24.5 vs 26.5 fuel tank, different tank or different programing?

After being overly catious and making a number of 18.5 gallon fill ups in my 2016 with the small tank I went the other way and drove right past the fuel NOW light, added 25.5 gallons.

This got me wondering, it it a different tank or does the light come on 2 gallons earlier to make the silly Americans think their 4 banger is cheaper to fuel?

I believe that all but the awd versions have the standard 26.4 gallon factory tanks. The transfer case on the awd models reduces the capacity to 24 gallons. Any corrections are welcomed.

Never to miss the opportunity to call out for a larger capacity main tank replacement that compares to the 47 gallon ACGB tanks made in France that uses the same sender and does not hang any lower, is something I keep hoping for from one of our own manufacturers to step up and make for us here in the States. Not having to deal with an aux tank and refilling the main tank comes secondary to having a larger main tank. For what it worth.

Happy Veterans Day. They deserve all of our best wishes.

It would nice, I paid $1300 delivered to replace the 26 gallon tank in my gmc 2500hd with a 52 gallon tank, and it needed it. Twice the price for convince in a sprinter is tough, 30 usable gallons would be nice

jcmadeintheshade@gmail.com said:

I believe that all but the awd versions have the standard 26.4 gallon factory tanks. The transfer case on the awd models reduces the capacity to 24 gallons. Any corrections are welcomed.

Never to miss the opportunity to call out for a larger capacity main tank replacement that compares to the 47 gallon ACGB tanks made in France that uses the same sender and does not hang any lower, is something I keep hoping for from one of our own manufacturers to step up and make for us here in the States. Not having to deal with an aux tank and refilling the main tank comes secondary to having a larger main tank. For what it worth.

Happy Veterans Day. They deserve all of our best wishes.

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The new spare wheel tank from Agile is a transfer tank setup. I almost prefer this to the tank replacement since your fuel gauge will always be accurate. Start the transfer pump when filling your main tank, stop it when you're topped up. Transfer as-needed, but al least your gauges are accurate. That's my only hang up with the tank replacement idea is that your gauge will never be accurate.

I typically run 3 days from when I see the low fuel light in my 4 cylinder.
I have put as much as 94 L in it.

I stand corrected!
I was not aware that the smaller tank went in ALL USA Spec Sprinters starting in 2016.
Seems very odd to me!


The smaller 24 gallon tank were used on the 4x4/4ETS models.
The reason for the smaller tank is due to the transfer case taking up space just behind the
front axle on the LH side (USA driver on the LH side) so the fuel tank is necessarily shorter,
dropping the 100 liters (26.4 gallons) capacity back to 90.1 liters.
Roger

To be clear, I was referring to the 0 miles fuel now, not the low fuel @ 3/8 of a tank.

Build sheet on my van shows a 24.5 gallon tank, for the folks with the v6, how many gallons do you put in when the fuel gauge hits the bottom mark?

So am I.
I’ve sputtered into a service station once.
Won’t go that low again.

sailquik said:

jc has it right!
The only USA spec Sprinters with the smaller 24 gallon tank are the 4x4/4ETS models.
The reason for the smaller tank is due to the transfer case taking up space just behind the
front axle on the LH side (USA driver on the LH side) so the fuel tank is necessarily shorter,
dropping the 100 liters (26.4 gallons) capacity back to 90.1 liters.
Roger

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I understand that 24.5 gallon fuel tank became standard across all models ever since they brought the 4x4 to the USA/CAN market. They consider it parts simplification. I just looked at a 2017 USA ordering guide and it says 24.5 gallon tank (KB7) is standard on all versions.

