[sajjt]

Hello Experts,

Recently I had a chat with a Maruti Service Engineer and he was updating me about the car care tips and tweaks. During this session he asked me about the fuel filling practice. I used to go for full tank basis to get the average FE figure. But he has got another version on this. Being not a frequent user (Hardly less than 600Kms a month) it's not a good practice to keep the tank full unnecessarily as the petrol can produce sludge in the tank with the impurities in the fuel and further it can develop to rust in tank. Later it can block the injectors and lead the engine stall. I am not a techie to validate this point but there are chances for this.

I think it's a fact that over a period of time every fuel tank can get rusty due to the moisture condensation in the tank as it's settling in the bottom to cause rusting. Two of my bikes got a rusting tank during their 5th year which were very frequently used and I’d to replace it even though one was almost scratch free. But rusting tanks was hardly heard on cars only if it's left for a long time as dry that’s what I observed. I expect some of our experts can throw some light on this.

Also I used to fill the fuel till the auto cutoff level as it gives a correct fuel consumption figure than filling upto the brim due to the presence of air bubbles can cause incorrect quantity of fuel. Is it a good practice to fill it to the brim of the tube? Many had a positive nod towards this but at the same time some are leaning towards the brim level as it will give another 50-60 Kms at a stretch and there’s nothing wrong in this as per their opinion.

I invite all the members to share their views in this, filling practices, precautions to safe guard the rusting and other tips to be remembered at the time of filling in pumps.

[dhanushs]

further it can develop to rust in tank.

I think its the lack of fuel that will cause rust. On the other hand, Ford Service Advisors tell that the inside of the tank is made of non-corrosive material. Not sure about that.

Later it can block the injectors and lead the engine stall.

As long as your change your fuel filter as per recommendations, and if the filter is working perfectly, this will not happen.

Is it a good practice to fill it to the brim of the tube?

It is always safe to fill up till the first auto cutoff or max till 2nd.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by sajjt

Hello Experts,

Recently I had a chat with a Maruti Service Engineer and he was updating me about the car care tips and tweaks. During this session he asked me about the fuel filling practice. I used to go for full tank basis to get the average FE figure. But he has got another version on this. Being not a frequent user (Hardly less than 600Kms a month) it's not a good practice to keep the tank full unnecessarily as the petrol can produce sludge in the tank with the impurities in the fuel and further it can develop to rust in tank. Later it can block the injectors and lead the engine stall. I am not a techie to validate this point but there are chances for this.

I think it's a fact that over a period of time every fuel tank can get rusty due to the moisture condensation in the tank as it's settling in the bottom to cause rusting. Two of my bikes got a rusting tank during their 5th year which were very frequently used and I’d to replace it even though one was almost scratch free. But rusting tanks was hardly heard on cars only if it's left for a long time as dry that’s what I observed. I expect some of our experts can throw some light on this.

Also I used to fill the fuel till the auto cutoff level as it gives a correct fuel consumption figure than filling upto the brim due to the presence of air bubbles can cause incorrect quantity of fuel. Is it a good practice to fill it to the brim of the tube? Many had a positive nod towards this but at the same time some are leaning towards the brim level as it will give another 50-60 Kms at a stretch and there’s nothing wrong in this as per their opinion.

I invite all the members to share their views in this, filling practices, precautions to safe guard the rusting and other tips to be remembered at the time of filling in pumps.

My family often goes abroad for work for durations upto a year so this issue is something I have closely followed.

As dhanushs pointed out, the inner material of the petrol tank is non-corrosive so it would not rust over time. In fact, it is always a good practise to keep the fuel tank filled generously. The fact that you use only 600km a month is definitely not going to have a negative effect. As long as you drive the car regularly, you should not worry about the fuel tank or the amount of fuel in the tank. Lack of fuel will definitely cause problems.

However, if you leave the car idle (ie not used at all) for more than 6months or so, you'd need to get the fuel tank cleaned.

I think first cut-off is ideal to stop filling fuel.