My definitive B4 sedan tank capacity

tditom · Sep 3, 2004

I found out the hard way what the actual fuel capacity is on my '97 Passat sedan.

19.965 gallons of b100 took me 971 miles (~48.6 mpg). Mostly highway commuting at an indicated 72 mph (~69 mph actual) with some stop and go traffic backups. Little AC use. I ran out 100 yards from my favorite fuel station after making a 1 mile detour due to construction!!

I guess I was cutting it a little too close. A kind young man helped me push it up to the pump. That car is not a lightweight!!

I filled to the brim by venting.

-tom

Bryan42 · Sep 3, 2004

Hmmm. So it is generally true that the fuel pump in a TDI is not ruined when they are run dry?

tditom · Sep 3, 2004

Ruined? No- not instantaneously. The pump shuts down as soon as the engine stops, of course. But on the subsequent startup, it took 3 tries to get it going. So the pump was turning "dry" until it drew up enough fuel from the tank, through the filter.

In my search of B4 capacity, I came across claims of ~20.5 for the sedan. I had 2 previous fill-ups of 19.5 & 19.6 gallons. It was my poor decision to push it this far.

The injection pumps have very tight tolerances to create the pressures needed. They depend on the lubricity of the fuel. I will avoid this happening again at all costs in the future and would not advocate taking this lightly.

-tom

mrw · Sep 3, 2004

So can I damage my pump by cranking after I change the fuel filter?

GoFaster · Sep 3, 2004

To avoid any possibility of pump damage after changing a fuel filter - and to make your life a heckuva lot easier - fill the fuel filter up to the brim using a funnel from a small container of diesel fuel. Keep filling it until it's really full ... it takes a while for the filter media to soak up the fuel that you put in.

Beowulf · Sep 3, 2004

Incidentally, on my 1998 Jetta (I think the 1Z uses the same Bosch fuel filters) the capacity of the fuel filter is 11 oz. I prime with Power Service Diesel Kleen (gray bottle).

The car starts right up without any hiccups or smoke.

gbangs · Sep 4, 2004

So can I damage my pump by cranking after I change the fuel filter?

No,
Remember folks, just because the engine quits because of "running out of fuel", the pump is NOT entirely dry at this point. The pump body still has about 75% fuel volume in it. Only the fuel piston suction has become uncovered. This is at the top of the body cavity space. The remaining fuel is sloshed around and provides plenty of lubrication.

jck66 · Sep 8, 2004

FYI - I have put > 20 gallons into my sedan on several occasions. The first time, I questioned the pump's accuracy to myself, but then it happened a couple more times (in 170k miles). Oddly, the few times I have run the car "dry" were not the same times I have put in 20+ gallons (e.g. 20.2 or 20.3). I have found that, when really low on fuel, driving uphill causes the fuel pump to starve, simulating running out of fuel. Getting going again takes a little cranking but I can get to a station as long as I'm on level ground...

tditom · Sep 8, 2004

Hmmmm... I was on a rather long slight incline when it shut down. I suppose that could have had an effect.

I guess I'll just play it safe from now on and not let it go under the last red mark. It takes some planning because the fuel stations I use are a bit out of the way. I have a daily 55 mile commute each way. So I need to plan on when it's convenient to go to the one of the stations.

Thanks for the info.
-tom

tditom · Dec 4, 2008

thread resurrected!

This morning I had to push the car to the limit again (couldn't fill up on the way home last night). The needle was against the white and had stopped moving for awhile

. When I got to the pump (sweatin' bullets!), someone else was tanking up so I idled for another minute or so. I filled to the brim with 19.865 gal. It took three attempts to start (normally starts instantly). So I would say that 19.8 g is the most USABLE fuel the B4 sedan can provide- at least mine is.

TonyJetta · Dec 4, 2008

Personally, I get mine near or into the red and head to the truck stop! Cheapest fuel by >$0.15/gal usually.

The most I've filled up is 16.12 gallons. With a suction fuel system, I don't like to push things that far.

Tony

tditom · Dec 4, 2008

I agree- always try fill up ASAP after it touches the red (especially in the winter here in MI). My most trusted fuel station is 15 miles out of the way on my 55 mi (one way) commute. I try to get there after work and juggle getting both tdi taken care of without going to the station more than once a week.

Lug_Nut · Dec 5, 2008

Keep venting, guys.... The B4 sedans hold more than 20 gallons...

tditom · Dec 5, 2008

how much more than 20? i've ran my car out 3 times now and have never gotten that much in. I keep filling and venting to the brim.

On second thought- I guess I'll take your word for it, as I don't plan on this happening again

. But my experience says otherwise...

rdkern · Dec 5, 2008

There are always differences in vehicles, especially after 12 years of use - hitting things, denting the tank and such. I've put 17 in mine, and it was at the first red mark. I hope I have 3 more gallons there - but don't really want to find out.

