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Is the Info Cluster "miles to E" accurate?

15K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  wydopnthrtl 
#1 ·
I was just wondering how accurate the info meter is when it comes up w/ the "low fuel" message and it shows the "miles remaining to E" - how accurate is that, and how low can one really go w/o actually running out of fuel?

Meaning, if the meter shows 38 miles left (after low warning light messages), will the car be totaly out of gas as it hits 38 miles, or is there a reserve?
 
#2 ·
[quote author=Cobra Jet link=topic=157439.msg3349830#msg3349830 date=1254423048]
I was just wondering how accurate the info meter is when it comes up w/ the "low fuel" message and it shows the "miles remaining to E" - how accurate is that, and how low can one really go w/o actually running out of fuel?

Meaning, if the meter shows 38 miles left (after low warning light messages), will the car be totaly out of gas as it hits 38 miles, or is there a reserve?
[/quote]

Hi Cobra Jet. :wavey: There is no exact answer to your question. First of all, there is a reserve when it hits zero. However, that reserve should not be explored, as running the tank down that low should be avoided (it can be harmful to the engine, as clearly explained in the Owners Manual). If you do a "Search" you will see that against better advice others have tried it in the past, and everyone has come up with different numbers to empty.

Second, the "Distance to Empty" is only a rough average. It takes into account the mileage you were getting for a predetermined amount of prior driving. So the short story is that when it says "38 miles to empty", it will hit zero before or after you have driven 38 miles, according to whether those last 38 miles are highway, city or some other sort of driven miles.

It will likely almost never be the actual number of miles that the readout says.

The best way to look at the readout/warning is like this: It is not our car giving us an exact mileage countdown. It is our car telling us, "Hey stupid, find a gas station quick! Can't you see we are almost out of gas?" :lmao:

Hope my answer was not too confusing.

Good luck. :cheers:
 
#3 ·
[quote author=bbf2530 link=topic=157439.msg3349930#msg3349930 date=1254426580]
[quote author=Cobra Jet link=topic=157439.msg3349830#msg3349830 date=1254423048]
I was just wondering how accurate the info meter is when it comes up w/ the "low fuel" message and it shows the "miles remaining to E" - how accurate is that, and how low can one really go w/o actually running out of fuel?

Meaning, if the meter shows 38 miles left (after low warning light messages), will the car be totaly out of gas as it hits 38 miles, or is there a reserve?
[/quote]

Hi Cobra Jet. :wavey: There is no exact answer to your question. First of all, there is a reserve when it hits zero. However, that reserve should not be explored, as running the tank down that low should be avoided (it can be harmful to the engine, as clearly explained in the Owners Manual). If you do a "Search" you will see that against better advice others have tried it in the past, and everyone has come up with different numbers to empty.

Second, the "Distance to Empty" is only a rough average. It takes into account the mileage you were getting for a predetermined amount of prior driving. So the short story is that when it says "38 miles to empty", it will hit zero before or after you have driven 38 miles, according to whether those last 38 miles are highway, city or some other sort of driven miles.

It will likely almost never be the actual number of miles that the readout says.

The best way to look at the readout/warning is like this: It is not our car giving us an exact mileage countdown. It is our car telling us, "Hey stupid, find a gas station quick! Can't you see we are almost out of gas?" :lmao:

Hope my answer was not too confusing.

Good luck. :cheers:
[/quote]

+1

i've never personally driven it to 0, but my gf drove it for 20 miles after it hit "0" this past week because she couldnt get to a gas station. so there is a reserve but there can be a lot of sediments built up in the bottom of a gas tank that you dont want in your fuel pump or engine. :)
 
#4 ·
Just last week on my way back from Colorado, I got to "0 miles to E" and then went another 30 miles. I bet I could have gone another 30 miles too, but I wasn't sure where the next gas station was. The actual gas gauge still showed about 1/8th of a tank which is why I did it. I think it's like a gas light and is meant as more of a warning than anything else.
 
