Filling the expansion tank?

[Viking]

If you filled your tank with diesel on a freezing cold day, and then left it to heat up to a hot summers day, the (example) 15 gallons of fuel that you originally put in will expand to 15.3 gallons. So, worst case scenario is going to be avoided by using 0.3 of a gallon from a full tank to give enough space for expansion. That's about a 20 mile drive. But there's not many days where it's freezing and summer all at the same time.

Petrol is a different issue, as it has a far higher expansion coefficient.

 

[sssstew]

yep agreed viking. venting the small amount in the VAG TDIs really isnt a concern. People have been brimming for years and i have been too, in my old pugs and mini too.

 

[dmjw01]

I wasn't really referring to expansion - I'm well aware that diesel doesn't expand like petrol does.

My point was that none of us knows the design of the tank and filler as well as the people who made it. So none of us can be 100% sure that spillage won't happen, if for example you're forced to brake severely 100 yards down the road after you've just vented and brimmed.

I just don't see the point, for the sake of an extra 100 miles of range. It's not like we live in a country where petrol stations are so rare!

 

[daz_p6]

SORRY GUYS, CALL ME BASHFUL BUT WHY WOULD YOU GO TO ALL THIS, JUST TO GET ANOTHE 7-20 LITRES IN YOUR TANK, NOT USING THE EXPANSION FACILITY THING AS IT WAS INTENDED FOR JUST SO YOU AVOID GETTING OUT AT THE PETROL STATION PROBABLY NOT MORE THAN 20 TIMES A YEAR. lEAVING YOU LESS TIME TI ADMIRE YOUR CAR WHILST RETURNING FROM THE PAYMENT COUNTER! IM SURE NO-ONE WILL REPLY TO THAT BUT HEY HAD TO MAKE MY POINT!

 

[muddyboots]

First off Bashful, THERE'S NO NEED TO TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPS

Some of us fill up slightly more often than 20 times a year...
For me, using that extra capacity means I can go a whole 7 days between fillups. Now if spending an extra minute filling means I can go 7 days rather than 5 between fillups, well it makes sense to me.

 

[g60jet]

I hear what you're saying bashful, but I go out of my way for fuel and fill up every 10 days, for me its ideal, however the question is the extra weight/mpg debate!! but im sure I'm doing about the same to the gallon for the extra 10litres you can get in. i hate standing on diesel spilt forcourtd

 

[googies]

First off Bashful, THERE'S NO NEED TO TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPS

Some of us fill up slightly more often than 20 times a year...
For me, using that extra capacity means I can go a whole 7 days between fillups. Now if spending an extra minute filling means I can go 7 days rather than 5 between fillups, well it makes sense to me.

Yup, agreed.

 

[idge]

i rarely fill without venting a few times...

If i didn't i'd be at the forecourts every 8 days instead of 10, so that means i'd have to go to the station another 10 times a year! Thats 50 minutes of my life wasted!

The company i work for owns Kautex who make most of the Fuel tanks in Germany, i've spoken to people there before and they say its safe to fill another few litres in a diesel as the tanks are the same size as a petrol but cos its heavier it doesn't expand nearly as much.

 

[daz_p6]

Sorry Guys

Sorry about the CAPS LOCK Hope no offence caused!

Well i do 130 miles/day and if I enjoy rolling up and filling up while I admire the car against those of inferior quality in the station.

Anyway understand your points.

Thanks for the clarification guys!!

 

[sssstew]

its not about how often i would have to go to the pump as its not that often as i only do about 10k per year in it now, its just the fact i dont want to be standing at the pumps, its boring and reminds me how expensive fuel is. So the more i can fit in, the further i can go before having to be back on the forecourt.

 

[spyke85]

Plus it's fun to see how many miles you can do before the needle moves!

 

[healy6660]

Gordon bennett you guys must do some miles then
put £20 in mine a week and still manage 280 on that
usually put it in £10 at a time cos some little turd keeps emptying the tanks on some of the motors round ours
noticably not mine though, and no I buy my own, think its cos the wifes family are well known in the area and there's 10 of them
Handy some times, BIG families

 

[muddyboots]

Gordon bennett you guys must do some miles then
put £20 in mine a week and still manage 280 on that

Mon-Fri I cover about 450 going to & from work, then whatever we do at evenings & weekends. Averages out at around 500/week, or roughly 25k/year. I should imagine there's people on here who do more than that though.

 

[pa-tdi]

reply

Hi guys are you all on about the little black screw that swings out the way? oh and by the way the range on the light is the best part of two gallons.

Iwas concerned once about why my light came on when i had done 360 miles and averaging nearly 50 mpg, so i bought a black can and put a gallon in and left in the boot.

I didn't dare run it dry but i got the best part of two gallons on the light 80 miles i did at 45 mpg and still going.

 

[alx_chung]

Just a quick question can you vent the fuel tank in a MkII Leon? I couldn't find anything that could resemble what you guys have been describing.
Alex

 

[Wallis22]

I don't know about diesel but with a petrol car if you run out of fuel and the car cuts out, refilling the tank is all you have to do to get it going again.

Again, i don't know if this is relevant to diesels, but with petrol cars, if you run your car on the buzzer, (reserve), you allow hard metallic debris (or something) to enter the engine. Potentially this could make your engine give in. I don't see the point of driving on the buzzer. Why not just fill up?

Also, what's the point of trying to over fill the tank? Is this just for long trips where you don't want to stop for fuel?

 

[sssstew]

Hi guys are you all on about the little black screw that swings out the way? oh and by the way the range on the light is the best part of two gallons.

Iwas concerned once about why my light came on when i had done 360 miles and averaging nearly 50 mpg, so i bought a black can and put a gallon in and left in the boot.

I didn't dare run it dry but i got the best part of two gallons on the light 80 miles i did at 45 mpg and still going.

its not so much a screw but a button.

Just a quick question can you vent the fuel tank in a MkII Leon? I couldn't find anything that could resemble what you guys have been describing.
Alex

it was discussed before in the mk2 leon section, i think it was found that its not on them.

I don't know about diesel but with a petrol car if you run out of fuel and the car cuts out, refilling the tank is all you have to do to get it going again.

Again, i don't know if this is relevant to diesels, but with petrol cars, if you run your car on the buzzer, (reserve), you allow hard metallic debris (or something) to enter the engine. Potentially this could make your engine give in. I don't see the point of driving on the buzzer. Why not just fill up?

Also, what's the point of trying to over fill the tank? Is this just for long trips where you don't want to stop for fuel?

thats whats a fuel filter is for. ive ran my tank right down for the last 63k miles with no problem. venting the tank as mentioned before saves you going to the boring fuel station so often.

 

[pa-tdi]

From what i gather it is a little spring loaded lever thingy so all you have to do is hold this out the way as you fill up and it fills the expansion tank further down?

 

[sssstew]

yep correct.