The Original i30 Owners Club

GENERAL STUFF => GENERAL DISCUSSIONS => Random Chit Chat => Topic started by: Phil №❶ on September 23, 2011, 00:15:35

Title: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Phil №❶ on September 23, 2011, 00:15:35
It says in the handbook not to top off the fuel tank when filling with fuel. Is there any particular reason not to do this. It is a habit of mine to fill to the brim as I like to keep accurate consumption records. I have a drive of 30k immediately after filling, so fuel expansion has never been a problem in the past in my petrol cars. :question:
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Surferdude on September 23, 2011, 01:34:07
I think you've answered your own query. I'm sure it's just a safety factor to prevent messy expansion if they drive round the corner and park in the sun for the day, or home is close and they park in the driveway which maybe has  a slight incline to it.
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Waja on September 23, 2011, 07:29:01
When filling up as diesel tends to foam a bit it can spurt back up and spray on the body and I have heard that if diesel will eat away through the paint/top layer leading to bubbling and flaking etc if not washed off. Doesn't stop me from filling it to the brim for the last ~60,000km  :whistler:
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Alasama on October 01, 2011, 03:42:20
Usually I won't fill up to brim, the reason is to reduce car weight loading for some extent. Moreover, filling fuel based on volume, not on dollar. Because they always round off the digital which is under 1 dollar.  :happydance:
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Phil №❶ on October 01, 2011, 05:19:46
Not worried at all about weight, the engine pulls the car fine up 550 metres altitude through hills to my home. I just hate wasting time at service stations. Also in Australia, fuel is charged at 1 cent which is 1/100 of our dollar, very accurate for measuring fuel volume.  :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 01, 2011, 07:08:32
I've always filled my diesel to the brim - have on occasions put 60+ litres in the 53 litr tank, but I always drive it straight away afterwards for some distance and have never had a problem.
I too do it for the same reasons - accurate fuel records for every tank and also I like to spend as little time as possible at service stations.
Finishing filling after the first flick and filling to the brim can mean the difference between five or seven days' driving before refuelling.
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Dazzler on October 01, 2011, 07:49:47
I can usually get only about 55 litres of unleaded in my 65 Litre tank in the Hybrid even when it gets down to a "cruising range" of only a couple of KMs  :undecided:  Not game to run it into the negative with the petrol electric combination... :sweating:
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Phil №❶ on October 01, 2011, 07:55:59
Yes, it's probably not recommended to have a pool of ULP under your car on a hot day through tank venting. Not recommended, but not quite so bad for diesel. I drive 30ks +550 Metre climb to my home after filling. :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: beerman on October 02, 2011, 11:29:32
Always top off, never had a problem with it.....I guess time will tell.
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: ElleB on October 03, 2011, 12:35:41
Wow DB08....... :Shocked:

60+ litres has to be a record for filling the CRDI, I think Rustynuts had reported the highest fill capacity up till now!!

Can you verify that pumps in WA are calibrated the same as the in the Eastern states!!!! :lol:

I just arrived back home today from a trip to Broken Hill and back, ( with a week in between) in the CW auto and was hoping to nark all my mates that also went on the trip by making it from Kurrajong to BH  ( 1067kms ) on a tank.....all was going well, but I chickened out at Wilcannia and did a " splash and dash... didn't want to run the risk of getting caught short and having egg on my face. :happydance:

Averaged 5.6 lts /100K over and 5.7 back, sitting on about 105km/ hr on cruise control a lot of the time, which allowed full attention to be on dodging the road kill. :p

 If I was sure about the 60 lts... then it would have been "game over"... but........

