My Cherokee gas gauge reads empty, but when I fill it up I can only get 10 - 11 gallons in it, is the tank a 12 gallon tank? I thought I read it was 20 or so?

 

They are 20 gal. as far as I know. Maybe your gauge is off?

 

20 gal per the book.

 

does the rear of your jeep sag at all? granted, it would have to sag a lot for it to throw the gauge off that much, but it will mess it up

Is your gas tank dented or caved in... this can also diminish fuel capacity

if none of these are the problem, it could be the sender.

 

my 88 is 16 gallons. I thought there were 20, so one day I decided to try going further and further on the empty light, well,I made it 20 miles and then it started to putter out. Landed right in the gas station, filled it up, 15.9 gallons. I wouldn't recommend that unless you are really concerned, because apparently running the crud at the bottom is no good for your engine. Makes sense.

I heard somewhere that some of them had 12 gallon... Look under there and see how big it looks!

 

You can probably get a build sheet from a Dodge dealer if you give them your VIN, it will tell you everything about your Jeep.

 

don't be afraid to check the owner's manual (OM) if you have it.... or if you don't, check ebay for one... I got one for my '03 dakota when I bought it because the PO got rid of it and the dealer must have thought I was stupid and gave me one for a '99.

I think the OM on ebay was like 10 bucks +shipping... most of what's in it is common sense obviously, but it's good to have information specific to the year of your jeep... and that's what the OM is for

 

All the XJ's I have owned 92-98 had a 20 gal. fuel tank. I have no idea if they came with a different size tanks or not. You best bet is to get the build sheet for your year and model. Here is the link you can get it from.
http://www.jeep.com/webselfservice/jeep/index.jsp
Go to.
1) I need CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE.
2) Send us an Email
3) Fill out the form and tell them that you want the build sheet.

 

I was lucky enough to find the build sheet inside my passenger side front door... unfortunately, there is a rather large hole in the paper right about the area that tells you about gas tank size... but I know it's a 20

if you have time, try pulling off your door panels - you never know, yours may be in there

 

You guys are gonna love this.
Early XJs, can't say for sure what years as I left the dealership in 92, had 20 gallon tanks.

They had, when you ordered them, a 16 or 20 gallon option. The only difference was how far the pickup tube stuck down into the tank.

 

thanks for the info ,we can all use our build sheets.i just asked for mine

 

So, are you saying that everyone had a 20 gallon capacity, however the pickup tube only siphoned down to 16 on some? And if that is the case, then you could buy a 20 gallon sender/pump and upgrade from 16 to 20?

 

Yes. In the early years. Maybe til 86? I don't remember for sure if it continued into the fuel injected years..

 

Don't be too disappointed if you don't get a build sheet for your 88 or earlier. Give it a try though.

 

Awesome... what a waste.