prymal

Ok,

My trip computer said I have 21 miles left until empty and my gas guage was right near the empty line (much less than 1/4 tank), plus my gas light was on. A sure sign that I should fill 'er up as soon as possible.

So, I pulled into the nearest gas station. However, she only required 14 gallons. I thought my max was 20 gallons??

So, I guess my question is... do we have a 6 gallon reserve and/or why is it not calculated in the trip computer?

The absolute most I have ever filled up my tank is 14 gallons. In previous cars, I might have a 2 gallons reserve, but 6??

Have I been smoking too much?

blackmax4

Nissan gives you a reserve of about 4-6 gallons. It took me a while to get use to having so much gas when the warning light comes, but you'll have to live with it.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

I think thats kinda smart since the car does suck alot of gas..........

Mike_TX

There's been lots of threads about this in this forum and in the Infiniti forums. Nissan, like most mfr's these days, provides a large margin of error when it comes to fuel level.

The reason - aside from not wanting you to run out of gas and get stranded in the boonies - is that there is crud in your gas tank, some of it floating on top of the gas and some like a sludge in the bottom of the tank. When the gas level runs really low, that crud can get sucked into the fuel filter and fuel pump, possibly clogging them. And if that crud gets by the filter and into your engine, it could clog an injector and cause a problem.

Your fuel tank capacity is 20 gallons, and it's there if you really need it. But the best practice is to go ahead and fill up when the low-fuel light comes on, or preferably before. I like to fill up when mine hits a quarter-tank ... never know when you might need it!

Mike

silvermax2k2

iTrader: (1)

off topic but... did you PS your sig pic? looks good.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

hell yea, I don't think you can get 22s on the OEM 18s HAHAHAHAH........

thanx....

Maxium

Honestly, do you think the Maxima sucks up gas? I think the Maxima is excellent on fuel consumption. Hehe, my Jeep sucks gas like a drunk at a frat party. Check this out.

Jeep 2.5L 4 cylinder
19 gallon gas tank
Average 12 MPG

Normally I have to fill the Jeep up around 228 miles, and that was not being heavy on the happy pedal. Normally I'm filling it up around 185 per tank. Pretty bad for a 130 engine horse power truck.

Off topic I know, but for me the Maxima seems like a tree huggers kind of car with a man card chip (265 hp). Best of both worlds…

joemax1

I agree. The Maxima is not THAT bad with gas. of course, if u want a car that's gas-friendly, get a Corolla-S. I heard it uses 42mpg or somethin'.

SilverMax_04

Good advice.

I've filled up my Max when the gauge was at 3/4 tank, 1/2 tank and 1/4 tank remaining. In all three cases, the gauge was quite correct, taking within one gallon of expected (ie: 5 gallons, 10 galllons, and 15 gallons) in each case. But when you get below 1/4 tank, the measure goes off. I filled up once with the gauge reading empty and only put in 17.698 gallons. This means there was about 2.3 gallons still in the tank.

Warnings:
- It is difficult to completely fill the Max gas tank. The auto shut-off on most gasoline pumps does not let you completely fill without going through multiple auto shut-offs. Hint: Wait after each shut-off and listen for the gasoline to stop flowing.
- Your gauge may not work exactly like mine did.
- In cold weather you want to keep more gasoline in your tank to reduce the ability of condensation to form and put water inside the tank.

I generally try to fill up between 1/2 and 1/4 tank for all of these reasons.

joemax1

I also have the habit of filling her up when its about 1/4 of the tank left, esp during the cold/winter/snow season, because i don't wanna be stuck in the ditch along the interstate waiting for a tow truck! I also find it comforting to know I have a full tank! Everytime I see my gauge going almost "empty", it scares the crap out of me!!!

Phil75070

My previous vehicle got about 19MPG combined and with a smaller tank I was filling up just about once a week. I'm doing the same with the MAX but usually have about 80-100mi DTE when I do!

NIKV69

My 05' SE gets quite good gas mileage considering. I average 21 MPG normal driving and on my trip out here to NV I averaged 26 MPG doing 80-90 MPH.

Getting back to topic yes there is a reserve of about 4 gallons maybe a little more. I too was suprised to see my Max only take 16 gallons when the fuel light went on. Hey I don't mind, keeps us from running out of gas!

lightonthehill

The 'reserve margin' on the 6th gen is only a gallon or so more than the 5th gen.

The extra cushion could also be a lifesaver if you happened to need gas in an area where, for whatever reason, there is a power outage. Gas pumps do not work without power.

When I lived in the desert in southern Arizona (years ago), I usually filled up at the first station I came to once my tank was half empty.

One more thought: if you run out of gas, you could damage (and have to replace) the catylic converter. Replacing the cat for that reason is not covered under warranty. You don't want to have to do that. Unless your first name is 'The Donald'.

