I believe it's to first click off... but all pumps are different. There could easily be 1/2 gallon difference depending upon tilt of the car, speed of the pump, etc.

Only way to know for sure is to run 'er dry! Someone with such an experience might just help us out to say exactly how much they pumped in to first click and to the filler neck when they ran it dry.

 

Tulip a side Ive ran my EX Civic 40 miles past the point of no bars left. I done one or two 600 mile tanks in my car. Granted I do fill it all the way off with a massive top off. I fab'ed up a engine belly pan over the weekend and installed it and have seen 500 miles or so of 50 mpg tank ave. since the install. This is with some extreme hypermiling of course.

Dont panic when you loose your last bar. Just get it filled up soon.

 

Okay---I did not check the manual, because I am lazy, but instead called customer service.

When the Fuel Warning Light comes on, the tank has approximately 1.71 gallons of fuel left in it.

Michael

 

Thanks!!! I'm pretty sure that information was not in the manual--I looked. Speaking of lazy, could you give me the number for Honda customer service? I have a question for them.

 

Okay, so 12.4 capacity, less 1.7 remaining when light comes on means 10.7 to fill the tank (to first click, we assume).

Slight problem with this... the fuel light normally comes on with two bars left (at least on my car). I probably go another 50 miles (guessing here) on the last two bars and into "zero" territory. My fills have been about 10.7 to first click. In theory, I should be taking on an additional gallon, since I run it down 50+ miles past where the fuel light illuminates. I'm guessing Honda's 1.71 estimate is a little understated. There's well over 2 gallons left when that light comes on!

One other issue. The capacity of the tank is 12.4, but is that raw capacity, or USABLE capacity? In other words, can the pump pull 12.4 out before drawing air? Does it drain every drop, or are there pockets of unusable fuel remaining when you run out. The fuel pickup tube would have to be positioned at the exact low point within the tank to get every drop. Most tanks aren't constructed this way. Again, the only way we'll ever know is to have someone who ran it dry report on true fill capacity!

 

I've taken my car an additional 30-50 miles after all bars are out and filled to a max of 11.2 or 11.3 gallons.

 

Yes, I need more you left out the accidents and SIG alerts which are a daily thing. Also there was a shooting the other day. And there will always be that person in a lane with a car that probably ran out of gas. I err on the side of safe nowadays. Maybe I'll try to not run out of gas somewhere rural where I won't cause traffic congestion. Anything little in Cali can add 30 minutes to a 5 minute commute. Yes, what you state makes perfect since under ideal conditions but, Cali traffic is far from ideal especially during rush hour.(more like rush days)

 

As usual, don't trust the Honda reps. They typically know less than the manual or the people on this forum. (That shouldn't be surprising in a sense. I'd get dizzy trying to remember the specifics of 10 different models built over the last ten years - at least 100 different cars).

The 10.7 capacity to first click is not when the light comes on. It's when you get down to zero bars. My wife tends to fill up as soon as the light comes on, and she typically fills somewhere between 8.5 and 9.5 gallons.

 

Nope....

The tank capacity is 12.4 gallons per the specifications (excluding what you can get up the neck). The warning is irrelevant to the amount you can fill in the tank.

When there are 1.71 gallons left of that 12.4, that's when the light comes on the dash.

So the fuel warning light comes on and the fuel guage indicator should be close to empty at 10.69 gallons approximately-assuming the tank is full but not the neck.

Also, modern fuel pumps stop when there is back fill from the neck of the tank-this can happen prematurely as air is displaced in the tank and can push fuel back into the filler nozzle causing the automatic shut off before the tank is full, and for those who MUST fill to the brim (not recommended for oh so many reasons...)

As far as accuracy, the guy on the phone did not freelance the answer, he looked it up based on my VIN which he knew immediately to be a Hybrid. Honda and Acura are very good with this information. The reps. are not expected to memorize information but instead to know where to research the information.

 

Customer Relations: (800) 999-1009

I think 9AM PST-5PM PST