Lug_Nut · Dec 6, 2008

tditom said:
how much more than 20?

I can't find my old fuel logs right now (haven't had a b4 sedan for years), but I believe the most I ever packed in a B4 sedan's tank was actually pretty darned close to 22.

tditom · Dec 6, 2008

did you have to shake the car to get trapped air out? i can't see any way I could get near that much in.

rdkern · Dec 6, 2008

We all also have to deal with inaccurate pumps. None of us really know how much we're putting in - just how much we're paying for.

tditom · Dec 6, 2008

i agree that pumps may differ a little, but 10%? that's huge!

rotarykid · Dec 6, 2008

In the three 97 Passat TDI sedans I've owned the most I ever filled to was ~19.2 many times and ~19.5 on the few rare occasions .

And I've done 16.2 in a 99.5 Jetta TDI once also , 900 + miles on the fill but not on purpose . All were still running when I filled them .

I also have a 91 Jetta D that the fuel gauge is useless when you get close to E , just barely gets into the red area before it runs dry . I've run out twice now , not fun . The most I've ever put in was ~15.5 . I did get it running with a couple of qts of motor oil and some Power Service to get to a station to refill it . On my 85 the thing has never run dry and I have filled almost to 16 gals twice , many fills to the 15.2 - 15.5 range .

I've always wondered if a B4 tank would fit in my Jettas . I'd love to have that extra range .

rotarykid · Dec 6, 2008

Lug_Nut said:
I can't find my old fuel logs right now (haven't had a b4 sedan for years), but I believe the most I ever packed in a B4 sedan's tank was actually pretty darned close to 22.

Only on the wagons , I believe it is related to the placement of the tank in relation to the filler spout . The sedan tanks don't seem to hold as much . I would how ever believe that my sedan has a ~ 20 gal capacity , as I have hit the 19.5 point without being stranded a couple of times . And the gauge wasn't using any electricity at the time

, saving power .......

Lug_Nut · Dec 7, 2008

rotarykid said:
Only on the wagons , I believe it is related to the placement of the tank in relation to the filler spout . The sedan tanks don't seem to hold as much . I would how ever believe that my sedan has a ~ 20 gal capacity , as I have hit the 19.5 point without being stranded a couple of times . And the gauge wasn't using any electricity at the time , saving power .......

The B4 sedan has much less excess above its published 18.5 (70 liter) capacity than the wagon, also a claimed 18.5 gallon / 70 liter capacity. The fuel tanks are completely different in shape. The sedan is shallower top to bottom (due to a lower trunk "floor") and slightly longer front to rear than the much taller (higher "floor") and only slightly shorter length B4 wagon. The result is that the tanks are not interchangeable, but the B4 wagon can be filled and vented with close to 29 gallons, almost 8 more than the sedan's well vented tank can hold.

exhaustpro · Dec 9, 2008

I regularly put 18.5 gals in my tank when it reads 1-2 gallons left (in the red). Sure gives great range

IndigoBlueWagon · Dec 9, 2008

For me TDI fuel economy is great, but range is the trump card. And the Passat wagon, AFAIK, has the longest range of any production car in recent memory. If I keep it under 75 I can drive from Boston to Jacksonville FL on one tank.

TonyJetta · Dec 9, 2008

For me, it's the whole package:
Range
MPG
Longevity of drive train and chassis

...Not having to rev the snot out of it to make power; Priceless!

Tony

TDIBill · Dec 18, 2008

LugNut, I ran our B4V dry on flat level ground & only was able to put 24.6 gallons in it with venting. Where do you come up with that 28g figure?

Lug_Nut · Dec 19, 2008

TDIBill said:
LugNut, I ran our B4V dry on flat level ground & only was able to put 24.6 gallons in it with venting. Where do you come up with that 28g figure?

Did you also fill it on flat level ground?

note how much below the top of the tank the vent hose is positioned

TDIBill · Dec 19, 2008

It was at a gas station.....

john.jackson9213 · Dec 20, 2008

TDIBill,

I have put close to 26 gallons in my B4V. Ran it out on the freeway, put 2 gallons in from a fuel can, then drove to a gas station and filled up. With what I guessed was left from the 2 gallons and what I filled up with, it was close to 26.5 gallons on level ground.

Fill it on a slope, you just might get the 29 gallons that LugNut reports. Take a good look at his fuel tank photo. You will see where he got his extra fuel in the tank.

For me, at 38 mpg and 25 gallons in the tank, that is over 900 miles. I have no excuse for running out of fuel, but I have done it twice, only once on purpose.

IndigoBlueWagon · Dec 21, 2008

On my second fill-up on my B4V, bringing it home from NoLa, I filled it with B30 at a service station in Asheville NC. The area in front of the pumps made the car sit significantly higher on the filler side. I drove 1148 miles on that thank and then put in 24.8 gallons. And it was barely into the red.

My definitive B4 sedan tank capacity

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