SilverMax_04

In addition to the cat converter, the fuel injection system does NOT like to have no fuel to pump. Running out of gasoline in an older vehicle with a carburator and no cat converter is no big deal. You don't want to do that in any of the more recent vehicles. Be good to your Max and keep her fueled.

carcus

I never let mine get less than 1/4 tank....last thing I want is a fuel pump or filter problem. Now a days, not cheap like the inline filters of old. Anyone remember those, you just took them off, blew into them, a few bucks to replace in the engine compartment. Last thing I want is crap sucked into the filter or pump running on empty or low.

wsu

If the large margin of error to which you refer is based on Nissan's attitude that it is better for the gauge to be VERY convervative so people won't run out of gas, such an attitude makes some troubling assumptions. I like to know where I stand on the gas I have left. If there are still 4 gallons or so left when the light comes on or the needle says empty, I think that is too conservative of a gas gauge setting and it may be that that Nissan assumes it knows better than owners regarding when to fill the tank (e.g., owners can't be trusted with the actual facts or can't manage their fuel themselves). I want to make informed decisions based on real, not false information. The way that Nissan calibrated the fuel gauge reminds me of a person who sets their clock 45 minutes fast to make sure they are never late...but of course the individual knows their clock is 45 minutes fast. Given the excessive reserve in the tank, I find myself accessing the fuel economy screen quite a bit to get a more accurate idea of the fuel I have left. To me, this is an unecessary and bothersome step. All I want to know is how much fuel I REALLY have left.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

Nissan tells you, you have a 20 gallon tank. They also tell you there is a 4 gallon reserve. It's not that hard to firure out. Just look at your 1/4 notches as 1/5. When it hits E there is 1/5 or 4 gallons left.

would you prefer there be 3 or 2 or 1 gallon reserve? If you really cared to bother to figure out how much you have, the calcuation would be that much harder.

the MPG is set off of the 16 gallons, not 20. when you hit E, shortly afterwards your miles left goes to *. if you're averaging 20MPG, you have about 80 miles left. besides, it's only an estimate.

tototee999

answer this~

cpu says i have 47 miles left on the tank but the low fuel light hasn't lit up yet... is that because i have 6 gallons left on reserve? =o help..?

lightonthehill

When the cpu says you have 47 miles left, it partially bases that on what kind of driving (mpg) you were getting in very recent miles. It could be based on getting 28 or so mpg if you are rolling down a freeway, or 16 or so mpg if you have been sitting in city traffic.

Whatever, the cpu thinks you can go 47 miles before your light comes on and you need to consider refueling.

I would guess you probably have between six and eight gallons left; around two gallons to get your light on, plus from four to six more left as a reserve.

Those who have not kept up with the ongoing guel gauge discussions here need to page back and consider the many VERY expensive problems/repairs running out of gas in the 6th gen Maxima can cause.

wsu

I appreciate that there are significant (read "costly") problems that can ensue with running out of fuel. That said, in my opinion the discussion and speculation in the above quote reinforces my point that people should not have to speculate on how much is left in the tank. If one assumes that when the needle gets to "E" or the light comes on then there are four gallons remaining, then one can view each quarter of a tank marker on the fuel gauge as only 1/5 (instead of 1/4). Other than the mileage estimate/calculation from the 4 gallons and less point in the fuel tank (e.g., if I have been, or am, averaging 22 mpg, I have approx. 88 miles left), that still leaves one a bit in the dark about the last four gallons . So then I can set one of the trip odometers and monitor it for approaching 88 miles or check the DTE on the fuel economy screen, but I still maintain that it would have been better to make the gauge more accurate. I appreciate that there is a reserve to preclude or minimize the chance of one running out to fuel. I disagree that the reserve should be 20% of the total fuel tank volume.

SilverMax_04

My experience with the fuel gauge over about 28 K miles of driving is as follows:

3/4 Tank of gas remaining -- takes about 5 gallons of gas on fill up.
1/2 Tank of gas remaining -- takes about 10 gallons of gas on fill up.
1/4 Tank of gas remaining -- takes about 15 gallons of gas on fill up.

In my experience, it is only just below the 1/4 mark that the gauge starts giving somewhat misleading readings. If you stay above 1/4 tank of gas you should have no problems with this gas gauge. If you typically like to run on empty (not a good practice in humid climates), you need to learn to live with what this gauge is telling you.

blakstarz

I also think that depends if you are heavy footed on the pedal and like to punch every now and then......I'm guilty of it....

MADMAXRT

I am new here I just bought my 04 Maxima SE a month ago with the 6 speed, I just want to say i have been getting between 25-29 mpg on a full tank, To me thats great, I also own a 99 Dakota RT with a 360 in her with some mods that gets 10 pg on average, so if you look at it that way its not bad at all.

lightonthehill

As city driving is impossible to quantify (unless one measures the seconds standing at every light, measures every wait, constantly records rpms, etc), I don't make the mistake of trying to measure that; just too many variables.

Theoretically, one could sit in a traffic tieup through an entire tank of gas and get o.ooooo mpg. My 1966 Olds 88 got 11 mpg on the freeway, 8 mpg around town, and around 5 mpg in city traffic. On premium gas.

On open interstate trips, my '04 SL usually gets 28 or 29 mpg, but I have gotten as high as 31 mpg on several trip segments. That is very similar to the mileage I get with my '00 SE.

