gas question

[kbflip02]

ok so i own a 1994 infiniti j30 and all the spec sheets ive seen say this car has a 19 gallon fuel tank....however the most i can ever get in there is maybe 16 if its been running on empty for a really long time and i keep trying to put gas in even after the thing clicks...is there something wrong or are the specs ive seen just wrong???assuming somethings wrong i wonder what could cause this

[fogged306]

I'm pretty sure they are 17 gallon tanks

[yodawill2000]

Fuzzycats is your friend !!!Bookmark it !!!

http://www.fuzzycats.com/j30_specs.htm

[kbflip02]

then why is it soo hard to even get 16 gallons into my J?

[Jakw]

I'm pretty sure the gauge is made to say empty before it really is. Also, the fuel light probably comes on with maybe 4 or 5 gallons(?) left. Otherwise, those people that fill up when the ligh tcomes on might run out of gas on the way to the gas station.

On a related note, my gauge never hits 'F'. The pump always stops when there's an eighth tank, sometimes a little less, to go. I don't know what that's all about,

[yodawill2000]

Where was the needle when your low fuel light came on ??Mine never has.Ive heard theres about 4 gallons left when the needle hits E.

[gr8scott72]

Where was the needle when your low fuel light came on ??Mine never has.Ive heard theres about 4 gallons left when the needle hits E.

One way to find out for sure. Put a gallon tank of gas in the trunk and hit the road. Run it till it dies.

[brandonjustice93J30]

I've never seen my light either...I get scared when the needle hits just below E

[kbflip02]

unfortunately im not balsy enough to run my car until it dies(besides i heard thats REALLY bad for the motor)but another wierd thing is that ive gotten my needle passed the F but its never ever gone below the E....hmmm...weird

[gr8scott72]

unfortunately im not balsy enough to run my car until it dies(besides i heard thats REALLY bad for the motor)but another wierd thing is that ive gotten my needle passed the F but its never ever gone below the E....hmmm...weird

I guess if you were WOT when it went dry, that would make it go lean but even that would only be for part of a second. Other than that, I don't see how it could be bad for the car.

[yodawill2000]

If I ever do that it will be idling in my driveway.

[gr8scott72]

If I ever do that it will be idling in my driveway.

It will take a long time to idle out 3 gallons of gas.

[fogged306]

I'm pretty sure the gauge is made to say empty before it really is. Also, the fuel light probably comes on with maybe 4 or 5 gallons(?) left. Otherwise, those people that fill up when the ligh tcomes on might run out of gas on the way to the gas station.

On a related note, my gauge never hits 'F'. The pump always stops when there's an eighth tank, sometimes a little less, to go. I don't know what that's all about,

This is true, but I can assure you it isnt 4 or 5 gallons. It isn't even 2. Believe me, I know first hand. When that light comes on you won't get 40 miles out of it, I tried.... long trip home and I forgot my wallet.

[yodawill2000]

I just wanna see the light to make sure it even works !! When I said 4 gallons I meant when the needle hits E. Not after the light comes on.

[StevieRaySTL]

On a related note, my gauge never hits 'F'. The pump always stops when there's an eighth tank, sometimes a little less, to go. I don't know what that's all about,

-- Too much pressure, pull out the nozzle and top off, repeat until full. That's how I do mine.

I don't see how it could be bad for the car.

-- Letting the tank run dry lets any debris or metal particles to get sucked in. It can ruin the pump, most likely for cars with a lot of miles and people who put just a few bux in their tank at a time.

When that light comes on you won't get 40 miles out of it, I tried....

-- I have. Went from St. Peters to Oakville, it's probably 40ish mi. I'd guess there is 2-3 gallons left when the light comes on.

[puck]

-- Letting the tank run dry lets any debris or metal particles to get sucked in. It can ruin the pump, most likely for cars with a lot of miles and people who put just a few bux in their tank at a time.

I've heard this before, but it makes no sense. I'm no expert, but doesn't the fuel pump always draw gas from the bottom of the tank? It is not like it draws from the top when the tank is full and lowers the level that it draws from as the tank empties, right? If I'm right, then any debris at the bottom would be sucked in regardless of the gas level.

If I'm wrong, please explain.

[gr8scott72]

I've heard this before, but it makes no sense. I'm no expert, but doesn't the fuel pump always draw gas from the bottom of the tank? It is not like it draws from the top when the tank is full and lowers the level that it draws from as the tank empties, right? If I'm right, then any debris at the bottom would be sucked in regardless of the gas level.

If I'm wrong, please explain.

You are correct. Plus, there's this nifty little thing up towards the engine called a fuel filter to catch anything that does get thru.

[NegusJT]

speaking of gas, wat kinda gas milage r u guys getting. i am gettin like 13-15mpgs........its really killing me!

