I was surprised when filling my tank after the fuel gague went down to zero that after 15 miles of trying to find a gas station off route that i was only able to pump 10.8 gallons until the 'first click'. That leaves me with approx 1.5 gallons in the tank or 70 miles based on my real time fuel consumption. Does anyone know how much more capacity after the 'first click' the tank has - 1/4gal? 1/2 Gal? It seems pretty alarming to be driving with the car showing empty when i can drive that far a distance.

 

My first fill came when I was showing no bars and feeling a bit nervous. Like you, I was surprised to find I could still have done another 70 miles after refuelling. The warning light came on with 2 bars showing but I knew from my average consumption that I could safely go on until I did 500 miles. I filled at 500.8 miles. So it looks like 2 bars is an early warning and zero means do something about it now! The manual cautions quite strongly against running too low to avoid "damaging the catalytic converter"

 

I once went 20 miles with no bars in the fuel gauge, and I probably could have gone farther.

 

The amount you can dispense before the 1st "click" varies. Some pumps blast gas out at a high rate and will "click off" sooner than one that dispenses more slowly, since the gas will hit the tank's neck quicker.

Think of it like filling a bucket from a garden hose with a nozzle that allows you to regulate the water flow. The faster the water flows, the quicker the higher the "wave action" of the water in the bucket, and the sooner you have to slow the flow down in order to fill the bucket without water spilling over the top.

 

In your owner's manual about page 64 or 65 it states that when the light comes on you have about 1.71 gallons of fuel left. I hope this helps. This is for the 2006 Honda Civic.

Marie

 

Cityscapex5,
I've been just under 10 gal or slightly over. So my experience has been very similar to yours. Could have gone farther. I have not hit 500 mi on a tank yet. Cold & snowy here. Best of luck.

 

Just a few small points here:

1: If you run out you could hurt your c. converter as previously stated.
2: You will also hurt your fuel injectors as they are "fuel cooled".

3: Hondas are notorious for having extreme bends in their filler necks.
After filling to the first click I will wait until the swirling fuel settles and continue to fill slowly.
I can usually get 1.5 to 2 gallons more in this way.

(2006 HCH and 2004 Pilot)

 

From the first click it will take 2 gallons of gas to fill to the top of the
neck to the point you can see the fuel. I have done it several times
with my girlfriend's 06 Civic Hybrid. It will increase your range up to 110 miles
depending on, of course, your vehicle's MPG's.

Alster

 

Alster
I think filling till the point you can see the gas defeats the purpose of vapor recovery technology.

I believe that you are contributing to evaporative emissions, if not harming your car.

 

Be careful... I don't know about Hondas, but on other cars you can "overfill" a tank. Since 1996, all manufacturers have been required to comply with OBDII (second generation emissions monitoring system). That monitors vapor pressure in the tank to control hydrocarbon emissions from unburned fuel (evaporative emissions). Overfilling could mess with vapor sensing equipment on some vehicles. Then, there's the vapor recovery system on most cars... fuel vapors are recovered and burned after being collected in a charcoal canister. If you fill every space in the tank with fuel, you could force liquid fuel through the vapor recovery lines and the canister, possibly damaging it.

Again, I don't know about Hondas. Can anyone comment on this possibility on the HCH?