Filling up right to the top will waste gasoline
Question: The stated fuel capacity of my wife’s 2013 Honda Pilot is 79.5 litres. This morning I filled it with 83.8 litres of gas, even though the low-fuel light hadn’t come on. Is the pump miscalibrated, which results in me being overcharged by several dollars on a fill-up, or is the gas tank larger than advertised? And is there a point beyond which I shouldn’t squeeze more fuel into the vehicle?
M.F. Answer: In reverse order of your questions, stop refuelling after the automatic cutoff shuts off the fuel flow. Round off your purchase to the nearest dime, and then stop. Continuing to add fuel as the shutoff repeatedly clicks off could overfill the tank, specifically the vapour-recovery system. This system includes a small, separate tank-within-a-tank in many vehicles, plus a charcoal canister and its plumbing. The evaporative emissions system is designed to capture and collect fuel vapours from the tank, store them in the canister and then, upon startup, introduce them into the induction system through an evap valve. You may also be filling the fuel filler neck, which is not part of the rated capacity of the tank, so this may be confusing the issue a bit.
Could the pump be inaccurate? I know they show an annual state certification, but I’ll admit I’ve wondered about it many times. We have a 2010 Passat that I often seem to fill with more than it should hold — even without “fuel packing!”
It would be interesting to see if the company would reinspect and test the pump for accuracy.
Q: In March, I had the oil changed on my 2007 Saturn Ion. A few weeks later, the oil light came on so I returned to the same garage. The mechanic said it was down a quart and added one quart of oil. Last month, I had the oil changed at another neighbourhood garage. After changing the oil, the garage owner showed me the antifreeze overflow container that was filled with what looked like thick butterscotch pudding. He said it looked like someone had mistakenly added oil to the antifreeze. He said the hoses would become brittle, and to prevent a roadside emergency if they popped off I had all the hoses replaced at a cost of more than $650.
When I talked to the owner of the first garage, he could not explain why there was oil in the coolant. He stated without a doubt that his guys would not have made that mistake. He suggested that the problem happened because there were 10,000-plus kilometres between oil changes. How could this put oil in the antifreeze? As a consumer how can I sort out the story and get financial help with a problem caused by human error?
B.H. A: I can’t help but wonder why the oil light would not have come on again if the quart of oil was added to the coolant reservoir. Or why some other mechanical issue didn’t develop over the months of driving with the contamination. And since Saturn recommends oil and filter changes every 12,000 kilometres under normal driving conditions, your mileage between changes would not cause the contamination. Why did the second shop wait until after the oil change to show you the contaminated coolant? I think the second shop owner was a bit premature in suggesting an immediate change of all the hoses. I’d have suggested first checking for oil and transmission fluid contamination due to mechanical issues like head-gasket failure, cracked block or cylinder head, or a leak from the transmission cooler section of the radiator into the coolant. If none were found, a complete chemical flush of the cooling system along with a new thermostat and the new hoses would then be in order.
Since either shop could have been responsible, obtaining any financial relief will be difficult unless one of the shops accepts responsibility.
Q: The dashboard light on my 1998 BMW 528i indicated I had a light out on the right rear and discovered it was a licence-plate light. I replaced the bulb in the module, it lit but the dashboard “light out” indicator remains. What can I do to resolve this issue?
J.P. A: Your BMW’s exterior lights are controlled by a light-control module, which also checks each lamp circuit cold (when not in use) and hot (in use) for expected performance. The module is fussy about the correct bulbs being used. Substitutes can be similar, but not close enough, causing a false alert for a failed lamp.
I’m thinking you might have the base-model instrument cluster, which isn’t very specific about which lamp might be at fault. In many cases, the high-mount brake lamp bulb melts its connector, causing poor or no operation, or the bulb simply burns out, and the instrument cluster display illustrates the fault as an R-side lamp error. The high-mount brake lamp is fairly easy to access from inside the trunk, and a replacement socket, if needed, can be readily purchased for about $15. It plugs right into the wiring.
If the high-mount light is OK, be sure to check all rear lamps, comparing side to side, for identical brightness. A bulb that isn’t as bright, possibly due to a substitute bulb or poor socket or circuit connection, could trigger the warning display. Seasoned BMW owners prefer the silver-based bulbs over the brass-coloured ones for best performance and fewer false alarms.
Paul Brand, author of How to Repair Your Car, is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, he cannot provide personal replies.