Actual Fuel Capacity of a 55L Tank

Farrsolo · Dec 7, 2014

My manual says the tank is 55L, is there a reserve built on top of this 55L or does the reserve included in that initial 55L's? I never let it get too low and I don't think I ever put over 55L in when it was low...

I let it get down to about 1/8" of a tank, usually see anywhere from 850-950km at this point. The display shows how many km left once the 1/8" "low" warning light comes on but it counts down quicker than the actual km traveled.

Once the low light comes on in my other vehicle I get 80-100km past the "E" mark.

I am not sure if this is the case with the Jetta? anyone know if you get the reserve after the tank reaches "E" or is the reserve incorporated into "low" warning 1/8" level?

Thanks!

SuburbanTDI · Dec 7, 2014

The countdown display for remaining Km's of fuel is designed to never, ever, ever, be wrong. No auto company wants to be sued for stranding a pregnant woman in the wilderness while she trusted the remaining miles/km indicator.

The indicator is just, in the end, an extra fancy low fuel light. As to the reserve, it's at the bottom so to speak. Extra fuel on top helps range - but it will never extend the reserve.

I have a number in my head for my reserve range and when the light comes on I reset the trip odo and calc from there while adding or subtracting a bit for conditions, terrain, speed and if in the middle of nowhere - a little extra for hope/desperation.

VeeDubTDI · Dec 7, 2014

Some fuel is supposed to remain in the tank at all times. Running completely out of fuel can damage the fuel system. The fuel acts as a coolant and a lubricant, so the lower you go, the hotter it gets.

You should refill when it displays empty even though there is at least a gallon left in the tank.

Farrsolo · Dec 7, 2014

I usually do a rough/quick calculation of my L/km once my tank rolls over to half tank, currently I have 470km traveled and the gauge is showing 5/8 tank remaining but it will drop to 1/2 tank very soon... I don't top up tank that much, let it fill then couple squirts to bring to nearest dollar...if I hit 500km at half tank that puts me at roughly 42mpg, but i wasn't sure if half was actually half

maxmoo · Dec 7, 2014

if you run completly out of diesel till she quits and then fill, prime, bleed and vent it will take 64 liters........I know from personal experience.
I can usually go another 80-100 km after my feul light comes on.......but be warned individual cars do vary.

oops!...just noticed you have a 2011 highline, I was talking mk4's sorry.

yatzee · Dec 8, 2014

you cannot 'Vent' an mk6 like an mk4. Don't run it so low - can cause expensive damage

maybe368 · Dec 8, 2014

I try to never run ANY vehicle less than a half a tank, gas or diesel. If there is crud in the tank, it becomes more concentrated in less fuel, you never know when you will be stuck in traffic on the freeway because of a wreck and, while it is not much of an issue in AZ, you don't want to be caught low on fuel in very cold or snowy weather. Also, the danger of losing the prime on a diesel makes it a bit more complicated to refuel and restart...Mark

yatzee · Dec 8, 2014

maybe368 said:
I try to never run ANY vehicle less than a half a tank, gas or diesel. If there is crud in the tank, it becomes more concentrated in less fuel

I think that's extreme the other way. Given that we change our fuel filters every 20k, it's pretty unlikely that you'll have this issue. Besides, the reasoning behind this was to try to avoid any of the rust in the bottom of a metal fuel tank coming up and fouling the filter. Given that we all have plastic tanks, that's no longer an issue.

maybe368 said:
you never know when you will be stuck in traffic on the freeway because of a wreck and, while it is not much of an issue in AZ, you don't want to be caught low on fuel in very cold or snowy weather

ok.. not sure if I follow the logic on this one, but I'm not advocating running to empty - go find fuel when the light comes on. You still have quite a ways to go.

maybe368 said:
Also, the danger of losing the prime on a diesel makes it a bit more complicated to refuel and restart

Given that all of our tdi's are self-priming, I don't see why this would be an issue.

maybe368 · Dec 8, 2014

yatzee said:
I think that's extreme the other way. Given that we change our fuel filters every 20k, it's pretty unlikely that you'll have this issue. Besides, the reasoning behind this was to try to avoid any of the rust in the bottom of a metal fuel tank coming up and fouling the filter. Given that we all have plastic tanks, that's no longer an issue.

ok.. not sure if I follow the logic on this one, but I'm not advocating running to empty - go find fuel when the light comes on. You still have quite a ways to go.

Given that all of our tdi's are self-priming, I don't see why this would be an issue.

Whatever...Mark

Bob_Fout · Dec 8, 2014

maybe368 said:
Whatever...Mark

I never would have guessed a 13 year old female would be named Mark.

maybe368 · Dec 8, 2014

Bob_Fout said:
I never would have guessed a 13 year old female would be named Mark.