#5 ·
[quote author=shawngreen link=topic=157439.msg3350701#msg3350701 date=1254459085]
Just last week on my way back from Colorado, I got to "0 miles to E" and then went another 30 miles. I bet I could have gone another 30 miles too, but I wasn't sure where the next gas station was. The actual gas gauge still showed about 1/8th of a tank which is why I did it. I think it's like a gas light and is meant as more of a warning than anything else.
[/quote]

Probably, but I would not risk it.

What is the fuel tank size? Like 17.5 gallons? Usually when I hit the 30-50 miles mark it is around 14.2-15.1 gallons if I remember from my fill ups. So if I drove it to 0 I could probably go about 20-30 more miles.
 
#7 ·
In my experience with both an '06 SEL and the '10 SEL there is about 2 gallons (good for another 50 miles) when the counter says "0 to empty". I have frequently let it hit 0 and when I fill up I can only get about 2 gals short of capacity.

I've read that that old wive's tale about sediment in the tank is wrong. The fuel pump pulls gas from the bottom of the tank all the time; that's the only way to run the tank dry. Therefore any sediment is constantly being removed and sent to the fuel filter.
 
#8 ·
Hi guys. :wavey: This reply deals solely with running the tank to empty.

However anyone may feel to the contrary, Ford specifically warns against running the tank to empty, or running out of fuel. Directly from the Owners Manual:

Running out of fuel
Avoid running out of fuel because this situation may have an adverse
effect on powertrain components.


Actually it is not an old wives tail, since running the tank down to the bottom concentrates the contaminants in the tank. That means that at any one moment, the fuel pump is lines are pulling in more contaminants than if the tank had more fuel in it.

In addition, many modern fuel pumps 9I am not 100% sure about our fuel pump) have two pickups, so running the tank low forces the fuel pump to use the lower of the two pickups. That equals more contaminants.

Also, many modern vehicles use the fuel to cool the submerged fuel pump. So you run the tank low, you can overheat the fuel pump.

Just a few reasons to avoid running the tank low, if possible.

Hope this information helps.

Good luck. :cheers:
 
#9 ·
[quote author=bbf2530 link=topic=157439.msg3360476#msg3360476 date=1255020217]
Hi guys. :wavey: This reply deals solely with running the tank to empty.

However anyone may feel to the contrary, Ford specifically warns against running the tank to empty, or running out of fuel. Directly from the Owners Manual:

Running out of fuel
Avoid running out of fuel because this situation may have an adverse
effect on powertrain components.


Actually it is not an old wives tail, since running the tank down to the bottom concentrates the contaminants in the tank. That means that at any one moment, the fuel pump is lines are pulling in more contaminants than if the tank had more fuel in it.

In addition, many modern fuel pumps 9I am not 100% sure about our fuel pump) have two pickups, so running the tank low forces the fuel pump to use the lower of the two pickups. That equals more contaminants.

Also, many modern vehicles use the fuel to cool the submerged fuel pump. So you run the tank low, you can overheat the fuel pump.

Just a few reasons to avoid running the tank low, if possible.

Hope this information helps.

Good luck. :cheers:
[/quote]

Question about contaminants. I am not a scientist, but I was wondering take this for example:

Turn some dirt in a glass and then pour some water into the same glass. Notice how the dirt mixes and then settles to the bottom.

Does this same thing happen lets say on the road if you are hitting bumps and turning etc. Doesn't the contaminants swirl around in the tank and intermix with the fuel? I am just wondering.
 
#10 ·
[quote author=roaf85 link=topic=157439.msg3360640#msg3360640 date=1255025302]
[quote author=bbf2530 link=topic=157439.msg3360476#msg3360476 date=1255020217]
Hi guys. :wavey: This reply deals solely with running the tank to empty.

However anyone may feel to the contrary, Ford specifically warns against running the tank to empty, or running out of fuel. Directly from the Owners Manual:

Running out of fuel
Avoid running out of fuel because this situation may have an adverse
effect on powertrain components.


