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Old 12-04-2007, 06:50 PM   #1
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Transfer flow fuel tank behavior

My "low fuel" light comes on on my '05 diesel at about 360 miles. I usually drive around about another 100 to 150 miles before refueling. I've been keeping a fuel log since I bought the van new and I'm getting between 16 and 17 mpg. So a conservative estimate of 40 gallons available and 15 mpg says 600 miles should be no problem. My actual expiriance confirms this to be true. Last year I called transfer flow and they sent me out a new sending unit (for free) that they claimed would correct this. I have not noticed any change since installing the sending unit. Some people have reported drivability issues with the light on but I have not expirianced this. Is everyone else's gauge acting the same way or does someone actually have one that works? What's the point of 46 gallons if you only ever use 35 at best?

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Old 12-04-2007, 07:01 PM   #2
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Mine is (documented else where) the opposite of yours. I recently drove 215 miles from absolute full to when I saw the needle move. The needle was just off the F mark, so I guess about 200 miles over the F.

I continued to drive until the low fuel light came on, which happened at 553.8 miles.

I estimate that I have 3.5 gallons from fuel light to sputtering from previous tests.

I believe my MPG has had a jump since this is my first trip not blasting the AC the whole time. I'd guess between 12.5 and 13 mpg, where with full AC I was doing 11.6 very consistently. It's hard to get an accurate mileage because over 35 gallons and the tank gets very hard to fill, so unless the gas is visible in the neck (as it was this time) I'm not sure how much there is at the "top". Between that and the $75 limit on credit at the pump I also rarely fill up even to the click.
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Old 12-04-2007, 07:14 PM   #3
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I'm going to guess the tank is actually full and it only takes less than another gallon to overflow. Or, is it like mine and able to take another3 gallons, more or less, after the pump shuts off.

My T-F tank reads like this:

When the 'Low Fuel' warning comes on, I have about 10 gallons left in the tank, but by that time I have driven about 500 miles. That is a stock Ford sending unit in the tank.
When I fill up, I drive about 100 miles before the gauge reaches the F mark and then it is about 100 miles/Quarter tank.

I usually get about 17-18mpg on the road, but also use 15mpg to calculate fuel remaining.

Did you have to drop the tank to change the sending unit?

Do you still have the old sending unit?

Could you bend the float arm (I'm assuming it still works that way) down to change the reading? Bending the arm down would mean the fuel level would have to drop more to produce the same reading. I'm guessing it would take about and inch change in position to get it close to my gauge readings - if they are about what you want.

Good luck,

Mike
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Old 12-04-2007, 08:06 PM   #4
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YOu do have to drop the tank down to change the sending unit. It's a couple hours work for me out and back in. My next step is to bend the float as you suggest. I'd much rather have the readings acurate when near empty than when full. I think that's it's silly to carry around extra fuel when you should have an almost 700 mile range.
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Old 12-05-2007, 06:31 AM   #5
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I just filled up my TF fuel tank for the first time the other day. Unfortunately I don't know exactly how much was in there, but I was only able to add 29 gallons (gauge showed 3/8). My gauge read F until about 100 miles, and is now around a quarter with 400 miles showing. Still not sure if the tank was full. I asked TF about the filling issue when I bought mine and they assured me that the problem was solved. I'll fill up again soon and see how much I can cram in there.

Another thing to consider is the amount of weight we are putting on board with a fillup. Assuming 7 pounds per gallon a full tank weighs 322 pounds. Add that to my homemade polish bumper and it's time to put in an extra leaf.
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Old 12-05-2007, 11:29 AM   #6
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My Transfer Flow tank has the extra 10 gallons of gas "above" the Full line -- I can drive 100 miles or so before the gauge starts to budge down from Full.

I also had trouble filling those top extra 10 gallons of gas until I had my mechanic do some surgery on the tank to add an extra vent tube. I have a write-up of my full story here.



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