32 gal tank - How much gas left when low fuel light comes on?

I haven't gotten mine that low yet so I thought I'd ask here. From my experience... refilling with 23 gallons with the computer reporting about 50 miles to go before empty... it seems like the distance to empty mileage might correspond to when the low fuel light comes on and that there will still be about 6 gallons left. That's an awful big reserve. Anyone tested and measured this yet?

 

I think 6 gallons is for the V8 38 gal tank.

guessing 3-4? I think it's been stated around here already. Let me see if I can find it

 

typically toyota reserves about 10-15% of max capacity. depending on avg mpg of the vehicle so they can get about 50 miles of range on low fuel light warning.

 

Yeah, but the computer reporting "distance to empty" of 50 miles when the tank actually has 9 gallons left makes me wonder if they have gone to a more conservative amount.

 

My thoughts are Toyota engineered it so folks don't run out of gas and/or it's to protect the fuel pump from premature failure. I fill up 27-28 gallons even though there is a "reserve".

 

At that level does your computer say you are "empty" and is the fuel light on? That is my question.

 

um where are you getting 9 gals? thats like 30% of a full tank on a 2023.

10% would be like 3 gals @ maybe 17 mpg which would give you 51 miles. heck even 1/4 tank on my 4runner i get pretty close to 15-16 gals into the tank of 23 gals. never ran it down to empty so never gone over 16 gals at a fill up.

 

When I filled up it took 23 gallons so that means there were 9 gallons still in there. And at that level the computer was telling me 50 miles to empty. It's all in my post above.

 

wasnt there a tsb on the fuel tank guage a while back that resolved this issue of guage not reporting correctly?

 

Yes, its actively trying to route me to the nearest fuel station with the fuel light on.

 

Perhaps they need to leave 6gals or whatever in the tank because it's half as long as the truck, it's a bit of a spread. Inclines and declines will rock the fuel like Ebbs and Flows on a beach pass the fuel pump.

 

Total Tank Volume: 32.2 gal
Reserve Tank: ~6 gal
Unreserved Gas: ~3 gal
Range: 50 mi
Average MPG: 50 mi / 3 gal = 16.667 mpg
Reserved Range: 16.667 mpg * 6 gal = 100 mi
Unreserved Range: 16.667 mpg * 26.2 gal = 436 mi
Total Range: 100 mi + 436 mi = 536 mi

In your situation, your computer doesn't take into account the reserve to display miles to empty so if you have 9 gal in the tank 6 gal of that is a reserve then your resulting average mpg is 16.667 mpg. Meaning you will roughly go a hundred miles after your fuel gauge reads empty until you completely deplete your reserve. Yeah it's a pretty big reserve but it makes sure you never let your fuel pump run dry and your max range with your reserve at avg mpg 16.677 will give 536 miles per 32.2 gallons. Usually, my low fuel light comes on around ~35 mi distance to empty. I average 22 mpg so far into my ownership so range numbers may vary.

 

It's roughly 6 gallons. I have filled up about 15 times within a few miles after the low fuel light coming on and I consistently have to put about 26 gallons in give or take a few ounces. I have a 32 gallon tank.

 

Just to add, it's not only to keep your fuel pump from running dry. The fuel is also what cools the pump. Also, for those reading this that tow and want to push the envelope, that distance after light is likely closer to 50 miles depneding on the weight you're pulling.

 

Does it really try to route you to nearest gas station? Mine has never done that. I wonder if that is a setting or something.

 

I am about the same. 27-28 gallons on a fill. The overhead of 4-5 gallons is a little excessive. IMHO

 

Yes, the navigation pops up in the center of the "beep-beep-boop-bop toytota information naggagator center".

Samesies.

 

Interesting discussion. Well, not really. All this higher math calculating mpg and range and discussion of fuel pump protections. ;-) I was just curious as to how the computer "miles to empty" and low fuel lights are calibrated so I can adapt to it. One of several things one has to learn and adapt to with any new vehicle. Thanks to those who filled in those blanks. Once I do a trip out of the range of my grocery store fuel perks gas station that I get near periodically I'll know what to expect.

