shut off but then I ended up adding an additional 3-4 gallons.

 

[CamReynolds]

i just made a thread about this. gauge tells me i have way less gas than i do. and i always burn the 2nd half of the tank much faster than the first

 

[iamdub]

i just made a thread about this. gauge tells me i have way less gas than i do. and i always burn the 2nd half of the tank much faster than the first

I've always noticed this with any GM vehicle I've ever owned/driven. I think it has something to do with the length and location of the float arm in relation to the shape of the tank. It's like GM engineers didn't invest much time in it. They got it "close" and moved on. They should've invested more time on this and the design of the fuel pump power and ground circuits.

 

[Dusty_GMT800]

The gauge isn't very linear. It's only half-ass accurate at full and empty. If you really wanna test it, carry a can of gas with you next time the tank is low and go until it sputters. Have you tested this out a few times? Some pumps are sensitive and shut off easily. If you wait about 20 seconds, you can put more gas in it. I've had pumps shut off but then I ended up adding an additional 3-4 gallons.

It'll show full after the gas pump cuts off. I might do that soon to see how much the truck will take.

 

[CamReynolds]

The gauge isn't very linear. It's only half-ass accurate at full and empty. If you really wanna test it, carry a can of gas with you next time the tank is low and go until it sputters. Have you tested this out a few times? Some pumps are sensitive and shut off easily. If you wait about 20 seconds, you can put more gas in it. I've had pumps shut off but then I ended up adding an additional 3-4 gallons.

Dont they say never to top off haha

 

[swathdiver]

I once drove 50 miles and the whole time the Tech2 said I had 11% fuel left. Mine comes off of full rather quickly and then moves steadily to 1/4 where it stays a while. ALL of my other GM cars were the opposite. When the idiot light comes on, it's still rare to put in much more than 26 gallons. Being that the tank is long, I reckon there's about 3 gallons of unusable gas; mine is rated for 31.2 gallons or 31.5 depending on the source.

 

[adventurenali92]

I think my XL is supposed to have the bigger tank but it never seems to take that much to fill. I’ll have to clock it as I start driving when I get home. I’m curious now...

 

[M1Gunner]

Never continue to fill the tank after the pump cuts off the first time. You continue to do so and you will soon have an issue with your Evap system, wether it’s replacing the vent selonoid, canister or both. That will cause premature failure of a component that may be rather pricey. If the tank is not filling as fast or to the proper level then you already have issues.

 

[swathdiver]

With the old G-bodies, we could fill them up past full, store fuel in the filler neck! My '06 Montana with all the same computer gizmos as our trucks can also take on more than its tank is rated for. But our other Montana, the 2004, rarely takes on more than 21 gallons and those two tanks are both rated at 25.1 gallons.

In my ignorance I used to fight the clicking pumps to fill them up all the way to their rated capacities until I learned what Jason said. Never had a problem with the systems though. Sometimes its the pumps, just drive down the road and finish at another filling station.