So I was taking the family to meet my parents for Sunday brunch knowing I was low on fuel but thinking we were OK with computer saying 120 miles to empty when the truck burped and then 1 mile later on a short but steep hill promptly dies. The fuel gauge was close to empty but above the red line. Fortunately we were just a block from our brunch location so I called my parents who came and got us. I left our meal a little early with my parents car and purchased a 2 gallon tank and some diesel praying that this was a simple fix. It worked and after driving 2-3 miles shuttling cars back and forth am with the family again heading 4-5 miles back to the gas station to fill up. Thinking I get 15 MPGs or so I know it would be tight but not a real problem. Back up the other side of the hill I died on the first time the truck gives out again. I coast almost to the top (my wife ask if she wanted her and the kids to push it the rest of the way ...LOL). I add a splash of gas left in the bottom of the can and pray and sure enough it fires and takes me the remaining 3-4 flat miles to the station. All lives happily ever after.


I share this with everyone first for the laugh at the thought of pushing this 4 ton truck up any form of hill and to make sure no one ever trust the miles to empty reading. This beast must have a huge tank that draws fuel from the front so any hill of size sloshes all of the gas to the back. It is also nice that after draining it twice no issues starting it again and running.

Good night all.

 

2 weeks ago I took it to 0 miles left for a few miles on my way back from Livingston, TX. But there were only overpasses.

 

You're lifted, have bigger tires, and I'm almost sure, not regeared. When you're not regeared, your speedo is off and so is the DTE or Lie-o-meter. I regeared and adjusted my speedo with my AE and have found that it's more accurate now.

 

I really feel sorry for those injectors and fuel pump! I never believe that lie o meter. I just leave it on temp the whole time. I would give that fuel filter a change after all that. But hey lesson learned fill up at 120 mild to empty. Or loan it to a friend saying he's got 120 left in it then let him fill it up

 

I have filled up when the light comes on and needle at E still only held about 38 Gallons. I thought all Excursions were 44 Gallons?

 

I have driven about 40 miles after the counter read 0 miles to empty and then only put 41 gallons in it. On the flip side, while pulling the 25' TT into a 40 MPH headwind at 70 MPH on the Interstate I stopped at the first gas station 21 miles after the light came on and managed to put 44.8 gallons into the tank. I had an average of 4.27mpg on that tank!! Stock V10 with 285's.

 

I have same set up. 03 X V10 4x4 4.30s 285s usually get 10.4 in town and best on highway was 14 with 265s!

 

You still should not be empty if the guage is not showing it, I would bet that something in the pickup is broken or fell off, there are lots of plastic and rubber pieces in the factory pickup/ sending unit that can cause it to run out even though you still have a quarter tank. I guess the real question we all need answered is how much did you put in it to fill it back up? If it was 35-38 gallons it is probably reading about right, If you do the Hutch/ harpoon mod then you can fill it up the rest of the way. I know on my f450( which has the same tank) it will only take that much if i take the time to stuff the tank after it clicks off the first time. I can fit another 3-5 gallons in it till it is full to the fill neck.
I would run it down, then pull the drain plug on the bottom of the tank, and then see how much is left. It there is a lot left, (more then 5 gallons) i would drop the tank to see what came loose or is broken. There is a rubber duck bill in there that if it breaks will cause you to run out like that, also the pick up foot/ screen falls off some times too. Oh some times the sending units stick too, I wonder which it is....

When I bought my 2000 X, the guy picked me up at the airport and it said 25 miles to empty. He ran it down to where it said 5 miles left and since we were getting into the hills, he pulled into a station so I could fill it. I only put 15 gallons in it since it was in Dana Point, CA and the fuel was expensive there. I only put enough in it to make it back to the AZ state line, there I put another 70 bucks in it since it was even cheaper in Phx. I am of the mindset that when it gets to a 1/4 tank you better start looking for a station. It is good to know that I can run it that low and not have to worry about it, but still I am not going to.
I used AE to adjust my speedo for the tires earlier this week, so I don't know if it has made much difference in the fuel mileage yet. It was showing 5 mph slow so I am guessing it will.

 

They are 44 gallon tanks, part of the tank is reserved for air space. Unless you completely drain the tank , (ie: pull the drain plug) and have done the Harpoon mod on your tank you will not get that much in the tank with out a lot of nozzle clicking after it initially shuts off.

I am Facilities Maintenance on 11 gas stations and I deal with people complaining everyday. I always give them a copy of this..http://azdwm.gov/Portals/1/PDF/FuelTankCapacity.pdf

There are very few gas pumps that truly rip people off, in fact, when I do our yearly calibrations on the pumps I find that in most all cases they are in fact giving away fuel.
Our states Weights and Measures Dept comes out every 3 years and certifies the pumps too.

As a side note my brother in laws, brothers wife ran out of fuel in her 2004 6.0 X last Friday, I guess the fuel gauge quit working in it a few weeks earlier, he told her to just watch the mileage and when it gets to between 800-900 miles to fill it up, I asked him how he arrived at that number and he said it is a 44 gallon tank and it gets over 20 miles per gallon. I started laughing and told him there was no way he was getting that mileage around town. Then I used the tank in the back of my Dodge to put some fuel in it for her, I had her cycle the key a few times to prime it and then it fired right back up. He said they only fit 30 gallons in it when they filled it. I guess I put more fuel in it then I thought. I was side tracked talking with him after I turned on the pump, and it will put out 13 gpm.. that is what you get for being a nice guy I guess. I got a "Thanks" and that was it....

 

I think everyone overlooked a key part of the story, and that was the "steep hill." He could easily have had six gallons in the bottom of the tank, but when he went up that hill, the fuel ran to the back of the tank and the pickup was sucking air.

My Dad had a 1998 Chevy pickup that died on the boat ramp one day. He called AAA who towed him up the ramp. My Dad was telling the driver the he wanted towed to XYZ shop. The Driver said, hey, try it now buddy...and it fired right up. Truck had just shy of a quarter tank in it at the time.
'Slot

 

I didn't overlook it. That's why I mentiond a few overpasses. Was just telling my experiance. I was nervous. Just hoping to make it to the pump.

 

I understand, what you are saying. I was in my 450 earlier this week, it showed just over a 1/4 tank when I started it up so I figured I would just fill it up some time during the day. I started to turn out of my drive and had to get on it hard as some one was coming faster then I thought, I made it less then half way down the block and it started cutting out and dropping injectors, I thought I had windowed the block or something serious. I backed it up to my house and it smoothed out in less then 2 seconds. I let it run for a few more minutes as I checked it out and then drove off again. Less then 2 blocks later my fuel light came on as the gauge hit E. I shut it off and started it again to see if the gauge was going to change and it didn't. I ended up putting 35 gallons in it, as the pump shut off at $150.00....

There are no baffles in the tank so it could very easily slosh all the fuel away from the pick up.