So I've had this car for 12 years now and in all of that time I have never put more than about 18.6 gallons at any one time, and that was when the gas gauge was sitting at the very bottom of the dial and I knew I was pushing my luck.

The manual states that the approximate capacity is 19 gallons. So this makes sense, that I refueled with about 1/2 a tank to spare.

Today, I went to my local Chevron to fill up, the amber light had only come on the day before and the needle was still about halfway between the quarter tank mark and empty - so there was at least 1.5 gallons or more in the tank.

Imagine my surprise when I managed to put 20.2 gallons in my tank! This suggests my tank holds over 21.5 gallons! Is this possible? And if so, why is this the first time in 12 years that I have been able to put more than 19 gallons in my tank despite some very close calls? Could this be a gauge calibration thing that was finally fixed after 12 years in a recent "B Service"?

What are other's experiences with this?

 

Thanks for the response ... If this is accurate then, there has been a recalibration of the fuel sensor, as my gauge as been at the bottom in the past and never taken more than 18.6 (topping off), whereas this time it was still showing halfway in the reserve.

Just to be clear, my manual says this:

"Fuel tank capacity approx. 19.0 US gal. This includes approx. 3.2 US gal reserve."

So this is either badly written to mean, 19 gal. PLUS 3.2 gal. Or it actually means a TOTAL of 19 gal. with a fuel warning indicator light at 3.2 gal. remaining.

You did not specifically say so, but am assuming you have actually put over 20 gallons in your ML at one time or another.

 

I think it should show 0 on the dial when there is 3.2 gal left in the tank, this being the reserve amount. The idea being once it hits nil you still have the extra reserve left to get you to a fuel station, and for a diesel car, to also try and make sure you don't completely empty it I guess.

 

I believe and my understanding is that the 3 gallon reserve starts counting when your reserve light comes on. Also while pumping gas, if you let the automatic shut off stop fueling your tank, you can manually still get 1.5 to 2 gallons of gas still into tank and neck pipe.
Bernard

 

Thaaks again. Either way it appears that something has been recalibrated. I did notice that for the first time when I filled it up, the gas gauge pegged the top mark. So more than likely, for the first time when my reserve light came on, I was much closer to empty than ever before, since I have been used to driving until it hit bottom, and refilling it with a max 18.6 gallons with topping off. So I actually had much further to go than I thought.

I had better be careful with this new calibration if I managed to squeeze 20.2 gallons into it when the gauge was only hallway down into the reserve section, I was a lot closer to being completely empty then ever before.