My 2009 Land Rover LR2 ran out of gas this past weekend with 1/3 of a tank left and 116 miles showing on the range. I had just bought the car and was warned that the fuel gauge reads wrong, but it looked like it was working fine to me- range would always reset to ~350 at refills and the gas gauge would go to full. I think either the pickup is wrongly placed or something to do with the fuel recovery system. How can I diagnose? Thanks for any help.
ck this out- I ran out of gas Sun, and when AAA added 2 gallons it started right up. I drove to the gas station immediately and filled up with 8.2 gallons, so that means 10 gallons fills it up from empty. The tank holds 18.5 gallons. does that clear it up?
I believe a huge clue is this: I just found a dealer invoice for March of this year where the fuel pump was replaced.
Typical dealer probably thought the sender was bad and told the guy that he should replace it and might as well replace the entire fuel pump module since he was paying the labor anyway
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But that didn't work because the sender wasn't the problem
- fill it up at the pump
- record the volume of gasoline that went in
- compare this volume to your tank capacity (from owner's manual)
I can't get it to go empty. It runs out with 1/3 left. I can put in 2/3 of a tank each time.
I can't get it to go empty. It runs out with 1/3 left. I can put in 2/3 of a tank each time.
But that's what the gauge tells you, and you told us the gauge could be wrong.
You asked us how to diagnose the problem, so....
First, follow the method to see how much it is ACTUALLY using.
How do you know it's running out of gas if the gauge reads otherwise?
The reason I ask is because from what you say, you added around 10 gallons of gas to an 18.5 gallon tank to fill it when it was supposedly empty.
That just doesn't make sense. It had to have around 8.5 gallons of gas in that "empty" tank for adding 10 gallons of gas to fill it.
Maybe something else is happening here and it should be pretty easy to test the theory.
What if the one-way vent valve in the gas cap is clogged?
Its job is to let air into the gas tank as the fuel level decreases, but not allow fumes to escape from the tank.
As the fuel level decreases in the gas tank air has to be allowed in or a vacuum begins to build inside the tank.
At some point (maybe around 1/3 to 1/2 full from a filled tank) that "vacuum" will overpower the fuel pump which is trying to pump fuel out of the tank to the fuel rail.
The theory can be tested and it won't cost a nickel by simply removing the gas cap during the next "out of gas" event which will allow the pressure inside the tank to equalize with the outside atmospheric pressure, and see if the Land Rover starts.
This is a good theory but I really don't want to be in a position to run out of gas again. How about this- next time I fill up at half way, I listen for a sucking sound? I have filled up at least 10 times at half tank and haven't recalled an obvious sucking sound.
Either replace the gas gauge (Smith's) or the sending unit inside the gas tank. Smith's gauges are famous for their consistent failure. They may have another name on them but they're made by Smith's.
10 gallons fills it up from empty. The tank holds 18.5 gallons. does that clear it up?
there's a few possibilities here ...
- the engine stalls out before the tank is empty, as Jack says
- the pump clicks off before the tank fills up all the way.
In any case, I would test the EVAP system. Search Scotty's youtube channel for procedures.
And try Jack's cap idea.
Thank you for this guidance and I will test the EVAP system next.
People gave good advice and that could be the tank is dented and it can't access the rest of the gas on the bottom because you fill it up a small amount of gas and it is an 18 gallon tank so something is amiss. Unless it's some point in time somebody change the size of the tank
I looked under the car to see if the tank was dented, but it was not.