Does everyone's fuel gauge do this?

I'm a new owner and only on my 3rd tank of gas in my 06 Tacoma, but I've noticed something odd about the gas gauge. When I fill it up the gauge reads just past the full line and dosen't move for about 30 or 40 miles. I also seem to get more miles out of the first half of the tank than the 2nd half. Is my gauge off or is everyone's like that?

 

Its either just you and I or everyone. Mine does it also but I get about 86-92 on average from full to the 3/4 mark.

 

Let off the gas

I usually get about 125-135 until the 3/4 mark. If its all highway i've hit 145 before

Yeah my gas gauge is strange too. It must be all of them.

 

Mine do that, i get about 40 km before the needle actually starts to move, then it begins to move very quick towards empty....

 

I wish it was that easy. I'm pulling the double cab with the 4.0, 4x4. I envy you and your mileage. If I go any slower my daughter won't ride with me anymore, shes 3 and says I drive like a grandpa, think my mom taught her that.

 

Haha yeah, well there I times I envy you and your 4.0......then again those are usually the times when I need to cool it anyways haha.

 

I'm not sure on the details, but it has a lot to do with the calibration.

The tanks have a set full and set empty value (per the system/gauge/etc).

Filling the trucks up until the pump shuts off, might actually be 'overfilling' the tank based on the full value of the system. That's why it appears to take forever to drop the first miles. It'll read FULL until the system senses that the gas has actually gone below it's full value.

I get 100 miles on the first 1/4 tank. - which would make you *assume* I would get 400 miles to the entire tank. Nooooo way... I get about 330 (max I've taken it to).

 

That's what I was thinking when I had 200 miles at the 1/2 way mark. I have yet to get 300 miles out of a tank. Haven't taken any road trips yet so there's still hope.

 

Mine does that too its nothing, I just wished it stayed full

 

I couldn't have explained it better.

 

the reason for this is most likely the shape of the fuel tank and the type of sensor toyota uses. think of it like a beer bottle (something im sur most of is can relate to). the neck of the bottole is consumed rather quick because the total volume is small but when you get to the base the level goes down alot slower because the volume is larger. if the fuel tanks are larger at the first 1/4 tank that would account for the odd level drop.... just my 2 cents

 

That makes total sense Janster, i was thinking of that too.... now in these hot days i have to use the a/c always on thats affecting my mpgs i think.....

 

I've actually heard that most modern vehicles are more efficient with the AC on and windows up than with no AC and the extra drag that open windows cause. Would be interesting to see an experiment done to see if its actually true. Probably is true for highway but maybe not for city driving.

 

well i can tell for a fact that a/c on has dropped my km/lt with no ac on all the time i managed to get around 395 km for a full tank until the empty tank light came on, now im getting about 335 km, i would do the experiment, but this 105° F weather doesnt allow me to do that

 

my truck does the same thing. I'll ususally get 90-110 miles on the first quarter tank, but less after that. Actually thats happened with every vehicle i've ever owned. I used to have a 94 blazer and the last quarter tank would take me half as far as the first quarter tank. It has to do with the floater in the gas tank that the fuel level sending unit uses. The floater has a limited range of motion, but you can put more fuel in even after the floater is at its highest point. Thats why the first 30-50 miles don't register on the fuel gauge, giving the impression that the first quarter tank lasts longer.

 

You could always open up the gauges and tweak the needle down until it rests on the full line. It would cost you less to fill up everytime too since your gauge would end up reading less fuel than you actually have.

And my needle does that too.

 

well actually i've been documenting this for the past two weeks, i take pictures of my gauge and my trip odometer very time i can since the last time i filled up my tank, i will post them as soon as i get the empty tank light on.....

 

mine does that to, and by half a tank i am at about 150 miles

 

MythBusters did a show on this and it is true. They filled two identical cars up with gasoline and did the test one with A/C on the entire time and one with the windows all down. The A/C car finished last, ie, it used less gas for the same distance than the car with all the windows down. So I don't feel near as bad now because I use my A/C all the time!

PS. Highway speeds were used for this test. Under 40 MPH I bet the open window car would go farther.