Fuel tank only takes 40 litres

[Fgwdriver]

I have a 64 reg diesel Octavia and when my fuel tank is showing virtually zero when I fill up I can at most fit 41 litres in it. Does anyone else have this problem as I thought it was a 50 litre tank.

[Isocrem]

The fuel tank is 'around 50 litres' as per the manual.  How many predicted miles on the maxidot range when the gauge shows virtually zero? It might be your gauge is some way off.

 

EDIT: The max I've got into mine is 48 litres (with 10 miles or so predicted range), so if you're putting in only 41, there should be plenty of fuel left.

Edited 20 December, 2016 by Isocrem

[Fgwdriver]

It has been showing 10 miles. Took it to a Skoda dealer and they said there was nothing wrong with it as this was a safety feature of the car but I do not believe them so am taking it further

[octyal]

It's normal - you will never completely drain the fuel tank for numerous reasons, mainly the pick up pipe, the design of the baffles etc so only getting 41 litres in wouldn't be a cause for concern.

[KenONeill]

As above, plus the tank design will trigger the pressure cutoff in most fuel pumps with about 5l of air in the top of the tank.

[Neily03]

I've done about 30 miles with the range on zero and only been able to put about 48 litres in.

[Fgwdriver]

But surely a 50 litre tank when it hits reserve should only have 6 litres approximately left in it? So filling it up when near empty I should be getting more than 41 litres in it? As I could assume when my tank is showing zero I could still run the car further as I still have 9 litres of fuel in which really makes the fuel gauge redundant. I have never had this problem with other cars I have owned.

[SC03OTT]

It's normal. What's the deal with so many people doing this anyway? Just fill up. It's hardly the same adrenaline buzz playing fuel light roulette as jumping from a plane.

Edited 20 December, 2016 by SC03OTT

[old newbie2]

But surely a 50 litre tank when it hits reserve should only have 6 litres approximately left in it? So filling it up when near empty I should be getting more than 41 litres in it? As I could assume when my tank is showing zero I could still run the car further as I still have 9 litres of fuel in which really makes the fuel gauge redundant. I have never had this problem with other cars I have owned.

Why 6 litres as a reserve?

 

If you really want to fill it to the brim, it will take some time but it's usually possible to dribble more fuel into the tank if you have the time & patience.....

 

Welcome to modern diesel fuel tank design.........

[Redboy]

What's the problem? Why would are you ' taking it further' and what result do you expect except a good ignoring? Cars traditionally had larger tanks but they also had atrocious fuel economy. Yours is diesel and probably does 450-500 miles between fill ups. Even the busiest business user has to stop at the services eventually for a break.

[Fgwdriver]

6 litres as stated in manual. And also performing simple mathematics.

Well if a car is advertised as having a 50 litre tank and you can only put 41 in then one would assume there's a problem.

[GoneToBeemer]

Personally I just think 50 litres is too small a tank, but hey ho, there's more to worry about in life!

[Isocrem]

 It's hardly the same adrenaline buzz playing fuel light roulette as jumping from a plane.

 

Oh, I don't know

 

https://youtu.be/TuEdU_lrtZk

[MoggyTech]

Perhaps the OP's tank has a troll inside.  :notme:

[gregoir]

6 litres as stated in manual. And also performing simple mathematics.

Well if a car is advertised as having a 50 litre tank and you can only put 41 in then one would assume there's a problem.

I'd expect a 50l tank to contain 50l of fuel. But I'd not expect to roll up to a petrol station with a bone dry tank. I usually fill up asap when the warning light comes on. I'm delighted to have a warning light rather than just guessing when I need to fill up.

[Fgwdriver]

That's my point when I fill up when my warning light comes on I'm lucky if I get 30 litres in

[Dr Zoidberg]

The Mk3 does seem particularly cautious, warning that you are empty and then taking just over 40 litres to fill up. It seems to be a combination of the computer telling you to fill up when you've got plenty left, and the design of the tank meaning that it stops fuelling before it's full.