BUT, my '04 SL has more horsepower (265 to 222), more room, wider tires, etc, etc, than my '00 SE.

There is no question the '04 Maxima is not the best vehicle to be using in inner-city traffic. A smaller engined vehicle, or even a hybrid, would be much better in the sit, go, stop, go, sit, etc city jams.

But I am very happy with the gas mileage my '04 has given so far.

wsu

Because of the 4 gallon (approx. 20% capacity) reserve, what the gas gauge is telling one is not correct - it's always off by around 20%. Furthermore, it tells one nothing regarding the fuel remaining at equal to or less than about 4 gallons (i.e., the point at which the needle is on "E").

SilverMax_04

You obviously misunderstood what I was saying. I will try to say it in a different way.

With a 20 gallon tank, you would expect that when the gauge says 3/4 tank remaining, you would need 5 gallons to fill the tank (1/4 gone times 20 gal = 5 gal). In my experience buying gas, when the gauge reads 3/4 tank, it takes about 5 gallons to fill the tank. The same holds true for 1/2 tank (takes about 10 gallons) and 1/4 tank (takes about 15 gallons). So, my point is that the gas gauge is only "off" near the bottom of the tank. I have learned to depend on the gauge and usually fill up the tank before it gets to the 1/4 tank level.

wsu

Thanks for the clarification. I'll fill my tank at the same reference points that you mentioned and see if I get similar results (e.g., if it takes 5 gallons to fill when the gauge is at 3/4 full, 10 gallons to fill when the gauge says 1/2 full, and 15 gallons when the gauge says 1/4 full).

From the information you provided (and if we accept that the reserve when the gauge first hits "E" is four gallons) are you saying that there is only 1 gallon of gas from the 5 gallons at the 1/4 marker to the 4 gallons when the needle first gets to "E"?

joemax1

Last night while I was driving home from a friend's house 100++miles away, my gas guage hit "E" about 25miles from the next gas station. When I reached the gas station and filled up, I placed 15.7 gallons. I do believe we still have approx. 5 gallons left when the gauge hits "E". But I don't want to take chances. If I can help it, I always fill up when my gas gauge is at 1/4 full, that way, I don't have to worry about running out of gas or damaging my fuel injector or engine or whatever. That's my "Rule of thumb". I also don't wanna run my car until all the gas is used up just to see how "accurate" my car's computer is in its calculations...

SilverMax_04

Note that I said approximately 5 gallons (etc). Also, given manufacturing tolerances, every gauge will be somewhat different. Any who feel they have a problem, should do the check by filling up at set marks and see what their Max's gauge is actually telling them. I do not advocate going below where the warning light comes on at about an eighth (1/8) of a tank, unless you do not have a choice.

NIKV69

Your gas gauge is designed so that your not sitting on the side of the road!

Do not let your tank go under a quarter. I make it a point to always have at least a third tank of gas. SO FILLER UP!!!

wsu

I filled this morning at the 1/4 empty, 3/4 full marker. It took 4.6 gallons to fill the tank.

SilverMax_04

I've not seen a post here on this before -- about putting more fuel into tank after the auto-shut off on the gas pump shuts off. I normally continue filling until the total price is a full dollar. When doing this, you need to wait and listen to the fuel flow into the tank. It sounds different when the tank is close to full. When the noise stops, start pumping again.

I suspect you could have squeezed more fuel into the tank. It would not take much to squeeze another 0.2 gallons. That would get you to 4.8 gallons, which is very close to 5.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

um it is highly reccomended to stop when the pump stops. this was discussed a good while back. easy way to spill gas everywhere is the smallest concern.

wsu

I don't like to top off the tank because I don't want to risk a fuel spillover. Also, I always use a credit card, so I don't worry about round dollar amounts.

If I added 0.4 gallons to the 4.6 gallons I put in to fill up, I think that would put me to 5.0 gallons rather than the 4.8 you mentioned above.

SilverMax_04

Thanks for catching my typo. It should have said 0.2 gal. I'll go back and fix it.

I put extra in my tank every time I fill up. I've never had a spill in the Max, but you can't rush it. IMO the Nissan quoted 20 gallon capacity requires you to "top the tank" to get that much in it. Also, every gas pump has a different auto cut-off point. Some are more sensitive than others.

chulo15157

Hi everyone i am new to this and am seeing that everyone is getting over 20mpg.. I can't understand why my 05 Maxima get's only 15.1 mpg. I'm sitting on 20's but still i don't think rimz alone will drop me 5 MPG. Any suggestions?? Also, if i change me intake to Berk V2 any one want to take a guess how much more the MPG will go down?

04BlackMaxx

This Thread Makes Me Wanna Scream

MaximaPolak

iTrader: (9)

It's a safety for those idiots that drive 'til they run out of gas...and get stuck on the highway (and have to walk ).

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

you stil don't get it?????

Nissan designed the Maxima to guage 16 gallons!!!!! When it says E as in "empty" "time to refuel" "get to a gas station" you have approximately 4 gallons left. There is a 20 gallon capacity with 4 gallon reserve.


tell me about it

joemax1

I still coudnt believe that THIS is an issue!