So I bought my first cherokee last Mon. and was wondering if I have a bad fuel gauge. When I bought it the low fuel light was on so I went straight to the gas station and put in $50. At $3.75 per gal. it put me at 3/4 of a tank. I didn't notice how many gallons cause I was too excited to get my new baby home and spaced it out. After about 180 miles the needle was under 1/8 tank and the fuel light came on. Just went to the gas station again and tried to fill it up. What I'm sure was a full tank (bumped the trigger a few times after the auto shutoff tripped) only turned out to be 12 gallons with the needle indicating full on the gauge. They do have a 20 gal. tank right? Since it's my first jeep cherokee is this a normal fuel gauge characteristic or is something wrong here. I guess I could put a full 5 gallon gas can on the roof rack and just drive her till she's empty to see whats what but I have problems running out of fuel on purpose. Any ideas or insights ? Anyone?.....Anyone?

 

Don't ever run a vehicle out of gas intentionally. Not only does the fuel COOL the fuel pump, running it empty picks up the crap on the bottom of the tank and even though there is a filter, more debris gets through to things like your fuel injectors.

Yes, they have a 20 gallon tank. Run it for a while being sure to fill it enough so there is no issue. Determine if you have a bad sending unit (inside the tank) or if you are just getting poor gas mileage.

If it isn't perfectly accurate and you have no fuel delivery symptoms, just chalk it up to being a "characteristic" of a used vehicle, and factor for it. Sure you can chase it if you want, but that is going to require digging into or replacing the fuel pump assembly.

 

i have the same issue with my xj
at a full tank i my guage indicaties just over 3/4 sometimes its only an 1/8 under full depending on how it feels that day i fill up

i did run mine out of gas though to check it out and i went well below "E" almost the full 1/4-1/8 i was missing from the other end....i havent figured out what the problem is, but havent put much thought into it either
i just go until its pretty much on the E before i fill up again

i'd be interested to know if you find a fix though

 

Yes they do have 20 gallon tank. Fill it up run like 200 to 225 miles a couple times & check your mileage. I agree with last post running to empty or even low all the time can help fuel pumps burn out as gas does keep it cooler when pump is submerged.