 FYI we filled up immediately the red light came on today and squeezed 54 lts into the tank.... ( 944 kms )

Interested in anyone else's experience to this yet unsolved topic... capacity. :wacko:

Elle B
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 03, 2011, 12:55:36
I've kept records of every fill from day 1 of owning this car.
Most fills have been less than 60 litres but the fills of or above 60 litres are as follows:-
61,97 litres
60.34
60.01
60.22
60.57
61.68
61.75
61.29
60.52
63.55
62.35
60.60
60.36
60.42
60.26
60.34
60.12
60.07
60.00
60.54
61.10
60.23 litres

Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Phil №❶ on October 03, 2011, 13:01:30
db08

Er, There aren't any fills under 60 lts.  :eek:
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 03, 2011, 13:07:06
db08

Er, There aren't any fills under 60 lts.  :eek:
There are many more fills under 60 litres. I just didn't list those  :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Phil №❶ on October 03, 2011, 13:09:17
Roger that  :exclaim: :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 03, 2011, 13:17:58
I've done 103,000 + kms.
I've re-fuelled 113 times since taking delivery of the car on April 15th 2009.
The ones listed above are just those fills  that were 60 litres or more.
All the rest of the fills were less than 60 litres.  :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: beerman on October 03, 2011, 13:53:18
63.55 Gutsy call........I have passed 60 a couple of times, but only just.....

There wouldn't have been much left at 63.55 surely?
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 03, 2011, 14:03:58
63.55 Gutsy call........I have passed 60 a couple of times, but only just.....

There wouldn't have been much left at 63.55 surely?

63.55 litres was on 9/11/09. Vehicle's kms were on 24176. The trip distance was 1011.7 kms & I filled with Caltex Vortex.
No, not much left!
It's all recorded, every tank.  :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: beerman on October 03, 2011, 14:31:26
Ahh memories.....

Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Lakes on October 04, 2011, 07:48:18
well, on my second i30 CRDi & always fill to the top no problem.
but most i ever seem to get into the tank is 57Lt think 58Lt once when i went 100k with fuel warning light on.
just wondering how far you go Dave with warning light on to get 63Lt in the tank? mybe i could have gone 200k with light on?
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 04, 2011, 07:57:23
The only time I tried to go more than 70 kms with the fuel light on, I ran out of fuel.
So now I try to refuel as soon as possible after the fuel light comes on. It varies, probably between 5 & 30 kms I guess.
Here is the receipt from my last fill just to show they are over 60 litres  :)

(http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz244/WAPOL5666/Misc/Image0171.jpg)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Dazzler on October 04, 2011, 10:32:02
Gee that is amazing Dave  :Shocked:  (You paid cash  :lol:)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 04, 2011, 10:44:02
Gee that is amazing Dave  :Shocked:  (You paid cash  :lol:)

 :lol: :lol: You're a funny guy   :lol: :lol:

My cheques tend to  :happydance: a bit
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Lakes on October 04, 2011, 10:48:58
The only time I tried to go more than 70 kms with the fuel light on, I ran out of fuel.
So now I try to refuel as soon as possible after the fuel light comes on. It varies, probably between 5 & 30 kms I guess.
Here is the receipt from my last fill just to show they are over 60 litres  :)

(http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz244/WAPOL5666/Misc/Image0171.jpg)


Dave they must have something in the way they measure the fuel different over WA than here. but Thumper said he got 61Lt into his tank too, maybe you wait longer? i fill mine till i see the unfoamed diesel full to top of filler, but i know if you wait an air pocket or what ever bubles up and can get more in. or you might have car on angle not perfectly leavel? would be interesting to be able to compare WA to NSW on same day but long drive!
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Phil №❶ on October 04, 2011, 10:56:18
maybe they have smaller litres in WA  :rofl:
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 04, 2011, 10:59:07
Everything's bigger in the west  :)

The car is always level when refuelling, but I do fill it completely, right up to the brim so that the fuel is up to the lip of the fuel filler neck.
That way it is always consistent. I usually use one of a couple of service stations (usually Caltex Vortex or BP Premium) but this time was a Peak because I was caught short.
Plus I needed to refuel.  :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: ElleB on October 04, 2011, 13:17:55
Well It beats me!!!

Are we to assume that the red light comes on around the 58 ltr mark in your hatch .... as I said yesterday.... I squeezed in 54 lts immediately after mine came on....one would think that the red warning light would be consistent from car to car, but .... :confused:

Can someone please find an i30 that has " passed on" at a wreckers  and get a tank so we can do a measured test...??   :winker:

BTW... how much trouble did you have priming the fuel pump when you ran out , given that it is not the recommended option ?

