92 Camry. How does a gas station pump determine when the tank is full ?

Hi,

Recently my fuel gage stop working. It now point towards the 3/4 to full mark. I am wondering how does a gas station pump determine when the tank is full. The reason I ask is that I thought I had 4 to 5 gallons in the tank when the fuel gage broke. When I went to the gas station to fill up, the attendant could only add another 5 gallons. I thought I needed about12 to 13 gallons more. My manual says I have about 18 1/2 gallon capacity. I could have been wrong and gage had broken earlier than I though and I had a lot more gas in the tank. I plan to use the trip odometer to help me determine when to fill up at the gas station. Based on a conservative 10 miles a gallon, I will fill up after each 100 miles.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Joe

Reply to
JoeD
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A cockroach with a small but powerful flashlight is sequestered inside a hidden compartment at the end of the nozzle. When you start to pump, he shines his light down the filler neck. When the tank is close to full, he hits the Push to Talk button on his miniature cell phone and tells the foreigner working the Quickie Mart cash register to stop the gas flow.

Next question please....

Doc

Reply to
Doc

Best to go ahead and get it properly repaired. Check the sending unit in the fuel tank, under the rear seat cushion. Had a similar experience, and the "odometer method" worked well for a number of months, until one day, in the "fast lane" having just left a freeway interchange with fast moving, heavy traffic, the engine sputtered and stopped running. Perhaps that answers your first question. Sometimes the auto cut off on the filling station pumps are inaccurate and vary enough to cause a real problem at some point. (I was able to move quickly across four lanes of traffic and coast all the way down the off ramp to a mechanic, but easily could have not been so fortunate). It's been a long time ago now, so I don't remember all the specifics. I think I tried to leave a minimum 100 to 150 mile reserve in my tank, and I know my calculations were correct, IIRC there should have been something like 250 miles left in the tank when the engine ran out of gas in my case, so you really cannot trust the pump shut off -- and my gauge read accurately (so I thought) when full -- so that should have been a verification the tank filled. Anyway, just plan to have the gauge repaired when you can.

Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

Thanks for that intelligent and helpful reply.

What goes around, comes around.

Doc wrote:

Reply to
JoeD

I was hoping not to have to spend $150 - to $200 to get this repaired. Thanks for the suggestion, Daniel.

Joe

Daniel M. Dreifus wrote:

Reply to
JoeD

Especially to a dull, humorless guy who tools around the wrong side of the tracks in a 14 year old car...

Doc

Reply to
Doc

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<Gmlyle

Reply to
JoeD

JoeD spake unto the masses in news:01KQb.23364$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net:

There is a small square-section rod in the filler nozzle. When the gas starts splashing back, it pushes this rod rearwards, tripping the mechanism and shutting off the flow.

It's only as accurate as the amount of backsplash your tank (or its filler neck) tends to give. some cars are so designed that you need to insert the nozzle only part way in to prevent early shutoff.

Reply to
Tegger®

Another posting today reminded me that the Camry has a red light at the bottom of the fuel gauge that reminds you to fill up before running totally dry. My older Toyota truck that ran out of gas didn't have that. Still, the manual recommends not letting the level go below the 1/4 mark to help keep enough gas in the tank to cool the electric fuel pump, so you could attempt to do that with your odometer calculations with the red light as a backup. Just think, if you had a new car, you'd probably be paying $150 - 200 or more every month. If you can use your own tools, or know someone who can, or check prices at an independent mechanic, you may be able to find a better price. The Haynes repair manual shows how to do this repair. You remove the side bolsters on the rear seat, (one or two bolts) then the seat cushion (lifts out from the bottom). There is an access plate in the top of the gas tank that will then be visible, and you remove the four or so bolts to lift out the access plate with the fuel pump and gauge sending unit attached. (Haynes manual, under $20, has a photograph of the plate lifting out with the sending unit and pump attached, so perhaps you can determine whether you want to try this by first looking at the repair manual). If there's a Toyota dealer nearby, you might want to check the price of the sending unit. Don't know others experience, but have found often the price can be reduced just by asking respectfully, whether they can sell to you at a better price.

Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

It's an orangy-yellow on my 91. I've never run it completely dry, and when that light stays on steadily (seems to flicker on and off for a while first) the tank takes about 12½ gallons. How much gas is really left when it comes on? Anyone know?

Reply to
Larry Kessler

The manual for my 1994 Camry says that 8 liters (a little more than 2 gallons) are left.

Yes, mine flickers at first, too. When it first comes on, I press the trip odometer (if I am not measuring anything at the moment). This reminds me that I have 50 miles or more. (I get about 22 mpg in the city.)

-- Roger

Reply to
Roger4336

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