Actually it is not an old wives tail, since running the tank down to the bottom concentrates the contaminants in the tank. That means that at any one moment, the fuel pump is lines are pulling in more contaminants than if the tank had more fuel in it.

In addition, many modern fuel pumps 9I am not 100% sure about our fuel pump) have two pickups, so running the tank low forces the fuel pump to use the lower of the two pickups. That equals more contaminants.

Also, many modern vehicles use the fuel to cool the submerged fuel pump. So you run the tank low, you can overheat the fuel pump.

Just a few reasons to avoid running the tank low, if possible.

Hope this information helps.

Good luck. :cheers:
[/quote]

Question about contaminants. I am not a scientist, but I was wondering take this for example:

Turn some dirt in a glass and then pour some water into the same glass. Notice how the dirt mixes and then settles to the bottom.

Does this same thing happen lets say on the road if you are hitting bumps and turning etc. Doesn't the contaminants swirl around in the tank and intermix with the fuel? I am just wondering.
[/quote]

Hi roaf. :wavey: Less so when the tank is full, or fuller. There is less turbulence in a full tank, since there is more liquid and less air space. So any mixing contamination is more dispersed/less concentrated, if picked up.

In addition, a full (or fuller) tank also promotes less condensation in the tank, meaning less water in your fuel tank, which means less water in your fuel.

Just more (of many) reasons why it is always better to keep the tank on the full side.

This is common automotive information, although some may not know it.

Good luck. :cheers:
 
#11 ·
bbf is correct. There are three reasons not to run the fuel tank dry.

1. Fuel is a "heat sink" for the fuel pump which is usually submerged in the tank. When the tank is low, the pump doesn't get cooled as well as it should. When the tank is empty, the electric pump continues to run to try to pump gas. Constant running = constant heat, with no cooling. Bad.

2. Pumps are not meant to be run dry. This is hard on the pump. I don't know what the bearing material in the Fusion fuel pump is, but it may well use fuel as its lubricant. No fuel therefore = no lubricant for the pump. Not good.

3. A tank with a low fuel volume left to sit encourages condensation. Water is not a good thing to condense into gasoline - the lower the tank level the higher the water ratio dissolved into it. Since almost all of us run E10, and ethanol has an affinity for water, no good can come from a low tank level allowed to "cool" overnight in a humid atmosphere.

Having said all that, I don't buy the contaminant issue. The question you must ask is how the contaminants get introduced into the fuel. Referring to the "dirt in water" analogy, we don't add anything to the tank except fuel from service stations. Anything contaminating that fuel must be suspended when it is introduced, and even if it settles out to the bottom, the pump will do its job and just pump the contaminated fuel to the fuel filter, which is there for just that purpose.

If you believe that you are introducing solids into the tank with your gasoline, and that they settle out, and that if you keep the tank full they will never be pumped out, then over several years you will wind up with a tank full of solids. No room for gas. Obviously, this doesn't happen.
 
#12 ·
I ran mine down to 4miles left. Put 17.4 gallons in it.

Yeah maybe there is a reserve... but IMO when it's in the 0-15 mile area it's time to get serious about filling up.


btw, IMO there seem to be a lot of armchair engineers on this forum. Well, I'm a genuine OEM automotive engineer. And.. I've had first hand experience engineering fuel systems as well as engines. (hope this qualifies me by ya'lls standards?)

There are only two dangers of running fuel too low.. or out.
1) The pumps are made from materials that touch each other during operation. These materials are cooled and lubricated by the fuel. As you run the fuel very low it gets airated. So the media passing through the pump is semi-adequate at cooling and lubricating. Your pump won't fail... but it's life is shortened. Run the tank bone dry and this situation is far worse.
2) Debris. IMO you guys have blown this way out of proportition. Yes.. the pumps pickup screen won't filter out everything. But it does filter out particals that are too large for the pumps to pass.

armchair engineers.. gotta love em. :p

Rich
 
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