To all '97 owners-

Hi! I have a 97 SE, 5-speed, and from what I understand in the owner's manual, the fuel capacity for my model is 18.5 gallons. I usually get about 350 miles or so out of the tank before the gas gauge gets really low, and soon thereafter, the low fuel warning light will come on. This is strange, considering the fact that when I gas up, thinking that I'm running on fumes, I can usually only fit 14.5-15 gallons in the tank, leaving three plus in there already-this seems like a lot of gas to have still in the tank to make the low fuel warning light come on (3-4 gallons makes for 75-100 more miles-no chump-change).

Has anyone else had this experience? What's the furthest you've pushed your Maxima when the low fuel light comes on (shades of that Seinfeld episode with Kramer test driving that car to the limit with the salesman!)?

Thanks to all replies!

 

I dont think I have a fuel light...I've never ran out but I've tried to get the light to appear and can't.

Do a search theres a long thread about this.

 

i have a 97 also and i've run it to over 425 miles for a tank... and i think that it only took like 16 maybe 17 gallons to fill it up! i don't know man... i usually just play it safe and fill it up when that light comes on but i bet you could go alittle farther than we take it...

much respect,
mike

 

I finally decided to check if my fuel light was working.

The orange light came on when my needle was on the E line. I won't do it again though because I prefer having more fuel in the tank and I don't want to fry my fuel pump.

 

That is perfectly normal. When I fill up, I always pump around 15.5 gallons. I ran my car dry until it stalled once. When I'm really runnin low, I've pumped in about 17 gallons too. But thats as low as you can get.

 

i usually run my car for about 20 miles after the light first comes on, and i fill up about 15.xx gallons...and if you start going really low into the reserves, it's not good for your engine and fuel pump because it will start sucking up all the dirt that's at the bottom of the tank

 

One thing I found out last Sunday was that if I let the go down to between 1/4 and Empty I lose fuel pressure at the track. I had to leave, put 10 bucks in and them come back and it was ok. I would also be concerned about cooling the pump and what would happen running nitrous as well, so from now on its over the 1/4 mark for me at the track.
I have run it down to where the light comes on and just past the E mark as well just to see. It seems to work ok on the highway just not under maximum acceleration from a dead stop.