Fuel tank capacity / distance between fill-ups

[maxacceleration]

Originally Posted by warholic

I started this thread bec I’ve been wondering two things:

How do others handle the fuel tank reserve capacity issue when the warning light comes on?

Should I have gotten the diesel due solely to the increased driving range you get?

Well I can figure it on 1/10 of your math warholic!

Our vehicles are pretty close although you did not mention gear ratio or tire diameter (that mainly only covers speedo error and how fast or slow your motor is spinning).
My simplified way of figuring, based on how much it takes to fill vs miles.
I am a lead foot sometimes, cruising at 65-70 when I can.

When the low fuel light comes on then it says 50 miles left, then 25, then zero.
When it says zero miles left and I fill up at that time I have apprx ten gallons left.
Nice reserve! That simple - no need to over analyze it IMO. For me anyway.

My general assumtion, sorry, is a V-10 gets 10 mpg plus or minus. Regardless.
Easy to figure the mileage on a 45 gallon tank and what cushion YOU (anybody) chooses to have.

My take is the 46 gallon tanks we have are deeper in relation to where the sensor/float sits vs a stock tank.

It is curious if some tanks read correctly.

Oh on your second question? Hindsight is 20/20. I often think that I should have got the diesel motor also, although it was not available on my 2010. Next time! lol

Originally Posted by warholic

So, my new estimate for highway driving or combined when the fuel warning light turns on:

Pretty much I know I need to fill up within 100 miles to play it safe.

Yup!

[carringb]

If you really need more range, you can add a 2nd fuel tank.

For me, the lower fuel economy in exchange for knowing my van will make it wherever I take it, is an acceptable trade-off for me. I've really only run so short on fuel I had to stop driving once (middle of night, middle of Wyoming...) but my trailer had its own 40-gallon fuel station so I just unhooked and filled up from the trailer. I also carry a 5-gallong jerry can for less critical out-of-fuel situations.

I don't have a 2nd tank yet. Hopefully this spring.

[etbadger]

Remember that even when your fuel-pickup starts sucking air, there are still likely a couple gallons sloshing around at the edges that are effectively un-usable.

With the vent in our tank perforated just inside the top of the tank we have measured almost exactly 55 gal from a completely dry tank to fuel in the neck of the fill tube. The extra ~9 gal is probably gain from the space that is left for thermal expansion in the stock transfer-flow design.

The fuel gauge is off some due to the location of the fuel pick-up/sender in the transfer flow tank. The assembly is recessed down a couple inches from the top of the tank, so the float is fully submerged when the tank is full. I have found the ECU PID for fuel level registers 10% tank remaining when we have 10gal remaining.

-e

[PatO]

So I get about 3 miles per gallon on average more than you do for your posted city & highway driving, pay 50 - 80 cents more per gallon, have no pep off the line, have higher maintenance costs and get the turbo heartbreak that keeps on giving with the 6.0 PSD... I think you made the right choice and are just amortizing the same costs more on a per mile basis through the cost of gas. The only disadvantage seems to be the range.
Pat

(In a pinch I will drive about 80 miles after light comes)

[dhally]

Originally Posted by warholic

I started this thread bec I’ve been wondering two things:

How do others handle the fuel tank reserve capacity issue when the warning light comes on?

Should I have gotten the diesel due solely to the increased driving range you get?

I use the trip odometer to estimate fuel range for all my vehicles. I've found that fuel guages aren't linear so it's hard to estimate remaining range that way. I try to never let the warning light come on, and consider it an "emergency". Our van does have a trip computer that is actually pretty accurate, so I also use it to tell me how much range is remaining. I think it says 450 to 480 miles after a fill up.

No you should not have gotten the diesel due solely to increased range. IMHO you should only get a diesel if you want a diesel.

[JoeH]

In the big picture you need to know what is the useable amount of fuel in the tank. And then if you have a scanguage or Edge that amount to input. Then, you know how much you have left based on current consumption.

So, how do you figure out how much is useable? Basically run it until fumes but that's especially not good for a diesel and not good for fuel pumps in general.

Does anyone know what that amount is for the 46gal. transfer flow tank without any modifications? From everything I've read it seems to be quite variable.

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by JoeH

Does anyone know what that amount is for the 46gal. transfer flow tank without any modifications? From everything I've read it seems to be quite variable.

I entered 40 gal into my ScanGauge for the tank capacity. But, I really don't push it. I try to fill up every 500 miles. I also figure 600 miles as my limit (15mpg X 40g) even if I can go further. Once I was over 700 miles, but I was getting concerned.

The Low Fuel alarm starts chiming with about 10 gallons left in the tank and chimes about every 10 miles after I reset it. The most I've gone is 7 chimes of the alarm.

I really like the mileage of the diesel, don't really like the extra repair costs.

Mike

[MadScience]

My v10 has a shortened tank (to make room for the transfer case) which will hold 24-27 gallons depending on how carefully I top it off. When I'm off the beaten track I either plan fuel stops carefully, or I carry extra jugs.

Note the discrepancy in how much I can get in there if I top it off carefully: This isn't just nursing a little more in at the end. It's waiting for 20 seconds or so for any foaming to clear and then slowly putting roughly another gallon in. I can repeat this three to four times before it's really full. Unlikely my car, which will spill if you try to top it off, I have not seen any signs of spillage when doing this.

Putting in a second tank is certainly on my wish list, but not a top priority yet.

[larrie]

Originally Posted by dhally

No you should not have gotten the diesel due solely to increased range. IMHO you should only get a diesel if you want a diesel.

Even though I do not own a diesel I think this is some of the best advice I have heard about deciding on a gas or diesel engine.

[Viejo]

Can anyone tell me the out-of-fuel sequence of warnings on the 7.3psd.
How far can I safely push it?
I've never put more than 30something gallons in a "47g" tank.
Can't remember the exact number of gallons - the dog ate the notebook - honest.
When I did the 30+ fill up, the gauge was on E but no warnings yet.