Fuel Tank Size
- Thread starter ionlyski
- Start date
Diamondsea
New member
Were you ripped off by a mal-adjusted fuel dispenser where you paid for 28 gallons while getting only 25 plus? I think the tanks only hold 26 gallons.
Sprinter SS
Well-known member
100 liters = 26.4 gallons US.
Well, all I can say is try it sometime. 28 gallons. When you come to the last bar on the cheezy 8 segment led display, you can still run 150 miles if you have to easily.
Yeah, I ran it out as I wanted to make sure to get every last bit of suspect fuel out of the system but the fuel I guess was fine. Plus I wanted to see exactly how large the tank really was because the gauge system is a joke.
By the way, is there a possibility of installing a REAL fuel gauge? You, know, with a needle that accurately points out the picture?
Arne
Yeah, I ran it out as I wanted to make sure to get every last bit of suspect fuel out of the system but the fuel I guess was fine. Plus I wanted to see exactly how large the tank really was because the gauge system is a joke.
By the way, is there a possibility of installing a REAL fuel gauge? You, know, with a needle that accurately points out the picture?
Arne
Old Crows
Calypso 2014 View Profile
That would be the simple answer.
T.J.T
Member
not to be rude, but a needle pointing at a picture is more accurate?
I never know if the top half of the tank is smaller then the bottom or the other way around. Are you going up hill and the needle moves or not? lol Know your milage and how many miles you have drove and you can do it that way. Some cars go for days on E (our sprinter) my CTS V goes maybe 25km on E and you are stuck on the side of the road. no gauge is accurate.
sailquik
Well-known member
Arne,
I agree with you!
Only problem is that MB likes the "cool factor" of a 10 segment system with a little fuel dispensing pump light to tell you when you are into the last 6.4 gallons (UMMV) (25 liters)...or 1/4 of the tank capacity.
I think most drivers would much rather get the message that they are down to the last gallon (or 2) and going into a "reserve fuel" mode.
If you are getting 20 mpg (UMMV) when a normal low fuel alarm/light/gauge lets you know you are now using the last gallon, it does not take a
rocket scientist to know you have 20 miles (or less) to get more fuel or you will be sitting at the side of the road out of fuel.
But maybe Mercedes Benz thinks we Americans (do they put the same silly guage systems in their UK/EU/AUS Sprinters??) are rocket scientists who like trying to figure out at the current 20 MPG exactly how far 6.4 gallons/25 liters/1/4 tank will take us.
Rocket scientist that I am not, I can calculate that 6.4 gallons (if everything stays the same...no uphill grades...no heavy stop/go traffic...no head winds) I will run out when the odometer hits 128 miles. Since it can be very harmful to the Sprinter to run it completely out of fuel, think I'm going to start looking for fuel @ 118 miles on the ODO???....not in the USA where diesel is not always easy to find!!!
A simple fuel gauge could probably be devised to work off the same electronics, or a simple float gauge with a rheostat arm could do the same thing, but where's the "cool factor" in that?
It's like so many other things in life these days.....it's all about "marketing".
Not sure if you've seen the way some total moron has combined all the "options" available on the 2013 and 2014 Sprinters into "options packages".
They are completely silly. Some of the things they've combined make no sense at all.
The idea, I think, was to put some of the things we all want into more expensive "packages" so you had to order the more expensive "package" to get the basics that you want/need.
Seemed to me that since they are building the Sprinter to MY specifications, I would have been better off simply picking the things I want/need off a laundry list of everything they offer.
They were correct though, the new 2014 is going to cost me at least $5,000 more that any of the others I've bought off the lot.
Roger
I agree with you!
Only problem is that MB likes the "cool factor" of a 10 segment system with a little fuel dispensing pump light to tell you when you are into the last 6.4 gallons (UMMV) (25 liters)...or 1/4 of the tank capacity.
I think most drivers would much rather get the message that they are down to the last gallon (or 2) and going into a "reserve fuel" mode.
If you are getting 20 mpg (UMMV) when a normal low fuel alarm/light/gauge lets you know you are now using the last gallon, it does not take a
rocket scientist to know you have 20 miles (or less) to get more fuel or you will be sitting at the side of the road out of fuel.
But maybe Mercedes Benz thinks we Americans (do they put the same silly guage systems in their UK/EU/AUS Sprinters??) are rocket scientists who like trying to figure out at the current 20 MPG exactly how far 6.4 gallons/25 liters/1/4 tank will take us.
Rocket scientist that I am not, I can calculate that 6.4 gallons (if everything stays the same...no uphill grades...no heavy stop/go traffic...no head winds) I will run out when the odometer hits 128 miles. Since it can be very harmful to the Sprinter to run it completely out of fuel, think I'm going to start looking for fuel @ 118 miles on the ODO???....not in the USA where diesel is not always easy to find!!!
A simple fuel gauge could probably be devised to work off the same electronics, or a simple float gauge with a rheostat arm could do the same thing, but where's the "cool factor" in that?
It's like so many other things in life these days.....it's all about "marketing".
Not sure if you've seen the way some total moron has combined all the "options" available on the 2013 and 2014 Sprinters into "options packages".
They are completely silly. Some of the things they've combined make no sense at all.
