2013 CX 9 Touring fuel remaining indicator question

[gretschdrum]

Hey Gang,

I'm a new owner of a '13 Touring model CX-9 and I love it. I just came from an oil burning 2009 Pilot and have been reborn.

I'm happy with everything concerned so far but I have one situation that I'm wondering if others have also encountered. According to the owner's manual, the gas tank capacity is 20.1 gallons. However the 'fuel remaining' indicator doesn't really agree with that upon refueling. For example, when filling up last week the fuel remaining indicator said I had 20 miles left. I had calculated (according to my trip indicator on the odometer) that I had been getting about 20 miles per gallon on that particular tank of gas. So, with a little simple math you'd expect to buy about 19 gallons of gas on that particular fill up. The gas pump auto shut off occurred at 17.3 gallons. I topped off and sure enough only another half gallon of gas could be pumped. When starting the car, the fuel gauge registered 'full'.

No big deal, but have others experienced this same thing? Just wondering if the tank capacity is truly 20.1 or if my 'fuel remaining' light is being conservative.

Thanks and happy to have found this forum.

 

[drchuck]

The fuel remaining is calculated to show 0 some miles before the vehicle rolls to a complete stop. The manual is a little deficient, as it tells us neither concerning the display, nor the yellow low fuel light the exact fuel remaining. From experience I can say I have run some distance with "0" miles remaining, and the yellow lamp dancing a jig. I will also confess a hard sweat in the process. In one sense, it is understandable that we can't know exactly, because tiny differences in the values of the electronic sensing components would make the values differ from vehicle to vehicle. I'm just happy to have something to remind me, and that it takes precedence over the other displays at the 50 mile mark.

Secondly, I would caution against "topping off." It caused me considerable grief with the fuel cap light, and the check engine light. Seems as though if you get fuel into that system by overfilling, it takes some time for it to get purged, and the signal's return to normal. I learned that from our Toyota Prius manual, applied it to the CX-9, and the problem disappeared in about 2 weeks. .

Glad you like your Zoom Zoom, they're pretty awesome. I came from an Expedition - It only got 12MPG - even when parked, I think. I just finished a thousand miles this week, and with about an 8 mile tailwind, it got 27.2 from San Antonio to the Oklahoma City area, and coming back I had a 10-12 mile crosswind with a rear quartering push (NNE), and got 25.2. Much of that was 75MPH, both ways.

Welcome aboard.

 

[tex2670]

Every car I have owned had a "reserve" of about 2 gallons.

 

[blackntan]

I've noticed when it shows 0 til empty that there is still about 2 gallons of fuel left. On my truck, which has a 26 gallon tank, it still has about 4 gallons left when it hits 0 til empty. I think most, if not all modern vehicles are like that. Its not necessarily a "reserve", but maybe just an early warning that the manufacturer sets. Because for sure, there will always be that guy (or a lot of them) who runs the car until it hits 0 til empty, then be broke down on the side of the road (if 0 til empty really meant the fuel is gone).

Personally, I wouldn't try running it too far past 0 til empty unless you are in a pinch and still looking for a gas station, or you might burn up the fuel pump if you happen to run it dry....or so I've read.

 

[IgoZoom]

Hey Gang,

I'm a new owner of a '13 Touring model CX-9 and I love it. I just came from an oil burning 2009 Pilot and have been reborn.

First off, you had a 2009 Pilot that was burning oil??? How may miles??? That seriously sucks, but glad that you ended up with a CX-9!

I was a hardcore "Honda/Acura-phile" for about 16 years starting with my first car when I was 15. I had a gorgeous '95 Acura Legend until I was t-boned and it was totaled in August 2005. When I went to the Honda dealer to look for a new car in late 2005, I hated what I saw! The Civic looked like a doorstop (or a suppository) and I couldn't afford a new Accord at the time. Although I loved the Acura TSX (and TL), they were way out of my price range.....so I had to look outside the Honda realm for the first time in my entire life! I felt a bit lost and confused at first, but after some research and test drives, I knew the 2006 Mazda3 Hatchback was for me! I've had it for eight years now and it still looks and drives great. But I added a 2012 CX-9 GT FWD to the garage last November because I need something roomier (and comfier) than my little Mazda3 at times! I drove a Pilot, Grand Cherokee, Pathfinder (old style) and even an Infiniti JX (called the QX60 now, I think) and even a CPO 2010 Acura MDX. I drove the CX-9 first because I knew it was a top contender, but wanted to driver others just to make sure it was a good as it seemed to be.....and after every single test drive, I still wanted the CX-9! =)

As for the fuel remaining and gas tank question-

When my gas light comes on and my miles remaining (why doesn't everyone just call it DTE = Distance to Empty?) shows 30-40 miles left, I have about 3.5 gallons remaining. The only time I've pushed it and the fuel computer showed 8 miles remaining, it had just over 2 gallons left.

