Have you ever been completely below the slash?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuEdU_lrtZk

 

I got mine down to 10 mile range and the gas tank only took 15 gal of gas on fill up so my estimate is that there should be 80 miles left in there at 20 mpg. Not brave enough to verify though.

 

What does the gas gauge read? The gas gauge is more accurate.

 

Gas light came on 2 days ago and the range said 18 miles. That was a huge WTF. I pulled into the gas station at 4, I think. Something tells me I should get at least a 30 mile warning before I run out of gas? Maybe even more..

 

Gas light came on 2 days ago and the range said 18 miles.

Those are two different systems. The range indicator is NOTORIOUSLY INACCURATE. The light is part of the gas gauge system and is more accurate.

 

While I'm sure you are correct, it still pisses me off that the range is not consistent with the gas light. Why even have the range feature at this point.
Maybe when the light comes on, it should trigger the range to switch to a safe, but a more realistic number. Too much to ask for ...

 

This relates to the 2nd gen, but it will give you an idea.
When my MFD says ~17 miles left to empty, the fuel light comes on, I generally have 2-3gal left in the tank at that point. I've driven to and past 0 a few times, and still generally have 1 gal left.

 

This relates to the 2nd gen, but it will give you an idea. When my MFD says ~17 miles left to empty, the fuel light comes on, I generally have 2-3gal left in the tank at that point. I've driven to and past 0 a few times, and still generally have 1 gal left.

I’m betting on you, stranger. Don’t let me down.

 

Why even have the range feature at this point.

I've been saying that for years. Same feature on my 05 4runner and my wife's Lexus. That's why I ignore it.

 

I guess the question becomes "how far does the fuel gage actually go" and "Do I ever want to find out"

Mine at 10 range remaining seemed to have about 1/8 on the fuel gauge - maybe a little less left. If the tank is really ~19 gal capacity - then I should have had ~4 gal left which should be ~80 miles before a AAA call. (Or dare we say, Toyota roadside service? I do have that fancy SOS! button....) That's an hour of more driving...

My guess is Toyota wants to scare us to the pump sooner than later and is running that math this way on purpose. (The complaint engine the other way would be never ending LOL)

 

its actually not recommended to run close to empty repeatedly as is also recommended to not top off beyond the shutoff when fueling up.


the running low I get because of contaminates in fuel you dont want to get into the filter that would otherwise sink to the bottom of the tank. but the overfill reasoning im not completely sold on.

 

this isnt correct, the system is pretty accurate you just have to know how to use the info.

Sorry...but you're wrong. There are too many things that effect the Range system. A strong head-wind or tail-wind can drastically effect how accurate it is. I've seen differences of 20%. Anything over 5% is HUGE.

The problem is that if the light comes on the range could read anywhere from 30 miles to -30 miles.

You also do NOT want to run you gas tank dry. The fuel pump is submersed in gas to keep it cool. Running low and possibly exposing the pump could shorten it's life significantly.

 

right on, you are right about cooling the fuel pump with the fuel.

not sure about the variance % but as far as I know and have read on multiple vehicles that the light and range are calculated off fuel economy. if yours is inaccurate maybe somethings wrong with the system and should be looked at. I regularly go as far as possible on the tank I fill up (in my 2014 tundra) and have never experienced a completely empty tank. I would have if my understanding had been off by even 10%.

additionally, consider that the range and mpg is a running total, the only way to get it a little more accurate is to remove the battery and reset the computers calculations, at least on my truck, i imagine the highlander is similar. My wife drives the highlander and is fairly good about not going below 1/4 tank of gas anyways.

 

Edmunds found that the Low Fuel Warning light was very conservatie in their test.

http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/highl...ighlander/2014/long-term-road-test/2014-toyota-highlander-low-fuel-warning.html

 

Thanks to all the replies. I didn't pay attention to the needle gauge as I thought the digital display should be more accurate. (well it should....)

I came across this website if you are interested:
http://tankonempty.com/viewcar/Toyota/Highlander

 

Twice when the light was on and the gauge needle was directly over the lowest mark I refueled and still had 3 gallons remaining.

 

(well it should....)

Actually - no.

The range indicator isn't taking measurements of gas usage and then calculating mpg based on mileage. It's approximating gas mileage based on a number of inputs, like RPM and speed and even gear selection. Too many other factors can effect this calculation which the calculation isn't accounting for. Driving up/down hill, tail or head wind. And as the vehicle gets older things like a inefficient fuel injector, or spark-plugs will have an effect that the gas calculation isn't accounting for.

The gas gauge is a simple device that is basically a flat in the gas tank. It's can give you a close reading to the actual gas in the tank. It may seem inaccurate, but the reading is fairly consistent no matter what other factors may be involved.

 

I usually ran my tank down to Refuel and still had around 3 gallons left. Hope I won't damage the car by keep doing this. The tank is tiny in this car.