Thanks for the "proof" provided.... :)

 Cheers
   Elle B
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Doggie 1 on October 04, 2011, 13:35:00
It was actually quite easy to prime it once I'd found the right section in the owner's manual.
It was pretty self-explanatory and I'm certainly not the most mechanically-minded person on Earth  :-[
No problem re the "proof." In fact, I'd probably still have most, if not all, of the dockets from the past for all the other over 60 litre fills too.  :)
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: eye30 on October 04, 2011, 19:28:05


(http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz244/WAPOL5666/Misc/Image0171.jpg)

What's the idea about rounding.

I see on this sale it is 2 cents. 

Now if rounding is between 1 and 9 cents that all adds up for the seller, nice little earner, plus I presume tax is on the final sale total,
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Lakes on October 04, 2011, 19:44:52
Well It beats me!!!

Are we to assume that the red light comes on around the 58 ltr mark in your hatch .... as I said yesterday.... I squeezed in 54 lts immediately after mine came on....one would think that the red warning light would be consistent from car to car, but .... :confused:

Can someone please find an i30 that has " passed on" at a wreckers  and get a tank so we can do a measured test...??   :winker:

BTW... how much trouble did you have priming the fuel pump when you ran out , given that it is not the recommended option ?

Thanks for the "proof" provided.... :)

 Cheers
   Elle B

ElleB, i think sometimes the fuel light comes on premature if fuel getting low & you go up a big hill or might be down a big hill? & fuel moves around causes light to come on. people here have mentioned there light has came on then latter gone off then more k's & it's came on & stayed on. i've driven 40k with mine on in sydney traffic & as i have stated 100k with it on in the country. but i don't make a habbit of this, it's just i try to fill at same servo in sydney so if light comes on & i have to do 40k to get to that servo to fill. but the most i've got in is 58Lt, i keep the dockets too, i thought maybe the new car 2011 SLX CRDi might be different to my old 2008 SX CRDi but i drove same & did exactly what i did with old car and got 57lt in first fill up, did 97,000k on old car have almost 8,000k on new one. ( less than 8 fill ups )
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Surferdude on October 04, 2011, 21:41:28


(http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz244/WAPOL5666/Misc/Image0171.jpg)

What's the idea about rounding.

I see on this sale it is 2 cents. 

Now if rounding is between 1 and 9 cents that all adds up for the seller, nice little earner, plus I presume tax is on the final sale total,
We no longer have 1 or 2 c coins in Australia. 5c is the smallest denomination. So "rounding" takes place on a cash sale. Had the cents part of the bill been 67c it would have rounded down to 65c.
So generally things even out over time on the law of averages. If you pay by credit card or cheque or DD, rounding doesn't (shouldn't) happen.
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: beerman on October 04, 2011, 23:42:02
Quote
ElleB, i think sometimes the fuel light comes on premature if fuel getting low & you go up a big hill or might be down a big hill? & fuel moves around causes light to come on. people here have mentioned there light has came on then latter gone off then more k's & it's came on & stayed on. i've driven 40k with mine on in sydney traffic & as i have stated 100k with it on in the country. but i don't make a habbit of this, it's just i try to fill at same servo in sydney so if light comes on & i have to do 40k to get to that servo to fill. but the most i've got in is 58Lt, i keep the dockets too, i thought maybe the new car 2011 SLX CRDi might be different to my old 2008 SX CRDi but i drove same & did exactly what i did with old car and got 57lt in first fill up, did 97,000k on old car have almost 8,000k on new one. ( less than 8 fill ups )

I have noticed this too. Sometimes the fuel light comes on, and I get home. By the time I start the car the next morning, the light is off and sometimes stays off for 20k. Every other car I have had, if the light is on, its on the next morning too.....
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: druggist on October 05, 2011, 01:09:01
My light comes on at about 40 litres.
Title: Re: Diesel - Topping Off
Post by: Lakes on October 05, 2011, 06:44:22
maybe some are different to others, my gauge needle is right at empty with light on. i would estimate @ 40Lt the needle would be somewhere around 1/4 tank mark or slightly less. but i also estimate that from about the first fuel cut out when filling up, to when the fuel is brimmed to the very top of filler kneck. there is another 10Lt's. so with my 58Lt fill first fuel pump cut out would be at about 48Lt's. takes patients to fill right up. i think i've had people complain while they waited but they calm down  and wait. City people.
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