golferboy1862

Just got a 2004 TL and noticed a weird thing when I fill up with gas. After the pump clicks off indicating the tank is full I can't get more than 10 cents of gas in the tank without it spilling over and running down the side of the car...? I like to round off the price but I guess not with TL. Anyone else have this situation because I've never had this with any other car?

1995hoo

I've never had that happen.

srhewes

Just happened to me yesterday. Could only add about $.06 before it started to overflow.

Repecat

Hasn't happened to me yet. I always round off to the next dollar.

Ron A

Thanks, guys. I haven't had to post this for a while, so here it is.

This info is excerpted from a very long thread I started about fuel tank capacities, etc. and is based on actual and precise testing

a. When the low fuel warning light comes on, if you are getting 25 mpg you can go 94 miles, but if you are only getting 20 mpg, you can only go 74 miles. Of course, other miles per gallon figures will result in different results. This means you have approximately 3.7 gallons remaining.

b. When miles to empty reads zero, that is time to fill up, but you can still go 57 miles at 25mpg, but only 45 miles at 20mpg. This means you have approximately 2.3 gallons remaining.

c. When filling the tank, if you stop at the first shutoff, you will have about 17 gallons in the tank.

d. The tank will actually hold about 19 gallons, but it is not recommended to fill the tank to capacity, so stop at the first shutoff.

If you want to read the whole thread, go here http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showt...threadid=71425

golferboy1862

Thanks for the reply Ron A but I guess my point is that my "first shut-off" seems to be at 18.99 gallons if the tank is 19 gallons...? Which has me concerned as the manual recommends not over-filling the tank. May have to discuss this with the dealer along with those squeaking rear brakes (non-brembo).

SouthernBoy

I round off to the nearest 5 cents.. and fill at the same pump in the same position. That way, if I running a mileage check, I know it's accurate.

Acuraluvr

iTrader: (2)

same here!!! i round to the nearest 10' incriments when i fill p the gas ( i hav 2) but never had that happen...

terse

i just fill til whenever it clicks...

PG2G

Me too.... what's the point?

terse

haven't seen you post as often as before...get your TL yet?

PG2G

Yeah I did, got it Dec 3rd or 4th. Things going well, got about 750 miles on it now. It seems like I'm filling up the tank every week though, about twice as often as my old 4-banger. Maybe I've been driving more than normal.

terse

awesome to the max...where'd you buy it? cerritos powerbuy?

KT88

unless you're paying cash it's going on a credit card, what's the point in rounding ;-)

SouthernBoy

Rounding keeps the pennies down in my pocket and keeps a nice, consistent fill for my mileage checks when I do them. And by filling up at the same station and the same tank and with my car parked in the same position, I know I will have an accurate check.

There's another reason I am very cautious about which station I use. I go to a station that is 12 miles from my house because it is the only Amoco (BP) which is close enough (there is one being built within 2 miles from my now). But also, it's pretty new and moves a lot of product, so the in-ground tanks are not only new as well, but the fuel is refreshed frequently (of couse, I will not take on fuel if they are getting a delivery from a tank truck).

Whenever I buy gas, I ALWAY park my car (any car I own) so that the front of the car is pointed in a downward direction, NOT the other way around. This will virually eliminate any spill overs during the fill. The last time this happened to me was years ago and it was because of two thing: the car was parked with the rear end pointed down and the pump gave a fast fill.

Also, I listen to the fuel going into my car's tank because I don't completely trust the auto-shutoff of pumps. I had one fail to shutoff once (years ago) and fuel came gushing out of the fill neck of my car and got on my car and me.

As for PG2G's comments about filling up every week, it's not uncommon at all for me to fill up several times a week, not only because of the miles covered, but because you should always try to keep at least a 1/2 of a tank of fuel in your car.. especially in the winter. This helps to reduce condensation in the tank. My car lives in my garage when not being used, so condensation is a minimum problem for me, but I still like to try follow this rule.

Ron A

As I said above:
This is pretty well standard, but could be affected by temperature, humidity, or even if the car was not level, but that would be a minimal effect, and you should still have 17 gallons in the tank, regardless of how much actual fuel you put in, when the first shutoff occurs.