 

The manual says there are 2.9 gallons remaining, so you should be good for another 40-50 miles.

 

Filled up within 5 miles of DTE reaching 0 miles. Fueled up with 16.7 gallons ($1.38 in Texas) so that's pretty accurate!

 

If you drive on a lot of hills then there may be a problem. But most companies account for this in their gas tank design.

 

This is an interesting sudden change: When filling the tank on my 14 HL LTD PLT, after filling, the range indicator was always in the 350-358 range. Lately showing 297-305 and no higher. Will check it manually to determine if the car is not running properly or if the fuel mapping or injection system is not dialed in.

 

I noticed in my Camry that it would also drop in the winter. I think it is driven off from the average mpg. You have gotten since driving habits and so on will affect your milage.

 

When my light comes on, I generally have to pump in 16gallons. The lowest I had it was 18.

I think the tank is 19.3 (?)

 

General comment...in my experience, worse case senario is...If fuel tank is low enuf & starving f.i. of gas..chances are f.i's can be damaged due to lack of "gas" which cools them. Engines with carbs can be more forgiving, but not so with f.i. At least thats way I understand it. Anyhow, I just fill up when guage shows 1/4 full. :wink:

 

This is from Clark Howard's website ...

"According to Consumer Reports, the gas in your car 'acts like a coolant for the electric fuel-pump motor, so when you run very low, this allows the pump to suck in air, which creates heat and can cause the fuel pump to wear prematurely and potentially fail.'

And the repair could cost a couple hundred dollars -- more than what it would have cost you to fill up the tank. Also, 'if there is dirt in the fuel tank, it could lead to blocking the fuel filter' -- leading to another expensive repair.

In addition to potentially costly repairs to your car, driving on a low tank can be dangerous. If the car suddenly stops running, you could be stranded in a deserted area, or in the middle of a busy highway. And with many cars, the airbags don't deploy if the car is turned off, putting you, and any passengers, in a more dangerous situation."
http://www.clarkhoward.com/low-gas-tank-can-be-costly

 

I generally like Clark Howard, but a fair amount of the info is incorrect.

Fuel pump - accurate.

Fuel Filter - fairly inaccurate. This used to be true on older engines with a gravity feed to a mechanical fuel pump. Even then, the theory was if you keep more gas in the tank, the "dirt" is circulating and won't get sucked through the lines to the mechanical pump and fuel filter. With a modern engine, the pickup has to be in the bottom of the tank and the pump sucks the fuel up from there. If you have dirt in the bottom of the tank, the concentration of dirt is higher with less fuel, but in theory if you suck up dirt, it will drop back down when you turn the engine off and be diluted the next time you fill up.

Air Bags - Complete FUD. First off, if you run out of gas the engine sputters and stops running and all the dash lights come on. The car does not lock up the brakes and come to a screeching halt in the middle of the interstate. Often the car will sputter before it dies and might be able to re-start. At worst, you should be able to shift to neutral, activate the hazards and coast to the shoulder. And the ignition switch is still turned on so the airbags should work just fine.

its actually not recommended to run close to empty repeatedly as is also recommended to not top off beyond the shutoff when fueling up.
the running low I get because of contaminates in fuel you dont want to get into the filter that would otherwise sink to the bottom of the tank. but the overfill reasoning im not completely sold on.

I understand the logic of not topping off ... As you top off, the excess fuel goes into the overflow hoses and ends up filling up the charcoal canister or fouling the vapor control valve. From the forum posts, Toyota's seem to be fairly prone to this. That said, I did that for the first 120K or so miles with my Focus before I learned about this. No major issues, but the car does occasionally have a pending DTC of P0456 - P0456 - EVAP Control System Leak Detected Very Small Leak and that is quite likely why.

Things that I don't like with all the systems on all the cars:

• There is some reserve capacity in the tank, but this is never published. For example - let's say the tank capacity is 18 gallons. That will be posted in the owners manual. But they can't put the fuel pick-up in the very bottom of the tank so that 17 gallons and 127 ounces run through the tank. So when the tank runs out, there is still 0.5 or 0.3 gallons in the tank and the USEABLE tank capacity is 17.7 or 17.5 gallons, but this number is never published.
• Generally, I don't like safety factors. Don't tell me there is 0-miles to empty when I can still drive another 30 miles. Don't let the fuel gauge go BELOW the E-line and the car still be running. If I am dumb enough to drive the car until it says 4 miles to empty and not add gas and I run it out of gas, I deserve to be stranded.

 

Low fuel warning



I pulled into a gas station last night when the Range read 16 miles. I didn't see the low fuel warning light on last night which normally do. I do see the needle on the fuel gauge was very close to E.

 

So if the tank capacity is 19.1 gallons, I should still have reserve of about 2 gallons as referenced attached? Next time, I roll the dice further

 

$0.989/gal? where are you from?