The idea, I think, was to put some of the things we all want into more expensive "packages" so you had to order the more expensive "package" to get the basics that you want/need.
Seemed to me that since they are building the Sprinter to MY specifications, I would have been better off simply picking the things I want/need off a laundry list of everything they offer.
They were correct though, the new 2014 is going to cost me at least $5,000 more that any of the others I've bought off the lot.
Roger
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Old Crows
Calypso 2014 View Profile
Oh MY! We actually have to do maths to figure out how many miles we have left in 6.4 gal/25L? Maybe once..... If you use a conservative average mpg... say 15 or 16.... it's 100 miles +/- reserve. ~128 if your getting 20mpg. The variable is the mpg not the fuel remaining which is probably with in ml or oz of always the same value when the light comes on and stays on.
I'm not understanding why you would want to push the reserve down to bare minimum usable fuel just to see how far it will go. These are mighty heavy boat anchors without power.
Checking back 3 years of fueling data. Average mpg on Ventura is 17, just. It might squeek 19+ on a single tank on a good day ... not always. Using the metric system, it's 6L/100Km... or as little as 5L/100km. My point is, using "'merican' mpg calculations the mpg varies between 15 and 18 something on every fill up. Metric... it's rock steady at 5 to 6 L/100Km .. a more steady value. With such consistency in either method... why would I have to hand calculate each and every 'distance remaining' when the bleepin' light goes on? There's enough data to show that estimating 15 - 17 mpg is a valid number for mileage (but probably less when you are low on fuel.. (Murphy's Law ... your consumption will increase exponentially to the volume of fuel remaining when the fuel light comes on!) So, once and done! 26.4 gallons = about 100 miles remaining.
I'm not understanding why you would want to push the reserve down to bare minimum usable fuel just to see how far it will go. These are mighty heavy boat anchors without power.
Checking back 3 years of fueling data. Average mpg on Ventura is 17, just. It might squeek 19+ on a single tank on a good day ... not always. Using the metric system, it's 6L/100Km... or as little as 5L/100km. My point is, using "'merican' mpg calculations the mpg varies between 15 and 18 something on every fill up. Metric... it's rock steady at 5 to 6 L/100Km .. a more steady value. With such consistency in either method... why would I have to hand calculate each and every 'distance remaining' when the bleepin' light goes on? There's enough data to show that estimating 15 - 17 mpg is a valid number for mileage (but probably less when you are low on fuel.. (Murphy's Law ... your consumption will increase exponentially to the volume of fuel remaining when the fuel light comes on!) So, once and done! 26.4 gallons = about 100 miles remaining.
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OK, peace everybody. If you're happy with the segments keep on smiling.
I was just asking if anybody knows of a way to install an analog style gauge with a needle that constantly moves microscopically to indicate changes in the volume of fuel.
When the segments jump from one down to the next your are rarely looking at it when it happens. Since the the different segments last different amounts of time (I only get about 10 miles out of the 2nd to the last segment) and you don't know how long ago the segments actually changed from one to the other, you can never really say how much fuel you have left.
Carry on,
Arne
I was just asking if anybody knows of a way to install an analog style gauge with a needle that constantly moves microscopically to indicate changes in the volume of fuel.
When the segments jump from one down to the next your are rarely looking at it when it happens. Since the the different segments last different amounts of time (I only get about 10 miles out of the 2nd to the last segment) and you don't know how long ago the segments actually changed from one to the other, you can never really say how much fuel you have left.
Carry on,
Arne
THe idea of running a tank "empty" to free it of suspect fuel is also a bit strange IMHO! If I had suspected bad fuel, I would pump it out and filter it for use, or send it to the recyclers! The idea of saving ~$100 worth of fuel to risk damaging a very expensive fuel injection system, just seems pennies chasing dollars.
Icarus
Icarus
autostaretx
Erratic Member
Easy peasy...
Find an *old* (early 1960's) VW... they had a mechanical fuel gauge.
The float connected to a bicycle-cable which connected to the back of the meter.
Float changed position, needle moved. No electrons were involved. Worked with key out of ignition.
Recalibration for the Sprinter would involve adjusting a lever arm length at the gauge end.
This was an upgrade from their earlier technique of "no gauge". (to 1961)
You'd drive until the engine stopped, then twisted the little handle (to "reserve") that changed the fuel pick-up from one that was about 2 inches above the tank bottom to one that was about a half-inch tall (OK,ok... i'm willing to believe it was 4cm and 1 cm).
Unfortunately you *did* have to remember to switch the valve back to "normal" after filling up, or the next run-out would find the handle already in the "drain the tank" position.
...which brings us to the optional round gas can that neatly fit in the center of the spare tire's wheel in the trunk.
(in later years, i saw some that were plastic)
--dick
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Graphite Dave
Dave Orton
Even better was the 4" dia. bug gas cap. No questions about how much was in the tank. Just remove cap and peer in. If it was almost empty, you could get $5.00 worth of gas in. Also liked the defroster on my 65 van. One towel stuffed behind the drivers seat. Instructions: wipe inside of glass as required. The other good news was the ability to fix anything on the vehicle. Masters degree in electronic engineering was not required.