If you don't try to squeeze any more in after the first shutoff, you will be 2 gallons shy of the 19 gallon capacity, which is the way Acura intended it, and which is why they rate the tank as having 17 gallon capacity, not 19 gallons.

cM3go

I never top off in this car, when the pump clicks off, is when I'm done filling up.

slapmesilly

Sothernboy,

Please explain how the direction of the car relative to the wind will eliminate spills.

Thanks

Ron A

Since I am already here, I will answer this for Southern Boy.

He said downward, not downwind.

producrdel

I always fill up to the next dollar, never had a problem.

slapmesilly

Dang, sorry, I read it as downwind.

Time for more coffee!

later

golferboy1862

Thanks for the replies. Park the car on level ground? In my 20 years of driving I don't think I've seen many gas stations with much of an incline. Also, I've been going to the same gas station for 14 years and have used every pump at the station a few times and have never over filled a car until the TL.

What causes the first shut-off? Is it gas tank design? Or is there a part in the tank? Does anyone know much about gas tanks?

EleVatE

I have heard it has to do with the fumes coming back up the nozzle. When it gets compressed enough, or coming out fast enough, this would indicate less air room in the tank. If you look down most nozzles you will see a trigger like device.

I am sure that not all of them the same, and I am not even sure if I am accurate

PG2G

I ended up getting it from Downey. Offered me a pretty decent price, I'd like to think, on the car (w navi) and underbody/deck lid spoilers.

terse

cool, did you end up getting manual or at?

PG2G

5at

A-TLvic882

Did you try another gasstation?

golferboy1862

I have tried another gas station but when it shuts off I don't round off so no over-flow.

ayethetiense

i top it off not to round off the price, but to fill it up as much as i can if i am gettin gas at a place that is really cheap. gas fluctuations here in so cali are tremendous. jumping from city to city can be as much as a 25+ cent difference.

i've been able to fill up at least half a gallon after the first click. do it slowly and let the bubbles subside and you'll be fine

JohnDoe2

According to the manual, you should NOT "top off" the gas tank...ever.

There needs to be some air in there to allow for fuel expansion and fumes to collect.

rjairam

Happened to me with both the TL and the Accord.

Sucks because you can't pump your own gas in NJ (I work in NJ) and some of the attendants insist on topping off your tank.

Road Rage

No one seems to have picked up on the technology issues - filling past the shut off can be a very bad idea. Too much fuel and the vapor recovery system, including the activated charcoal elements, can be damaged. Once it clicks, adding much more is not recommended.

golferboy1862

Sounds like nobody really knows what makes the gas pump shut-off when the tank is full...?

Ron A

It must be some kind of pressure/resistance system. As long as the fuel is flowing without any resistance, the nozzle keeps operating, but when the fuel pushes the air in the tank back into the nozzle and creates a pressure situation, the nozzle will shut off.

This is just how I think it works, and nothing official. Couldn't find anything on google either.

Road Rage

Easy.
When your gas gauge reads empty, your tank is filled with air instead of fuel. As you add fuel, the air must move out of the tank to make way for the gas. Next time you fill your car at the gas station, take a look at the pump nozzle. You will find a hole about a half inch from the end of the nozzle. This hole is connected to a small pipe that travels through the nozzle to the handle.

When you fill your gas tank, some of the displaced air flows through the hole in the nozzle into the pipe. When the tank is full, the hole will be below the gasoline level and no air will pass through the pipe. A mechanical switch inside the nozzle detects when the flow of air stops and shuts off the gas.

You may have noticed that, after the pump shuts off, you can get more gas in your tank by pulling the nozzle out of the tank a bit. This is because you’re moving the position of the hole relative to the gas level and allowing the mechanical switch to reopen.

mitchflorida

pay with a credit card and don't try to round off the amount . . .

it ain't rocket science. .

dashotgun

and it sucks when it does not work. This past week got gas every where boy did my garage stink! Had to wash and rewxed to be sure the rear quarter

rjairam

Unfortunately this doesn't apply to the Garden State, or Oregon for that matter, where there is no self serve, only full serve.