With a bit more experience you'll find you can run it down lower, and gently fill the tank to get a few more litres in after the first cut off. I've still never used more than 46 litres though.

By contrast, my Bravo was easier to use all the capacity, so I managed to get 54.5 litres in a 55 litre tank once.

[neiln]

I've squeezed 49 litres in once having driven 11 miles past 0 indicated range.  Iirc the man with no aim posted he'd squeezed about 51 or maybe 52 litres in once, must have been on fumes and filled the filler pipe.  Either your gauge is out by more than most, or your driving hard and it thinks you'll use another gallon to do the remaining indicated range, as they seem to hit 0 range with 3-5 litres remaining.

[Gaz]

I usually fill up as soon as my light comes on and looking at my Fuelly history, I'm typically filling up between 45 & 47 litres.  The most I've ever got in there is 49 on a couple of occasions.

 

If you know your MPG, why not run it past 0 miles left for a safe number of miles to see if you can get more in your tank?  Might get you a better idea of your tank's capacity.

 

Must admit it's not something that'd really bother me - better an early reminder to fill up IMO.

 

Gaz

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

This historic thread suggests it's pretty common and normal:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/280953-fuel-tank-size/

We've had a few complaints of this nature, particularly from those who have switched from an analog gauge to a digital one who don't trust the new gauge.

We're happy to lend customers a fuel can and let them carry out their own testing; on two occasions this meathod has worked well and the customer has been very happy with their results.

[Gerrycan]

I'm getting a bit fed up with every new Briskoda diesel owner raising this as a new topic.

Could the moderators 'sticky' any one of the existing half dozen threads? Please?

 

Not having a go at the OP as it is questionable that Skoda have to be this conservative with a diesel. but sometimes it worth using the search before posting.

Incidentally for the umpteenth time of posting the true capacity of the Octavia mk3 FWD models is at least 55 litres (diesel or petrol).

[brad1.8T]

It's normal. What's the deal with so many people doing this anyway? Just fill up. It's hardly the same adrenaline buzz playing fuel light roulette as jumping from a plane.

Because sometimes you need a full tank of fuel to get from A-B and you need to know that the fuel gauge and DTE are accurate?

 

I drove Cobar to Broken Hill last month.  The DTE said 450km with 3/4 tank fuel.  I was debating whether to fill up and then realised it was 470km with only one fuel station in between (and no guarantee they have fuel.  

 

40L or 50L usable capacity can mean the difference between completing the journey and being broken down in the middle of nowhere.

 

On the way home, we did 1300km in 12 hours with up to 300km between fuel stations.  10L means you can get another 100km up the road with a little headroom without stopping.

[Gerrycan]

I agree it is important, probably annoying for those experiencing it, and a common enough query that it should be pinned up top so it is easy for newbies to find.

 

I did that route some years back with the family during the big drought and ended up completing the last 50 kilometres to Cobar (where we were booked in overnight) in the dark at a 30 kph average as the Kangaroos were three deep by roadside the whole way. It was like a section of a mountain stage of the Tour De France with the crowds. Next day the carnage on the roads from dead roos and overnight high speed trucks was a bit sobering.

Apart from emus, lots of feral goats and a few feral camels, there was not a lot to see but really dry landscape through to Broken Hill. Still loved the experience though.

Probably a lot more lush when you went though.

Edited 21 December, 2016 by Gerrycan

[PetrolDave]

By contrast, my Bravo was easier to use all the capacity, so I managed to get 54.5 litres in a 55 litre tank once.

I could regularly get 65 litres, and once got 68 litres, into the supposed 63 litre tank of my Audi B7 RS4 even when there was supposedly 20 miles range left - go figure???

[Ootohere]

That would be the tank full, the filler pipe and possibly it was vented so the expansion space also had fuel in.