38 Gallon Gas Tank Question

Even though the price of fuel has finally gone down the last couple of weeks 38 Gal. is $120+ here.

 

Cost of living is just ridiculous there, not to mention some other ridiculous things.

 

I was born here and I'll be 50 in July and the changes that I have seen over my life in CA is NOT for the better. There is a lot of BS you have to put up with. It's a great place to live if you have money is what it really comes down to. Unless you are out in the desert somewhere. If I ever come into some real money I would be gone in a heartbeat.

 

You’ve had a few more birthdays than myself but I couldn’t agree more. NewScum will lead us down a dark- liberal-socialist hole only he and Pelosi could dream of. He’s already taking about wanting California a “nation within a state.”

 

Side question on the fuel tanks, I came outside after a few hours of returning home. I heard a buzzing and pretty sure it’s from the fuel pump or this box. Started the truck, let it run, then turned it off. No more buzzing. Any ideas why?

 

Normal

 

I have the 38 gal tank but I rarely let it get lower than “200 miles remaining”. That’s how far it is to my “bug out” home and I want to be able to make it there. But nice to know that you still have miles to go even at zero.

 

Filled up my ‘19 with a 38 gallon tank, the computer states I have 463 miles to drive before empty. At 15 miles per gallon which is what I average, the trucks computer believes I have a 30.8 gallon tank. The result, there is 7.2 gallons not being accounted for by the trucks computer. If I’m doing my napkin math correctly, I could expect to get an additional 108 miles before my tank truly ran dry (15mpg X 7.2 gallons). Does this sound similar to all of your experiences?

 

Yes, sound about right.

 

Pretty sure computer doesnt go off of 38 gallons tank capacity. Pretty sure it goes off of when the fuel light will come on or "0 miles to empty"/"refuel now"... tank has about a 6 to 8 gallon reserve based on my experience.

 

yes, that is correct. for me, when the low fuel light comes on, I have about 8 gallons left in the tank. at 15mpg, I have another 120 miles until empty. I never use the "distance to empty" display. I always calculate my mileage and I truly know how far I can go. the most that I have ever put in the tank when filling it is 35 gallons.

also, running the tank low on fuel does not hurt your fuel pump. According to @LOTSOFTOYS (he is a Toyota mechanic), the pump does not need fuel to cool itself. see his posts here:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/ask-the-toyota-mechanic.2404/page-41#post-686797
https://www.tundras.com/threads/ask-the-toyota-mechanic.2404/page-41#post-690620

 

Yep.

 

The reserve is to keep
The fuel pump cool. Of it goes to close to empty it can burn up due to heat in the pump. That’s what I have read and heard on other vehicles.

 

That’s good to know. I have read otherwise for other vehicles and with the mileage being at 15 it would be a good idea to have a spare amount to get to a gas station.

 

This is not true.

 

Yeppers

 

Hey all, new member here. Need to start posting comments since I have a hood to sell so might as well start here (and apologies if mentioning that breaks the rules!) I occasionally run until my light comes on and the most I’ve put in is 32 gallons. Like the idea from one of the earlier posts about hitting the trip button when he hits zero and knows they have another 80 or so miles to go, gonna use that! On another note always love how these conversations always seem to start back at the beginning around page 3!!

 

I wonder how many miles I have after the light comes on hauling a wife with a purse (suitcase) full of 20#'s of girl accessories, a loaded 65 RTic cooler and an 85lb labrador??? Anybody got a good calculator??? LOL

 

I’ve also got the 38 gallon tank. My fill up routine is when the tank is at the half way mark I go fill it up but I have noticed that my every time I start the truck the Fuel Range keeps going down. When I first bought it it was at 570 Miles. Last month I noticed that it was at 507. Yesterday it was at 487. Is there a way to reset it ?

 

I believe the number is based on your average consumption. Driving a lot of city miles recently (or being a lead foot) knocks it down. Driving a lot of highway miles will raise it.

 

Unplug the battery and it will reset until it calculates your gas consumption again.

 

@19Voodoomax , If you have your display on "Average Fuel Economy", hold the Disp button and it will reset. My 2015 does.

 

My half way Mark, filled up is about 15 gallons, so 30 is about right. Don't need to go past E

 

OMG I'm gonna be sicker than my pancreatitis. 38 gallons for under 80 bucks? I've been living in SoCal for way too long. That would be about 130 bucks here easily. I know I am getting goosed out here; every time I head out on vacation and enter Arizona the first thing I do is fill 'er up and take a deep breath in a free state.
I always filled the tank on my old 2002 every weekend, if it was down at least a third, and do the same thing with the new truck despite the bigger tank. Always run as if tomorrow is when the 'big one' hits and you can't get gas anywhere for love of money, or there is a riot or something. You never know out here. 7 or 8 gallon reserve sounds like a lot but I'm not gonna bank on that if it hits E; I see enough conked out cars on the freeway and I don't wanna be one. Running out of gas is one of the stupidest things to have happen.
The trip range displayed appears to be constantly changing. When I was doing a lot of open highway it was higher and when I do the commute grind it recalculates lower; it's only a best guess based on however the algorithm is written. So I take it with a grain of salt and just do what I did with the old truck.

 

I always fill up around the time the light comes on. Always 30-31 gallons.