Good evening everyone. I recently purchased a used 2003 Maxima SE, and I have the following questions: I like to take my fuel down as low as possible before refueling without actually running out. With past cars, I knew that I had about 30 miles to run once the needle quit rising above empty on hills. With the Maxima, I'm a bit more conservative, as I originally thought the trip computer was accurate before reading a number of posts on this site. The first time I got low on gas as shown by the gauge and TC, I was very surprized to find I could only get about 16 gallons into the tank, even though the gauge was buried on E. This has continued and I now am pretty confused by how much gas I have left on the tank once the gauge reads below 1/8th. Does anyone have any insight on how much gas is actually left in the tank once the gauge hits E? How big is the reserve in the tank? And how far off is the dte display on the trip computer? Looking forward to hearing from you all and making some new friends.

David

 

welcome.

when the trip computer hits --- you have about 3 gallons (or about 60-70 miles with how I drive)

also, just a general car thing.... it's not usually a good idea to run the tank dry, especially in the winter, especially if you live in a cold place like PA. Do yourself and your car a favor and fill it when it hits 1/4 left.

BTW, *why* do you ""like to take (your) fuel down as low as possible" ?

 

3-4 gallons from when the light goes on. mind though that if you raise the front high enough with little gas it will stall. the feeder lines seem to be in the front area of the tank. i've done it. rolling down a hill so you can get to the station on the other end of the street... is not fun. and i still had like a gallon left

edit: 2k2 posted while i was typing this. so whatever he said..

 

Thanks for the info 2k2. I know I'm playing a bit with fire re: running the tank low. As for the "why" it relates to my job which is in sales. The fewer times I have to stop for gas the more time I have to work. I thik I save about an hour a year. I guess it's pretty stupid, and this wonderful car will help me to change my habits.

David

 

I used to drive for a living... when you get below 1/2 tank, the next time you see a gas station stop and fill it. It takes less time than filling 1/2 a tank than a full tank so you're actually saving time, not losing time!

 

I dont think maximas fall under this but MANY cars have their fuel pumps set up in a way were the fuel actually cools the pump. If you keep a car under 1/2 tank at all times & just fill $5 every time the light goes on your putting more pressure on the pump then necessay which is going to shorten its life.

 

good point

but i think what he meant is if you hit below 1/2 of a tank then fill up so you have a full tank....

...i think

-IgS

 

... thought that was clear... my bad.

 

...it was clear, I understood it perfectly. I was just "adding" another reason to not run your tank to empty, thats all

 

Yeah, I always top it over with the same grade premium gas when it reaches 1/4

 

that doesn't even make sense... if u do that then u would have to stop off twice as much which will LOSE time in the longrun...

 

If you spend all your time driving why don't your buy a GEO METRO that gets like 50 miles a gallon...put the miles on that and not your maxima. If you drive as much as it sounds (filling up is wasting time) then your driving like 60,000 miles a year, you really want to do that to your car?????? Keep the maxima of course.

 

Given how fast you can get to your destination driving the Max, i'm sure it'll even itself out.

 

For 5th Gens, when the light comes on, you have between 3 and 3.5 gallons. Guessing 60 miles when the light comes on is pretty close to accurate (safety margin). And yes, it will hold 18.5 gallons (I've put in 17.9~ish gallons on a road trip once).

 

I have heard that it is better to not let tank stay below half for very long because of condensation in the tank. As for saving time ... wear loafers, then you save time not having to tie your shoes. Just my .02

 

it worked out... many times I'd hit 1/2 tank and not see a gas station until another 1/4 was used.

basically when I saw the tank hit 1/2 I'd keep an eye out for a station. It worked for me and didn't noticeably add to my time.

 

okay no matter when you get gas, it uses the same time in the long run.
fill up on empty - less often, longer at the pump
fill up at 1/2 tank - more often, less time at pump

 

Dumb argument but, just to be picky, how about the time waiting in line to pay inside or even getting the credit card approved? It takes time just to select the grade, walk into the building, etc, etc. In the long run they add up too.

 

it all evens out if you run out of gas just once.

 

Sure, but there's a huge difference between half tank and running out of gas. Something like 9 gallons...

 

you guys are actually arguing this...

when it's below 1/2 start looking for a station... the extra 2 minutes ever 3 days you're going to waste standing in line to pay or "getting the credit card approved" (can't believe that one ) is all going to be worth it if you run out of gas and have to wait 2 hours for AAA or someone to stop and help.

 

Be sure to turn off all electronics. You have twice the chances of blowing up...

Seriously, You do whatever suits you. Different strokes for different folks. Peace.

 

dont talk on the phone, cause you will die
and really, if you are trying to save time. just pump and drive off. that will save lots of time

 

Wow. Do you ever find the time to take a crap?

 

That's not true. Mythbusters on the Discovery channel proved this wrong.

 

Wow! Never expected this kind of response!. You all made my night. Thanks for the responses, and now that I know the "safety factor" I'll start filling up at a 1/4 tank....or was it a 1/2 tank....

David

 

just get one of those NASCAR external tanks and have a guy in a flame-suit run next to your car so it's always full... that should be the safest way.

 

confirmed - once I drove another 50 miles with the empty light on and my fuel pressure reading was still 39psi.

 

Like others have mentioned, its best to not let the fuel level get below 1/4 tank due to the residue at the bottom of the tank. You may save some time stopping at a gas station less, but you'll make that up when you spend a few hours at Nissan having your car tuned up because the injectors are clogged.

 

If you're really worried about sediments in your tank and clogged injectors, I have one little name for you: BG44K. Fill her up and let it soak in so all the crap has time to dissolve. I let my car sit with about half tank treated with the suff as I went out of town and I couldn't believe the difference when I got back 5 days later.

 

where to buy?? It's not at my local pep boys or autozone

 

Check this thread out. http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=263032

Some people have found it online for like $13-14 bucks, but I don't mind going to my dealer and spending $17 and not have to wait. It works that well.

 

ummmm... no.... because u have to take into account the time it takes for u to pull off the road and into a gas station... turn off ur engine... get out of ur car... slide ur credit card into the machine open ur gas cap and start filling..... and then putting it back in... and getting back in ur car.... so the more often u fill up needlessly... the more time ur wasting


not to say that u should let it run til empty all the time...

 

Just clean the tank out every once in a while. I haven't done it on my Maxima yet...

 

Have you ever been stuck at a gas station in a busy intersection where the guy in front of you is waiting to make a left turn into traffic, and you can't get around him to make a right?!?!?!

I thought I would have to turn around and fill up my tank again by the time he actually exited the station.....

 

Just get a horse and buggy....put a feed bag on the horse's mouth so you never have to stop and have him eat....and he can just sh.t while he's running. Not to mention, only maintenance is horseshoes....and hay and oats are cheaper than gas!

 

i would never let my car go that low...
becuase you might have dirt or other crap in your tank from filling up...and that might screw up somthing on your car

 

Do you guys always fill it to the rim? For me, I almost always (in recent years when gas hits $1.75 a gallon) buy just $20 when the tank is about 1/4 full. In older times (when gas was $1.45 a gallon), $20 almost always filled the tank to the rim.

 

I hit my highest mark last week and put in 17.1 gallons. The needle was almost touching the E limit bar on the gauge.

I thought it could go no drier....I cannot BELIEVE you got 18.5 gallons in that thing!

Amazing!

gr

 

Get a local race shop to weld in an axillary fuel tank in the trunk. Maybe you can double or triple your fuel capacity.
Keep the gas tank above 1/4.
Consider carrying some gallon size emergency "fuel" stuff that you add to the existing gas in the tank. Safe to carry in the trunk.