Napabavarian,
Your numbers may be slightly off.
For ALL USA Specification Sprinters (2002 T1N's - 2018 NCV3's) the standard fuel tank capacity is 100 liters
(26.4172 US Gallons).
Not sure of the precise T1N fuel light protocols (I used to know them well when I drove a 2006 T1N 3500).
For the NCV3 the fuel light comes on at pretty precisely 1/4 (25 liters...6.6043 US gallons) tank of fuel left.
In order to determine how far that those 25 liters/ 6.6043 US Gallons will take you, you need to multiply
your current MPG (from your dashboard display) by the 6.6043 gallons.
As far as when you will "run out of fuel", the only way to truly find that out is to fill up a fuel can, and
drive until it runs out. (That is patently NOT good for your CRD diesel engine, and while it will get you the
answer, the damage doing so does may far outweigh having the answer, and the answer is highly variable).
How far you can go before you reach "0" fuel level is totally dependent on the fuel mileage you are currently
getting, which is variable depending on how much load/cargo is in/behind your Sprinter, which way the wind is
blowing (headwinds vs tailwind vs crosswinds) , the current terrain (uphill grades vs level travel vs downhill grades),
how fast you drive.....how fast you accelerate.....whether or not you shift out of gear waiting in traffic.....any
of the multitude of things a driver can effect from the driver's seat.
My 2014 516/3500 NCV3 4 cylinder @ ~7,000 lbs. went 559.3 miles this weekend, and used 25.203 gallons of fuel
resulting in 22.1918 miles per gallon. The low fuel light illuminated @ 418.7 miles. Temps ranged from 57 deg. F to
32 deg. F near the end of the trip.
One week ago, with significant headwinds, on exactly the same route, running a little faster on the Hampton Roads
Beltways and tunnel it was only getting 21.5845 miles per gallon so I decided running out of fuel late at night in the
Northern Neck of Virginia (Rt. 17 is pretty desolate from Tapahannock to Port Royal and US 301 is nearly as
desolate from Port Royal to Dahlgren) so I stopped in Tapahannock and added 3.390 gal. of fuel.
The dashboard display of the number of miles remaining until "0" fuel last week suggested I would run out of fuel
18 miles before reaching my favorite Murphy Express fuel stop.
This week it suggested I would only be 2 miles short and as it turned out I could have gone another 26.703 miles
on the 1.2033 gallons left in the tank.
I can normally make the round trip from that fuel stop, to my place in Cape Hatteras (Buxton) and back without
adding any fuel, but I watch side trips, and all of the environmental factors (headwinds mostly) and make a decision
based on when the low fuel light comes on.
Normally, if the fuel light comes on @ > 415 miles I can easily make the rest of the trip.
If the light comes on @ < 410 miles, I don't like to push it.
Hope this helps,
Roger

To each his own on whether one prefers a transfer tank or a larger capacity main tank that uses the same sender. It would not take long for one to get used to the expanded capacity with the original factory sender. Almost doubling the range would give anyone a better choice of where to fuel up. Depending on ones mpg's, being able to drive almost a thousand miles would be awesome.

Come on Titan or Arrow, you can step in to fill a need, and you have a perfectly designed model to use for an example. Titan especially, since you already make military grade plastic tanks for hummers. It would be worth your while.

Honor our Veterans.

I spoke with Titan last year, and their reasons where that MB is difficult to work with in getting the specifications for the underside of their vans. They also felt like a larger main tank wouldn't have a big audience since most Sprinter-based RV's have gray and fresh water tanks under there. And many commercial operators may not be interested in a tank that voids that part of the factory warranty.

I asked Agile if they could setup the 20 gallon side tank as a high-speed transfer tank, and they felt like they could for some extra money to re-drill it. This would give you the ability to wait until the main tank is showing 30 miles left, start the transfer, and within a few minutes, have a topped up main tank. This way, you keep your spare tire mount in place.

The space that the factory fuel tank occupies is not affected by other gray water tanks and their like. By replacing the main tank. ACGB just makes better use of the same tank space area to achieve the extended range.

The preferable Titan military grade plastic tanks can use the ACGB aluminum tanks as a model. There have been plenty of photos of those tanks from different angles to help with the design. They would not have to start from scratch.

I wonder how many preorders it would take to encourage Titan to take this on? Count me in as one. I would be there on their doorstep asap.

Arrow is another, but I believe theirs would be aluminum like the French made ones, which could work for us here in the States, if Titan chooses to not to ever make their plastic versions.

Over the years in several different vehicles I have developed a protocol that keeps the engine running all the way to the fule station, yet lets me max out the distance between stops.

