So im one of those people that wait for the low fuel light to come on before i get gas:bonkers: i know its probably not good for the fuel pump, but i've always been like that with all my cars...But anyway, i thought this car had a 17 gal tank but the other day i was able to put 17.1 gals in there, that was after driving the car about 12 miles after low fuel light came on...So how big is the tank anyway?
How much gas left in tank when "low fuel" light comes on?
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Yeah, I've had similar experiences - by the time the low fuel warning comes on the DIC, there is damn little gas left in the tank. I wouldn't try to quantify it, but it's time to look for petrol.
I'd be interested to know myself. I'm the same way, I don't even think about gas until I see the low fuel light. My truck has about 50 miles left in it when the light comes on, but with the V I don't get the feeling I have long. I will say that the gallons used calculator seems to be pretty accurate...last time I filled up I reset it, and the car took the exact amount from the pump that the computer indicated (17.1).
05 Stealth Gray CTS-V, 08 Light Platinum SRX V8, 05 White Diamond STS4 V8 1SG
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Generally that means your average MPG is also accurate. DTE, though, I wouldn't trust at the end of the tank. I understand people use it that way sometimes but that's just asking for trouble.
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Agreed. I think there's barely enough to get to the side of the road.
In my 04 mustang there was like 3 gallons still left when the light came on. Thats weird that this car only gives you such a short warning...First time it came on i was thinking i still had like 3 gallons left, good thing i didnt keep driving and got gas haha
so the tank is 17.5? wow, so that means the light doesnt come on till theres only about 1 gallon left, thats strange.
I agree. I'm a Harley guy, and I'm used to having approx. 30 miles left in the tank after I have to switch it to reserve. For some reason, that "30 miles" figure has always stuck in my head with respect to the low fuel warnings in all the cars and trucks I've owned over the years, and my V is the first vehicle I've had that appears to be way under that. I actually think there is less than a gallon in the tank when the warning comes on the DIC.
1959 Cadillac, 1980 Cadillac,Former 2005 CTS-V; now a 2009 V
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when the DIC "Low fuel" warning comes on, you can dismiss it by pressing 'ok'. After another few miles it will go on a second time.
... I've never tried pushing it further than that.
... I've never tried pushing it further than that.
While I'm aware this discussion is about how much fuel is left when the light comes on, you guys are acting like the light is the only source of info about fuel left in the tank. The analog fuel gauge does a great job of articulating the contents of the tank. This is an enthusiasts car and as the primary driver you should be aware of the gauges. If I'm driving along and I'm surprised when the low fuel warning comes up I consider that a failure.
Do a search for how many people have RUN OUT OF GAS.
A lot!
I look for a station when I hit 1/4 tank.
A lot!
I look for a station when I hit 1/4 tank.
No kidding? Wow, that's news.
I think you're missing the point.
05 Stealth Gray CTS-V, 08 Light Platinum SRX V8, 05 White Diamond STS4 V8 1SG
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GM has seemingly struggled with this exact phenomenon for decades. Yet some of their vehicles have totally normal gas gauges. My wife's 2000 Malibu is totally normal. My cousin's 2001 Z06 was totally normal. My 93 Caprice is just like our CTSs: non-linear and if it gets close to E, you are really close to E. The going theory for all the 80s and 90s Cadillacs with this gas gauge was GM was playing on human psychology. People reasoned that GM figured owners would rather see the first half of the tank take forever to go through, giving the appearance of good mileage. I never understood that explanation because the truth would be plainly obvious during the latter "half" of the tank. But it also doesn't seem to be a technological hurdle as they have cars that don't exhibit this. I also know that varnish on the sending unit wiper can cause non-linear readings, but it's really more of an exacerbation of a stock design characteristic. The cars, even new, did the same thing, just maybe not as bad. In fact, in the B-body community, someone went to great lengths to create an analog device that allowed you to calibrate F and E by inserting it in parallel to the sending unit output wires. On the Impala SS, this characteristic would actually break the functionality of the stock low fuel warning light. Once recalibrated, the gauge once again saw the correct 0-90 ohm resistance of the sending unit. My 95 Fleetwood was really low if the 16 bar VFD display changed to "low."
Run some Techron through a tank or two of gas and that should clean the sending unit up as much as is possible without replacing it or taking it apart.
A look through HP Tuners suggests that this might be correctable in software.
Run some Techron through a tank or two of gas and that should clean the sending unit up as much as is possible without replacing it or taking it apart.
A look through HP Tuners suggests that this might be correctable in software.
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"Decades" is right.
When I was in high school (many moons ago), I got to drive my mom's car quite a bit ... it had been my grandpa's car before that. It was a '60 Pontiac Catalina. 389 cu in, two-barrel carb, 4-spd auto, two-ton slug. HUGE bench seat made going to the drive-in movie a very comfortable experience.
Oh ... yeah ... back on topic. Yeah, I was coming to that. That dang gas gauge would go down right at "E" and that sucker would actually then go up just a bit. I bet I ran out of gas a half dozen times if I did once.
So, that's five decades that I can personally attest to.
When I was in high school (many moons ago), I got to drive my mom's car quite a bit ... it had been my grandpa's car before that. It was a '60 Pontiac Catalina. 389 cu in, two-barrel carb, 4-spd auto, two-ton slug. HUGE bench seat made going to the drive-in movie a very comfortable experience.
Oh ... yeah ... back on topic. Yeah, I was coming to that. That dang gas gauge would go down right at "E" and that sucker would actually then go up just a bit. I bet I ran out of gas a half dozen times if I did once.
So, that's five decades that I can personally attest to.
A while back, I had a 1997 Monte Carlo and my mom had a 1995 Lumina LS. They're both W-body cars, they both had the same 3.1L engine, and the same capacity tank. Neither car had a low fuel light.
Well, the Monte could be run down past the second red mark on the gauge, well past the "E" markings, and still have about 2 gallons left. I was visiting my parents, and found myself driving my mom's car...well...I will say it gets to the first warning line (there are two) and that car is out of gas. Basically the same car, and yet, very different fuel gauge behavior. GM fuel gauges are a crap shoot.
Well, the Monte could be run down past the second red mark on the gauge, well past the "E" markings, and still have about 2 gallons left. I was visiting my parents, and found myself driving my mom's car...well...I will say it gets to the first warning line (there are two) and that car is out of gas. Basically the same car, and yet, very different fuel gauge behavior. GM fuel gauges are a crap shoot.
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Caution, I've run it dry twice. When my light comes on it usually means I have about 3 miles. Found that out the hard way.
The gauges that accompanied your explanation from the 1980's were digital and read "full" at fill up and then counted down remaining gallons. With linear programing the gauge did not display "full" for very long (10-15 miles?) and owners complained about the perception of poor mileage. I'd prefer a linear gauge, but it's not so bad to have the gauge sit on full for a while, especially after dropping $60 in the tank.
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