[gr8scott72]

speaking of gas, wat kinda gas milage r u guys getting. i am gettin like 13-15mpgs........its really killing me!

Depends on who is driving it.

My wife consistantly gets 21 MPG.

I always got 19 MPG.

[brandonjustice93J30]

depending on driver and mood I've seen from 26mpg on a long trip to 19 for in town for work and back driving and around 15 or less if I'm in an agressive mood.

I average on a bi-weekly basis about 300-330 miles, usually a 15-16 gal fill-up

[NegusJT]

soooooo wats up with my car then. i mean i have never hit 300 miles on a tank.........barely over 200 when i first got her. i honestly would loooooove my j if it was that good on gas. she doesnt idle rough or anything like that........sooooo i dont know. i mean my 86' cressida get better gas mileage.

[fogged306]

A LOT of things affect gas mileage. Properly inflated tires, using the right octane, how you drive i.e. lead foot or drive it like a grandpa, where you drive i.e. hills and things like that. How much city vs. highway miles you drive per tank, clean fuel and air filters, fresh plugs, clean injectors, whether or not you let your car idle when cold, even synthetic oil can give you a little bump in mileage... I'm sure there are some things I missed.

I get usually 20-22mpg avg. in the spring and summer when I'm not using my remote start, and a lot of that is city driving surprisingly. These cars were epa rated at 17 or 18 combined I think.

[gr8scott72]

A LOT of things affect gas mileage. Properly inflated tires, using the right octane, how you drive i.e. lead foot or drive it like a grandpa, where you drive i.e. hills and things like that. How much city vs. highway miles you drive per tank, clean fuel and air filters, fresh plugs, clean injectors, whether or not you let your car idle when cold, even synthetic oil can give you a little bump in mileage... I'm sure there are some things I missed.

I get usually 20-22mpg avg. in the spring and summer when I'm not using my remote start, and a lot of that is city driving surprisingly. These cars were epa rated at 17 or 18 combined I think.

Two important ones that you missed:

A good MAF sensor

A good O2 sensor (two of them actually)

[kbflip02]

how would i know if my O2 sensors were bad though..would there be a light or anything...thats definately something i would too look into...because i baby my car as much as possible...always use 93 octane, always used synthetic, and had ym throttle bodies and injectors cleaned recently...i used that seafoam stuff in my gas and oil...i was wondering that because on my 95 J30 i got hell of a lot better gas mileage then i do now...now i only get 17 city ....used to get about 19-20 depending on how well i babied her...u know

[gr8scott72]

how would i know if my O2 sensors were bad though..would there be a light or anything...thats definately something i would too look into...because i baby my car as much as possible...always use 93 octane, always used synthetic, and had ym throttle bodies and injectors cleaned recently...i used that seafoam stuff in my gas and oil...i was wondering that because on my 95 J30 i got hell of a lot better gas mileage then i do now...now i only get 17 city ....used to get about 19-20 depending on how well i babied her...u know

Best way to tell is a SUDDEN drop in MPG.

[StevieRaySTL]

how would i know if my O2 sensors were bad though..would there be a light or anything...

-- Check engine light. I haven't been through it in my J but I have in a Honda and a Lexus, and the CEL was indicating O2 sensors in both cases.

[brandonjustice93J30]

Anyone that has replaced the o2's....how long did it take or did you have a shop do them and how much?

Looks like I'm keeping the J for at least another year (or as long as it keeps running) so I'm looking at doing a few maintenance items to get caught back up along with the exhaust, headlight relay and brakes.

[gr8scott72]

Anyone that has replaced the o2's....how long did it take or did you have a shop do them and how much?

Looks like I'm keeping the J for at least another year (or as long as it keeps running) so I'm looking at doing a few maintenance items to get caught back up along with the exhaust, headlight relay and brakes.

O2 sensors usually aren't that hard to replace.

You just unhook the harness, unscrew the old one, screw in the new, and hook the harness back up.

I've not done one on the J but have done many other cars and can usually do them in about 20 - 30 minutes, without a lift.

[fogged306]

Two important ones that you missed:

A good MAF sensor

A good O2 sensor (two of them actually)

Ahh yes, good catch.. I knew there was something I was forgetting

On mine there is 4. but thats because I'm OBDII I believe. I just changed the two downstream ones that were in my cats. Very easy job to do.. about 20 mins each w/o a lift. Probably not the same on yours but I had to remove my center console to get to the plugs because they were inside the car on the top of the trans tunnel. Like I said probably different on yours because you dont have them in the same spot as mine, but all you need is an o2 sensor socket and a long 1/2" socket wrench to make the job easy.. all that getting hot and cooling down makes them a little tough to get off, but they are usually installed with some type of lock resistant coating on the threads.

[brandonjustice93J30]

never mind....I was thinking pcv's being a pain to get to

I had a senior moment and was thinking about the wrong part.