CraZydudE

the other day when i was driving my car. The fuel meter indicated that my gas was low(the light turned on) and that should mean there are about 1 gallon of fuel left in the tank according to the manual, but when i felled my car up, the gas thing said my car only got about 12 gallons. I thought the tsx fuel tank can hold 17 gallons. Anyone know why my only held 13 gallons?

larchmont

Yeah -- there are some other threads about this; you'll be able to find them if you really try.

Consensus is that Honda in general is very "conservative" about how they set up the gauge -- they like to make you think the tank is emptier than it is.

The tank DOES hold the amount that you think it does, if not more.

kenbiddulph

Every Honda/Acura I've owned has that. I once was on a roadtrip with a buddy of mine and we took turns driving up the east coast. Normally I refilled my car (at the time an Accord) at about 300 miles or so. He didnt know that and was driving it until it hit 375 miles and then woke me up to ask if we should get gas. I just about freaked out until I checked the pump and sure enough I still had 2 gallons left in the tank. The gas light normally went on at around 300 miles (not sure why, seemed awfully early to me).

Stevestr

Interesting you say this because I could find no reference of how much was supposed to be left in the tank to kick the light on. I must have missed it.

I notice a difference (probably in the head) between having the AC on and turning it off. Seems the needle gets a bit closer to E with the AC off before the lamp goes on.

Things that make you go hmmm.

TSXautoXer

Well, I always fill my car up when the light lits up, and I have to put in average 13.5 gallons each time. If the specification said the fuel tank capacity is 17.5, then 17.5-13.5=4, it should still have 4 gallons of gas in the tank. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

moda_way

I've had the same experience. Remember, the fuel pump is also cooled by the fuel, so my guess is that although there is still plenty of gas in the tank when the light goes on, Honda doesn't like the idea of having a fuel pump no being able to keep itself cool. I'm not trying to say fill the car up everytime the light comes on, but be mindful of filling it up at some point before the tank gets low.

IMO, the light is just a reminder, not a warning.

DEVO

i think somebody manage to put close to 20 gallons in... or was it 19? anyway, it was a lot more the the 17.5 gallon specification listed.

Count Blah

In my previous cars, I'd always fill up BEFORE the fuel light comes on, because it looks like a serious warning and I take it to mean that I'm almost out of fuel.

The TSX light is a bit like the boy who cried wolf, as it warns you too early. It'd be nice if there was another (red?) light that came on when you got under 1 gallon. I was pleasantly surprised to see, though, that the TSX fuel light is relatively small and not too alarming, so it's easy to ignore.

kurt_bradley

The light in the TSX comes on when you have about 4 gallons left in the tank. That's what been happening to me. I've been getting it filled back up at around 260 miles and have taken about 14-15 gallons on each fill-up on the 17.1 gallon tank. I hope this kinda fills you in. Ha ha get it?

LeeLee

These 17.x gallon tanks have been used since '98 Accords and share similar fuel sending unit designs. 13 to 14 gallon used when empty light comes on is normal. I expect to be able to go another 100 miles when the light comes on. The tank *IS* 17.x gallons and not 20+. Must have been a faulty pump meter for that fill-up.

larchmont

Sounds right to me. That one story sounded like something must have been wrong, even though a couple of people said they had seen the same thing. Then again, I'm not sure people really understood that story right -- it wasn't told too clearly.

Count Blah

Except that he (sauceman, was it?) claimed to get incredible gas mileage, even when divided by 19 or 20 gallons. So either he's putting in 2-3 extra gallons, the pump and his odometer are faulty together, or he's getting absolutely unreal gas mileage.

DEVO

hmmm... a couple of people were able to put more then the advertised 17.5 gallons in their tank.... so unless they all went to the same faulty pump or they don't know how to count, i'm leaning towards the tank is bigger then 17.5... how much bigger i don't know.

larchmont

Well, it's hard to know what to make of anecdotal evidence, right? For example: Here's a true story.

Last week, on some thread or another, people were doubting that TSX is sort of a fast car, and I joked that I myself had done 0-60 in 5.0 coming out of the toll gate (in my AT, no less). So, the next day, just for the heck of it, I timed myself (sort of). And I swear it was 6 seconds or less. I know that's impossible. You can say I must have counted the seconds too slow or something (except I really don't do ANYTHING too slow). And yeah the gas tank was almost empty, which helped, and I've lost a couple of pounds lately which helps too.

Absolutely true. But do you believe it? (That's OK, because I don't either.)

And I don't think the tank holds 20 gallons.

finalheaven

rofl using ss or not?

larchmont

Not.

But -- and I'm glad you asked -- I fancy that I have this special technique (I hope the a-cl.com dudes won't want to call it "The Method") for quick acceleration with the AT, where I don't just floor it but I follow along with the shifts, kind of like "playing it like a violin" -- I've never assumed it really helps, but maybe it does. Certainly I have the impression that it's faster than just flooring it, but I don't really know.

BTW, finalheaven -- I'm not sure if you know that you "won"! (Sort of -- at least in my book!)

(If you don't know what I'm talking about, I will gladly tell you!)

finalheaven

i won? what prize do i get? how about your tsx!

P.S. what did i do?

larchmont

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...6140#post16140

Prize? PRIZE? PRIZE???

Actually, you do deserve a prize. But you're not going to get it!

Congratulations though, FH!

sauceman

Well, for one, I got 1094km (683.75 miles) on one single gas tank. I can't bring myself to believe that was on a 17 gallon tank, it would have given me over 40mpg, which I don't believe is possible, especially with a 6MT, unless I would have been tailgaiting a truck for all that distance, which I didn't.

Secondly, when I said 72litres (19 US gals) for a total fill, it was at the pump, but I have also measured this with 21¾litre (5¾ US gals) capacity gas reservoirs, and I poured 3½ of these full reservoirs into my car before it was completely full. Maybe the pumps culd have been off, but these cans don't lie.

And thirdly, if that particular gas pump was off, well coincidentially, I repeated this a number of times since, at other gas stations, and I always fill in around that much gas in the tank.

Like I said on that thread, try it, you'll see.

Crazytree

you consistently get 40mpg?

I call shenanegans.

Stevestr

Oh yeah, well I get 50....

Coasting in Neutral Down A Hill....

C'mon now my trip computer wouldn't lie, would it?

larchmont

Actually that's "99.9"......

sauceman

C'mon now guys, read the post right, instead of making stupid and deformed answers, will ya!

Stevestr

It's so much easier to make the deformed comments.