'98 SLS Fuel capacity question

[mrnuke7571]

I have a question regarding my '98 Seville SLS.

Supposedly the car has an 18.6gallon tank, But after filling it up fully with gas and driving it, the gage gets to E and the low fuel warning comes up on the DIC, but when I check the gas used, It is just under 15 gallons and when I fill it up, it's exactly how much gas the DIC says I've used.

Anyone else has this issue? Or is this normal?

[iametarq]

That is normal, at least from my experience with mine.

[mrnuke7571]

So even though it is on E it has still 3 gallons or more in there?

Anyone ever run theirs dry?

[Ranger]

There is a 3 gallon "reserve" or safety factor so to speak.

[submariner409]

Exactly the same on our '02. Once (ONCE) I ran it down to a 17.5 gallon refill, and then had headaches about running the in-tank pump dry ( a NO-NO !) When the lights come on, fill it up............

[mrnuke7571]

Yeah my other cars have a 2gallon reserve, but usually the 'reserve' display comes on so I wasn't sure. I'll just refill it every 15 gallons.

Thanks everyone.

[adamh21]

Chevy is notorious for having a 50 mile reserve when the low fuel light comes on on every model of vehicle the produce, from a 2.0L cavalier to a 8.1L avalanche 2500. At 16 MPG street, 3 gallons gives you 48 miles so yeah 3 gals is about right.

[jadcock]

I've long been in a habit of refueling when the gauge gets down to 1/4. It's usually truly at 1/4 of a tank at that point (and yes, the gauge does tend to drop off like a rock from there). But you never know when you'll be stuck somewhere, or have to make a big detour, or have to park on an incline, etc. Especially when traveling on the interstate, where you might have a 20 mile traffic snag, refilling before the tank gets mostly dry is just good practice (in my opinion).

Plus -- I never totally trust gas gauges. I'd trust that fuel used reading long before I'd trust an analog fuel gauge.

[Cadillacboy]

You can also trust in trip computer (fuel used section )

[JC316]

When I first got mine fixed, it was on EMPTY, it died on the way to the gas station. Took 16 gallons to fill it. When mine hits E, it's D-E-D Dead, I think the 18 is a misprint.

[adamh21]

Originally Posted by JC316

When I first got mine fixed, it was on EMPTY, it died on the way to the gas station. Took 16 gallons to fill it. When mine hits E, it's D-E-D Dead, I think the 18 is a misprint.

I dont know what your SLS is about, but on a trip from LA to Vegas where i live currently i pushed my gas farther than i should have, and when i got into vegas it was below the E line, i filled up and it took 17.7 gallons so... I dont know. I have a 98 SLS as well...

Adam