 

[gretschdrum]

Hi there and thanks for replying. Yes, that Pilot turned into a nightmare. I was pressed into getting a vehicle rather quickly due to my previous car being totaled. I thought I did enough research but I did not. If you check the internet you'll see that the 2009 Pilot is one of the most complained about Hondas. In fact, the DAY that I traded for the CX-9 Honda settled a class action lawsuit that included my 2009 Pilot. It was for excessive oil consumption and engine misfiring due to the oil entering the combustion chamber and fouling the spark plugs (which happened to me - 3 to 4 quarts between oil changes). Why even bother changing the oil, right? It only held 4.5 quarts and I was constantly recirculating new oil (esp. after highway trips). On top of that tiny issue (stash) there were several other factors that lead me to trade. The brakes were having issues (also widely reported) where the pads were wearing unevenly causing rotor vibration issues ultimately leading to either 1)frequent resurfacing or 2) completely changing the brake system. The door lock actuators were failing too. I replaced the lift gate and driver's rear actuators and at the time of trading the driver's door wasn't functioning. Also, the leather was separating from several surfaces on the interior. It had 86,000 miles upon trade in. I just felt like I'd be dealing with the oil issues for the rest of the time I owned that vehicle so I got rid of it. I had it just over a year and didn't particularly like driving it. It drove too large (very van-like) and had weird blind spots. IMO, the CX-9 is ten times the vehicle.

Thanks for the info regarding the fuel indicator!

First off, you had a 2009 Pilot that was burning oil??? How may miles??? That seriously sucks, but glad that you ended up with a CX-9!

I was a hardcore "Honda/Acura-phile" for about 16 years starting with my first car when I was 15. I had a gorgeous '95 Acura Legend until I was t-boned and it was totaled in August 2005. When I went to the Honda dealer to look for a new car in late 2005, I hated what I saw! The Civic looked like a doorstop (or a suppository) and I couldn't afford a new Accord at the time. Although I loved the Acura TSX (and TL), they were way out of my price range.....so I had to look outside the Honda realm for the first time in my entire life! I felt a bit lost and confused at first, but after some research and test drives, I knew the 2006 Mazda3 Hatchback was for me! I've had it for eight years now and it still looks and drives great. But I added a 2012 CX-9 GT FWD to the garage last November because I need something roomier (and comfier) than my little Mazda3 at times! I drove a Pilot, Grand Cherokee, Pathfinder (old style) and even an Infiniti JX (called the QX60 now, I think) and even a CPO 2010 Acura MDX. I drove the CX-9 first because I knew it was a top contender, but wanted to driver others just to make sure it was a good as it seemed to be.....and after every single test drive, I still wanted the CX-9! =)

As for the fuel remaining and gas tank question-

When my gas light comes on and my miles remaining (why doesn't everyone just call it DTE = Distance to Empty?) shows 30-40 miles left, I have about 3.5 gallons remaining. The only time I've pushed it and the fuel computer showed 8 miles remaining, it had just over 2 gallons left.

 

[mpvue]

I know this is a month old but...
modern fuel systems usually have a submerged fuel pump, meaning, it has to stay wet all the time to stay cool and lubricated. I would suspect that is why there is always a reserve amount of fuel in the tank.

 

[sjg]

I noticed the same and have gone as much as 20 miles past "0" on the miles remaining gauge. I'm not going to say I recommend this. You never know if that next gas station is going to be closed or if you'll run into bad traffic on the way. And my wife starts freaking out when the miles remaining drop below 50. Still, it's nice to know there's a buffer.

 

[chuyler1]

Every Mazda I have had can make it about 2 gallons beyond when the light turns on. At 20 mpg I used to budget 30 miles. My trip home from work is 40 so if I make it at least 10 miles and traffic isn't bad I can fill up close to home. If it is on when I leave work...I will have to stop. I let the miles remaining drop to 5 the other day and I was pretty nervous. However I don't think it was much over 18 gallons for the fill up. In short, when the light turns on, start looking for a gas station.

 

[joe_momma]

On modern cars, there's a good bit of fuel in the lines still even as the tank gets very low. My Mustang has a 16 gallon tank, and I've never put more than 14 or 14.5 gallons in it. The one time it took 14.5 gallons, I was past "0" miles to empty for some time. It's probably not a good idea to run the tank that low as mentioned, you never know what's floating around in the tank waiting to get sucked up into the fuel system.

EDIT: On the plus side, we have been pretty pleased with the mileage on the CX-9. The wife filled up last week after the trip home from the dealership (prob 80 miles or so) plus driving all week to/from work and the gym, and the fill-up was less than $40. Not technical I know, but I wasn't there to get any real numbers.