Funny! I don't see how any other response was required. I said what I do and why and mister Yahtzee decided to pick it apart point by point. What response would you have suggested? You are a moderator, right? Did you want a fight or something? I say again, whatever...Mark

yatzee · Dec 8, 2014

you're obviously entitled to drive and fill up your vehicle however you see fit.

But your point about fuel system priming is incorrect

maybe368 · Dec 8, 2014

yatzee said:
you're obviously entitled to drive and fill up your vehicle however you see fit.

But your point about fuel system priming is incorrect

So these cars NEVER lose their prime when they run out of fuel? Interesting, but I don't believe it. What about the vcds procedure for priming the system when the fuel pump is changed? I think that the low fuel light is an IDIOT light and appropriately named...Mark

yatzee · Dec 8, 2014

of the multiple ALH's and BEW's I've owned, i can say that, no, they don't lose their prime. With a BEW, if you also have a bad lift pump, you can run into trouble, but otherwise, if you run out of fuel, you should be able to crank and get the car started. Obviously, filling the fuel filter will help the process.

Even on my 91 350sdl, it is self priming. When my fuel gauge stopped working a few years back, I filled the filter, cranked like hell, and got the car going.

if you're speaking about a CR (common rail), the fuel is required to lubricate the HPFP. The reason behind the procedure is to make sure that it has fuel on it before cranking. Whereas that is considered to be of the utmost importance, I know a couple garages around here who don't so that and haven't had a single HPFP failure.

Well Mark - the low fuel like is a warning that you're low on fuel. That's all - there's nothing IDIOT about it.

Powder Hound · Dec 8, 2014

yatzee said:
...Given that all of our tdi's are self-priming, I don't see why this would be an issue.

I see that you have a fluid definition of 'self-priming'. I know my 4-dr is 'self-priming', but it takes a good bit of work by the operator to make it do so.

maybe368 · Dec 8, 2014

yatzee said:
of the multiple ALH's and BEW's I've owned, i can say that, no, they don't lose their prime. With a BEW, if you also have a bad lift pump, you can run into trouble, but otherwise, if you run out of fuel, you should be able to crank and get the car started. Obviously, filling the fuel filter will help the process.

Even on my 91 350sdl, it is self priming. When my fuel gauge stopped working a few years back, I filled the filter, cranked like hell, and got the car going.

if you're speaking about a CR (common rail), the fuel is required to lubricate the HPFP. The reason behind the procedure is to make sure that it has fuel on it before cranking. Whereas that is considered to be of the utmost importance, I know a couple garages around here who don't so that and haven't had a single HPFP failure.

Well Mark - the low fuel like is a warning that you're low on fuel. That's all - there's nothing IDIOT about it.

Maybe you should stop running them out of fuel...Mark

yatzee · Dec 8, 2014

maybe368 said:
Maybe you should stop running them out of fuel...Mark

how does that contribute to this situation? I'm telling you that your information is wrong and offering proof as to why!

If you must know, the fuel gauge on the 350sdl failed. I forgot to reset the trip meter at my previous fill up and ran out of fuel. I felt kinda stupid to be honest - i was very close to a gas station so I resolved the mess i'd created myself.

I see you also own a 1990 Dodge - your 2014 is nothing like your 1990

Bob_Fout · Dec 8, 2014

Powder Hound said:
I see that you have a fluid definition of 'self-priming'. I know my 4-dr is 'self-priming', but it takes a good bit of work by the operator to make it do so.

The PDs and later are self-priming, our VEs are not.

yatzee · Dec 8, 2014

unsubscribed. Have a nice day everyone.

maybe368 · Dec 8, 2014

yatzee said:
how does that contribute to this situation? I'm telling you that your information is wrong and offering proof as to why!

If you must know, the fuel gauge on the 350sdl failed. I forgot to reset the trip meter at my previous fill up and ran out of fuel. I felt kinda stupid to be honest - i was very close to a gas station so I resolved the mess i'd created myself.

I see you also own a 1990 Dodge - your 2014 is nothing like your 1990

I was referring to the mention of all your other tdis. You said that your experience was that they all self primed after running out of fuel. Also, you said that filling the fuel filter helps, that is not self priming. I am very aware of the differences between my ve pumped Dodge and the cr tdi. I for one would not want to find out that I have a weak battery trying to self prime my tdi. And you still have not said that they NEVER lose their prime when they are run out of fuel and that they Always self prime. In my experience, never and always are suspect terms...Mark

Farrsolo · Dec 8, 2014

haha this kind of took a twist, people must have missed their morning coffee...

I don't plan on running my tank below the low warning light, but it would be nice to know how many actual KM's I have left once the light comes on in certain situations...

also it would be nice to know the actual volume of the tank to help calculate a more accurate L/km or mpg rating. if my tank actually holds 64L, 9L more than the actual listed capacity, that changes my mileage in wrong direction,

vwmk4 · Dec 9, 2014

And just how does that "changes my mileage in wrong direction" ? You do paper and pen calculations .YES.
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