Distance To Empty calc has very decent "cushion"

[780]

You guys are nuts. I freak out if I let the truck get under 60 miles / 100 kms of range.

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[Gros Ventre]

While it is no fun to run out of gas on the road... The bigger issue is that of the fuel pump. Run it dry and it will fail completely, usually within 10,000 miles. Run it until it bucket is empty and its going to heat up. If it gets hot enough it'll fail within 10-20,000 miles. I found on my GMC Suburban that fuel pumps were likey good for a 100,000 mile lifetime. The original pump will go longer than replacement pumps, but figure on 100,000 miles. The idea that there is a usable gallon (whatever the math works out to show) between the gas tank and the engine is baloney. There may be a gallon in there, but as soon as the pump runs out, it is unusable and will just sit there in the piping.

 

[Snakebitten]

You guys are nuts. I freak out if I let the truck get under 60 miles / 100 kms of range.

Absolutely!
I treat Miles To Empty 100 as time to stop on that leg or the next leg of my commute or drive. Considering it's been 550+ miles since I last filled up the 30 Gallon tank, it's been long enough.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Absolutely!
I treat Miles To Empty 100 as time to stop on that leg or the next leg of my commute or drive. Considering it's been 550+ miles since I last filled up the 30 Gallon tank, it's been long enough.

Agreed... The fuel pump is a big deal... and swapping it out on these trucks is no small job.

 

[John861]

Ford generally uses 6-8% of the advertised capacity as "empty reserve". This accounts for variability in the tank (blow molded plastic isn't a precision operation) and fuel level sender. Stalling the engine with DTE>0 or with the gauge above E is grounds for a recall, so it is better to be a little conservitive. GM had this problem several years ago (Equinox?). On the other hand, I have a car with 14% empty reserve which is ridiculous.

As said earlier in this thread, the fuel pump sits in a bucket of fuel that is continually getting filled via a venturi pump. Operating with low fuel level isn't really a problem. Nor does it cause issues with sucking up crap from the bottom of the tank since it is always doing that. Occasionally running out of fuel shouldn't cause any problems since the pump will shut off pretty quickly (as soon as the engine stops). It is far worse to keep cycling the key trying to get it restart when empty. That just makes the pump try and prime without being able to pump fuel. I wouldn't recommend running out of fuel, of course, but it isn't the end of the world. And the labor to swap the fuel pump is lower on most of these trucks than on cars/SUVs. You can lift the bed off with 6 bolts and some wiring connectors.

DTE is just a calculation of remaining fuel (based on what the fuel level sender is reporting) and the recent fuel economy (from a separate calculation than the fuel economy you see in the instrument cluster). It generally works ok, but don't expect accuracy if you are changing driving style. For example, if you have been on a nice long freeway drive then head to the city, DTE will be greater than actual as your city mileage will be worse. This effect is even worse if you hook up a trailer. More recent trucks may try to compensate for that when they detect the trailer, but I don't really know.

-John

 

[STM]

I was thinking the same thing. Doesn't make sense that there is a gallon between the tank and the engine.



Nonetheless, the computer calculates distance based on previous MPG, not based on the amount of fuel in the tank and that's ridiculous.

The DTE is definitely a function of the previous MPG as well as the amount of gas in the tank..

When I make a long distance trip after just filling the tank, the DTE remains same or even goes up for the first 75 miles or more.. It is really interesting to watch it. Almost like magic! ?

 

[Gros Ventre]

I take issue with a pump run dry... every time that happened to me the pump failed completely within 10,000 miles.

 

[Carphunter]

My truck has basically 100 MTE once you reach 0 MTE according to the gauge. I should probably get on reprogramming that as i've had the truck for more than 2 years and things have settled in.

 

[m_bt54]

I always wait until I am around 0 and have never had an issue. I’ve gone at least another 40-50 miles once it says 0 but haven’t tried to go any further than that.

 

[Northguy]

I always wait until I am around 0 and have never had an issue. I’ve gone at least another 40-50 miles once it says 0 but haven’t tried to go any further than that.

LOL

Wait are you Kramer? (Great Seinfeld episode about this if you are old like me).

Just joking around - glad someone tests this stuff so when we are in a pinch we know there is some safety buffer. I have had to sometimes rely on this buffer in Northern Canada as long distance between gas.

 

[STM]

This week my DTE showed 9 miles and filled the tank and it took 29.9 gallons without topping up or anything! ! The PB is supposed to have a 30.6 gallon tank right?

So I am guessing I won't be letting it get below 25 miles to empty going forward just to be safe!

 

[mdn14]

I have driven my PB to about 20 miles on the DTE calc and put in more than 30.6. The most being 30.89 gallons... Might need to start filling up sooner than I have been.

 

[slow3v]

Ford has always had a buffer. Generally speaking I’ve found there to be enough fuel left at 0mi to E to get you another 50mi across all of my Ford vehicles that I’ve ever owned. This dates back to the mid 2000s.

 

[Atlee]

This past Memorial Day weekend I was boondocking at a friend's field. He had a large get together over the weekend. I was using the PB to power my travel trailer. Ended up staying an extra day in the field. At 3:30 am Tuesday morning, after 85 hours of continuous PPoB use, the truck shut down due to low fuel. The DTE read 44 miles to empty.

I drove 12.9 miles to the gas station. After refueling (26.75 gallons), I determined there were 3.85 gallons in the tank when refueling began.

 

[Carphunter]

This past Memorial Day weekend I was boondocking at a friend's field. He had a large get together over the weekend. I was using the PB to power my travel trailer. Ended up staying an extra day in the field. At 3:30 am Tuesday morning, after 85 hours of continuous PPoB use, the truck shut down due to low fuel. The DTE read 44 miles to empty.

I drove 12.9 miles to the gas station. After refueling (26.75 gallons), I determined there were 3.85 gallons in the tank when refueling began.

if you compute that vs your known mpg for the truck, what would your true MTE have been?

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