It is this:

As the tank gets low and the "Low Fuel" light comes on I begin to do alittle simple math based on the fuel computer-indicated number of "miles" remaining in the tank.
If 100 miles remain, my protocol is to stop after fifty miles, then, when 50 miles remain the protocol shifts to 25 miles; then to 12.5 miles, etc. My judgement, experience with the vehicle's fuel performance and the availability of fuel stops guides me as how far to go to reach a really short distance in this logrithmic formula. I alway know that there is a little pad -- although maybe not much -- if I ever get to "0" miles remaining....

I have I4 engine in my 2016 144” 2x4 (high roof) with 15,000 miles. Added the FLV xcode in my Scan Guage. I purchased the Scan Guage at 8,000 miles. By the way, thanks to all here on the forum; the Scan Guage and tips have been an amazing help.

Upon fill-up the Scan Guage reads, each and every fill-up, 25.9 gallons. Once the diesel nozzle clicks I stop pumping. (Something else I learned on this forum — don’t overfill.)

When my low fuel light turns on I have exactly 5 gallons remaining. This is also constant, each time the low fuel light turns on 5 gallons (on the Scan Guage) remain.

For a larger-than OEM tank there is a post about a larger tank being installed on a 144” Sprinter at the Reno, NV MB dealer.

White Cloud said:

Over the years in several different vehicles I have developed a protocol that keeps the engine running all the way to the fule station, yet lets me max out the distance between stops.

It is this:

As the tank gets low and the "Low Fuel" light comes on I begin to do alittle simple math based on the fuel computer-indicated number of "miles" remaining in the tank.
If 100 miles remain, my protocol is to stop after fifty miles, then, when 50 miles remain the protocol shifts to 25 miles; then to 12.5 miles, etc. My judgement, experience with the vehicle's fuel performance and the availability of fuel stops guides me as how far to go to reach a really short distance in this logrithmic formula. I alway know that there is a little pad -- although maybe not much -- if I ever get to "0" miles remaining....

Click to expand...

That might work in heavily populated areas, but in the great wide open that is the American West, suitable fuel can be 100 or more miles betwixt and between.

jcmadeintheshade@gmail.com said:

The space that the factory fuel tank occupies is not affected by other gray water tanks and their like. By replacing the main tank. ACGB just makes better use of the same tank space area to achieve the extended range.

Click to expand...

Maybe we're talking about two different tanks? The ACGB tank we looked at buying extended to the driver-side edge of the van. This is where most RV makes put the fresh water tank. You can clearly see it from the underside install photo.



The other issue, as this blog pointed out, is the aluminum square that extends below the tank. Adding a skid plate to the tank would drop the skid plate lower than a skid plate on a plastic tank.

If you're not into driving offroad and don't use that empty space along the driver side of the van, then it could be a good option for you.

odix@yahoo.com said:

I have I4 engine in my 2016 144” 2x4 (high roof) with 15,000 miles. Added the FLV xcode in my Scan Guage. I purchased the Scan Guage at 8,000 miles. By the way, thanks to all here on the forum; the Scan Guage and tips have been an amazing help.

Upon fill-up the Scan Guage reads, each and every fill-up, 25.9 gallons. Once the diesel nozzle clicks I stop pumping. (Something else I learned on this forum — don’t overfill.)

When my low fuel light turns on I have exactly 5 gallons remaining. This is also constant, each time the low fuel light turns on 5 gallons (on the Scan Guage) remain.

For a larger-than OEM tank there is a post about a larger tank being installed on a 144” Sprinter at the Reno, NV MB dealer.

Click to expand...

You have to enter the tank size in your Scan Gauge. It doesn't read tank size from your Sprinter. Check your Data Card Option codes for tank size.

KB0 = Main Tank 100 Liters

KB5 = Main Tank 93 Liters

Boxster1971: Thank you! I need to RTFM on my Scan Gauge and update to 24.5gal if that's what I have. You may have saved me from an embarrassing situation thinking I have more fuel capacity than I really have.

I ran my VIN and it seems I have the 93liter tank (24.5gallon) but the code is "KB7 MAIN TANK 93 LITERS" and I'm not confident with the VIN decoders I used. I'll message Sailquick, he may still have access to the VIN-to-data-card service. Thanks again.

And yet if you fuel up when the low fuel light comes on it only takes 17 gallons