Thread: D4 Fuel Tank Capacity

Originally Posted by Grentarc

With the "clicks" of the fuel bowser, is that will fully depressed trigger, or just partial trigger? I can usually get more than 60L in well before my fuel light comes on. Yesterday when my wife filled up our MY10, it was before the light came on and she managed to put 67L into the tank, and says she could have squeezed a bit more in if she tried.

Edit - Just as an example of tank filler pipe angles playing havoc on the automatic shutoff of the nozzle, our Saab 9-5 needs to have the nozzle rotated 90? CW otherwise you can't even put in 1L before the thing shuts off!

Nozzle in and full open up until it clicks off the first time, which in this case was at just under 58 litres. Wait 30 seconds trickle some more in. After half a dozen goes it got to 60 litres.


It is important with most vehicles you stop at the first click, particularly sedans and wagons. The early model Commodores had a charcoal filter on the air vent/breather line from the fuel tank which they mounted fairly low under the bonnet. If you over filled the tank and got fuel in the breather line fuel would capillary flow out of the tank, through the filter and onto the ground under the front of the car. Seen one wife, with her children in the car, go into a full panic in a shopping centre car park when the whole front of her car was surrounded by fuel on the ground. Hubby got a fair earful.

I often filled my D4 to the absolute brim providing I was going to drive enough to make some more room for expansion in hot weather and never had any fuel overflow or leakages.

I've been down to 4kms indicated range when I pulled into servo -took 72 L. I usually put between 70-72L in and that at about 30km range - maybe you have a dent in the tank from new?

Originally Posted by Meken

I've been down to 4kms indicated range when I pulled into servo -took 72 L. I usually put between 70-72L in and that at about 30km range - maybe you have a dent in the tank from new?

I've been reading this thread and wondering the same.
Interestingly enough, I had a similar issue with my D2. Everybody says they hold about 90Lts I think it was, but the very best I could ever get in was somewhere around the 72Lt mark, consistently. Strangely, the tank had been emptied, and no better, at that point, it took in just under 80Lts.


Is it worthwhile emptying the tank to see just exactly how much it will take?

Originally Posted by shedmarket

It is important with most vehicles you stop at the first click, particularly sedans and wagons..

What I was getting at was that in my particular model of car (and it is the same with every Saab 9-5) is that even when empty if you stick the nozzle in "normally" (perpendicular to the ground) then you can't even get 1L in the tank before it shuts off - so you rotate the nozzle and never pull it on full.

With the D4 it is different, but when nearing full I only hold partial trigger as diesel can have a tendency to foam up if filling too fast - and that's just messy.

Originally Posted by Chops

Is it worthwhile emptying the tank to see just exactly how much it will take?

While I was filling up a jerry can for the lawn mower today, I thought of this thread and wondered about the same thing - for peace of mind see if the dealer can drain the tank and fill max and see how much it takes

It would seem something is not right but dealer I purchased vehicle from (Canberra) virtually fobbed it off with salesman saying his head mechanic doubted the specifications stated useable. An email of the specifications shut him up on that one.


The dealer Land Rover sent me to who is second closest in Port Macquarie (I am based in Coffs Harbour, local dealer has very bad reputation) and their attitude was also disappointing. They indicated it would be at least half a day for them to check it all out and if the tank needed removing it would be all day. I thought this was pretty good as it meant they would check it out properly but they called in an hour and a half to say they were finished. They attached the service computer, it showed no faults so there was nothing wrong.


I emailed the contact in Land Rover back saying I was unhappy with the response but they never replied. I am at the Armidale Land Rover Experience this Sunday so will talk to someone then. If the answer is still bad luck I will go to Fair Trading to get their response.


It always amazes me these companies spend so much money to get you to be their customer and then even more money with regular mail outs and emails telling you how good they are yet dismiss genuine concerns when you have them. All wasted really isn't it. If only they looked up the meaning of customer service and realised it meant providing a service to the customer, not pretending to.

Originally Posted by Grentarc

What I was getting at was that in my particular model of car (and it is the same with every Saab 9-5) is that even when empty if you stick the nozzle in "normally" (perpendicular to the ground) then you can't even get 1L in the tank before it shuts off - so you rotate the nozzle and never pull it on full.

With the D4 it is different, but when nearing full I only hold partial trigger as diesel can have a tendency to foam up if filling too fast - and that's just messy.

Yes Justin, I knew what you meant and I do the same although the newer diesels don't tend to froth up as much as the older ones.


On a side note, how do you find the Hankook tyres? Fitted them to one of our utes earlier this year going through Bourke to SA and was very impressed with them. They didn't chip out as much as the BF Goodrich All Terrains we had on the other ute so have ordered some for my Discovery for a trip I am doing in September to NT.