 

Perfect, thanks. Sounds a lot like my old Tacoma where if I filled up when the light came on, she would take 17.2 gallons (on a tank capacity of 21 gallons) + or - a tenth or 2. Very consistent. Although the Tacoma got about the same MPG as the G3 Tundra so that remaining range was less. And it didn't have a "miles to empty" readout and no "auto nav to a gas station". I hope we can turn that off.

 

The "nagaggator" trying to take you to a gas station. LOL. I wonder what will happen to that once we let our Toyota Drive Connect lapse in a year?

 

Probably cost 3.99 monthly for an app to unlock our doors here soon.

 

I know.. and somewhat more to remote start, IIRC. That cost I will probably eat unless I do an aftermarket system. Luckily I have 10 more months to think about that.

 

I made a post in this thread of me driving about 10 miles after DTE reached 0 on a trip last month. Filled up just over 30 gal. I’ve reached DTE refuel couple times now in the year of owning this truck and usually have about 3-4 gal left. It really depends on the computer calculation of mpg.
The post: https://www.tundras.com/threads/fue...mited-trd-off-road.118197/page-2#post-3042282

 

In my case with 9 gallons left at the time of refuel and DTE saying ~50 miles, which would take about 3 more gallons, I'd have had 6 gallons left at DTE which seems excessive... unless the DTE number continues to evolve and maybe stretch out. Hard to know how this will work without detailed knowledge of the algorithm. But it will become obvious over time.

As an aside, I feel sorry for the 20 gallon tank folks if theirs are calibrated the same as the 32s. Pretty much if they drive out of the neighborhood the naggagator will quickly be directing them to a gas station.

 

This topic been discussed over and over the root cause is Toyota programming is weird.

Nobody is asking for a gas gauge to read E and then calculate how much 20% of tanks left over is remaining.

The pump design is shown, it's a sump pump and does not need to be submerged, the pump itself is not submerged so plz no more of this design was intentional to cool down the pump

Boils down to crazy tundra fanbois that defend Toyota for this weird programming.

I've literally copied some blogs and article topics where the author "understands why Toyota does this - but wishes toyota has another gauge that shows reserve miles left"

It's like they can't even comprehend so hypocritical what they are asking for lol

 

It may be silly... and if I end up with 6 or even 5 gallons at DTE/low fuel light, I will agree that it is silly. 4 would make more sense. But, practically speaking, it doesn't matter. Once you understand how your vehicle behaves you just deal with it. The math is simple enough. I need to take mine on down to dial this in.

 

well its a good thing you folks dont live in ND during our winters. common knowledge is during the winter months you dont want to run your tank below 1/2 for safety reasons (especially if you live outside of the major towns). if you get stuck or run off the road, you have enough fuel for 4-6 hrs or longer if you dont run it continuously to keep warm until help arrives. its also not advisable to try to walk to the next farm house or house while traveling, we see people try that all the time and are found frozen on the side of the road trying to eyeball the distance to a house and realize its to far away.

 

My experience as well

 

Oof... Cue up the music from "Fargo". I spent a winter in Idaho and it was similar, although maybe not quite that bad. If you didn't have a block heater (we didn't, having just moved there from Florida) you weren't going anywhere for weeks, whether you had gas or not.

 

That's really a moving target. My 07 would bingo with 6 gallons left but over the years that number increased. The gauge also became less accurate.

I'm a big fan of not letting it get that low. Fuel pumps in the fuel tank - it is still in there I guess - are cooled by the gasoline. That was done to prevent vapor lock occurring in the old pumps attached to the block. Yes, vapor lock was a thing back then. A fuel pump that repeatedly gets over heated will burn out early and Toyota will know why since every little thing is recorded now.