Fuel tank size

[pmjones79]

When I was issued with a load of brochures on the Picanto the fuel tank was quoted as being 35 litres. I have read a load of reviews on the car too and they all mention the fuel tank capacity being 35 litres.

I have waited until the car is nearly empty and the fuel light has been of for ages/miles to fill up. When I fill up I only seem to be able to squeeze 27 litres into my Picanto.

Where is the other 7 litres. I can't imagine that this missing 7 litres is in the fuel lines and engine, I mean look at the size of the car. 7 litres is a lot of fuel to hide!!!

Is there something wrong with my Picanto or is it just another misleading sales brochure?

Pete

[PicantoSE]

I know the fuel light should come on at 6 litres.

I have managed to put 30 litres in once although I didn't try to fill it up completely.

Is it possible the fuel breather pipe (if there is one) is kinked? This problem has happened to several old Nissan Micras and some people couldn't fill up to the top.

Cheers
PicantoSE

[Murphwiz]

It's the fuel gauge, it's not that accurate, personally will never wait for the light to come on in a Kia again.. after running out of diesel in a Sedona whose light had only been on for less than 5 miles!

[Nightkid]

I agree. The fuel gauge is not designed to be perfectly accurate, kinda like you speedo. That’s not perfect either. It is suppose to be a few mph plus/minus. Every time I fill up at the fuel station. I always manage to put extra 3-4 litres of petrol in the car once the petrol nozzle starts clicking to warn you that it is supposedly full. I personally don’t wait for the low fuel light to come on. Heck I don’t think I have ever seen the low fuel light come on in my Picanto or the previous cars I drove. I know in the older cars it is recommended that you try to have as much fuel in the tank as possible as it stops the inner layer of the fuel tank from corroding. But carrying more fuel can made your car heavier and the petrol will move around in the tank during changes in the vehicle’s motion hence affecting the handling and performance. It’s a tradeoff.

[PicantoSE]

Aren't fuel tanks made of plastic nowadays? I didn't think modern cars had the problem of gunk in the tank, well less of a problem that 20 years ago.

Cheers
PicantoSE

[Murphwiz]

Yes fuel tanks are plastic.

[nordicapollo]

I typically wait for the fuel light to come on and then drive at least another 30 km. Once I drove another 60 km. At that time, I filled up with about 32.5 liters when the fuel pump shut off automatically. I managed about another 1 liter for a total of 33.5 liters before it shut off again. So yeah, 35 liters sounds about right. By the way when I put in 33.5 liters, I had just driven about 595 kms. I was hoping to make it to 600 km on that tank of gas, but got nervous about running out after going so far with the needle nearly pinned.

[ultraman]

I believe the fuel gauge is not accurate measuring device as explained by nightkid. I always wait for the fuel light to come on and I believe I am about to get about 33 liters on my fuel tank. By the way, I think most modern fuel tank is made up of steel but others are equipped with plastic to make it lighter.