# What is the most Diesel you have filled your tank with?



## DnA Diesel (Jul 31, 2010)

krsabs said:


> If your 2009 has the same fuel capacity as a US market 2011 3 series saloon, then you ought to contact your local weights and measures enforcement agency to check your petrol vendor's pumps since BMW indicates the fuel capacity of the US 2011 3 saloons as 16.1 gallons(US)/60.95L.


The more likely conclusion is that there is more capacity in the system than advertised. ase in point, my 2001 Jetta TDI, states that the capacity of the tank is 55L, the same as the gasoline-powered variant. TDI'ers know that there is also a lot of space in the system for expansion, particularly for gasoline which has a high vapour pressure, but that by 'venting' the tank during filling (there is a little tab in the filler that releases air held in the top portion of the tank above the filler tube, normally actuated when the filler cap is reinstalled after fuelling) you can squeeze about another 10L of fuel in. Because diesel has minimal vapour pressure at regular temperatures, there is minimal risk to 'venting' and a notable increase in range...I can get 1200+km/740mi on a 'vented' tank in my TDI.

Yes, the manual says 61L...but to believe that there can be (at least) 66L put into the system is not unreasonable.

At some point in the future, I will fill the tank a few different ways (stop at first click of the nozzle, fill/wiat/defoam/fill/wait/etc...) to determine what additional capacity can be gained on the top end of the tank through different fill methods. I will NOT be experimenting near the empty tank side of the equation! 

Regards
D.


----------



## SteveCA (Mar 23, 2011)

has anyone ever run out of fuel? If so, what was the process to get the pump and lines primed?

In my GMC duramax. the process is not fun. You have to open a bleeder valve on top of the fuel filter housing, manually pump it until the fuel runs clear (no bubbles), close valve and then start the engine. I ran out twice in the truck and both times, it was a 5-10 minute messy process to get the engine started again. Now i fill when the range is over 70 miles to avoid the mess.


----------



## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I had it happen to me in a Duramax and what sucked was finding out what to do. No one seemed to know. I have no idea how to tackle it on any of my cars but the Benz.


----------



## autoJeff (Oct 1, 2009)

When I got my car I asked the mechanic what to do if I ran out of fuel. Here's what I remember. These engines are self-correcting. Wait long enough and things cool. Then a valve opens to relieve pressure. Then you can restart the engine and drive away. No need to break out the tool box.

I might have a document that discusses this...I'll check when I have a chance.


----------



## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

I managed to top my previous fill up record today. 16.387 gallons of #2 Diesel Fuel!:thumbup:

Drove 470.5 miles for an Avg of 28.3mpg. My mpg is definitely taking a hit in this warmer weather.

Price was down a tad to $4.119/gal. Still too expensive in my opinion.:bawling:


----------



## grapes87 (Feb 22, 2011)

Flyingman said:


> I managed to top my previous fill up record today. 16.387 gallons of #2 Diesel Fuel!:thumbup:
> 
> Drove 470.5 miles for an Avg of 28.3mpg. My mpg is definitely taking a hit in this warmer weather.
> 
> Price was down a tad to $4.119/gal. Still too expensive in my opinion.:bawling:


Interesting. My MPG took a hit in the winter months. Now that it's warming up, I'm seeing a boost in my commute from 23 to about 25 MPG.


----------

