Ok, now I've filled my new truck up 3 times. I run it until the display says 0 miles left to empty..then fill the truck up until fuel is visible at the top of the fill tube (in other words it's FULL) and the most I can get in is 23.5 gallons. This tells me I'm not anywhere near empty since my sticker clearly says 27gal tank and yet the gauge as well as the annoying every five miles BEEP - LOW FUEL seem to think I am. What gives? Dealer says nothing is wrong with the system, surely this is not normal?? If it's leaving 4 gallons in the tank when it says empty...that's hosing me out of a large chunk of cruising time.

A 27 gallon tank is a joke on a towing vehicle but 23 is beyond funny....anyone else have this trouble?

Bill
05 F150 Scab lariat

 

only you just kidding its a safety factor built in so people dont run out of gas i see it as a good thing sure beats walking. but now that u know u have some gas left in the tank drive on pass gas station. i would not want the tank to be empty before the beep?

 

Yeah, it's normal. Like Mach said it's a safety feature. I have a 30 gal tank and mine is full on 27 gal. It's a safety feature 'til you realize it. My wife is HORRIBLE balancing her check book. I used to keep an extra $150 in it as a safety slush. Worked great until she opened a bank statement once to get one of her checks that she FORGOT to record and COULDN'T remember to who or what for and realized she had more to play with. She was smart enough to not let me know she knew.LOL! She kept spending it and dumba$$ me kept making it up!

Brad

 

there is also a unused portion in the tank that makes up about 2 gallons. so 2 gallons will always be unused.

 

ran mine down to warning light and it took 26 gallons

 

Here's an explanation to today's funky fuel reading systems.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-gauge.htm

You could fill up a 5 gallon can of gas and stow it in the box, and then run off a full tank of gas till it quits to find out how far you could go.

I wouldn't run it empty all the time as the fuel pump is cooled by the gasoline, but it certainly would be nice to know if one were to ever get in a bad way and needed that knowledge.

 

It was designed this way by Ford. My brother-in-law is an engineer at Ford Detroit and explained that Ford does not want ANYONE to run out of gas in a Ford product,
hence the big reserve remaining when the message center says it's all gone!!

I have not tried superrangerman2002's suggestion yet but I have considred it several times. I have driven 35~40 miles past the 0 miles remaining notice and then pumped 29+ gallons into my '05 screw 5.4.

 

Well here is an update. I've filled it twice more since I posted this irritation and each time it has gotten a little better. I'm thinking the computer takes a while to learn what your actual mileage average is and applies that slowly to the miles to empty figure. This last fill up I drove it down to 9 miles to empty and put in 25.4 gallons. That comes out to about 1 gallon left after it reads 0. That is much better than 4 gallons it was reading after the first 3 fillups. Now if there were just a way to have it beep at 10 miles left instead of 50 miles left and every 5 miles thereafter. :-)


Bill
05 lariat scab

 

isnt it hard on a fuel injection system to run it passed a quarter tank. i dont know for sure but i have heard from a few people that it is just looking for your opinions

 

I have always been told that it was bad to let a fuel injected vehicle get below a quarter of a tank as the gas helps cool the fuel pump and it could lead to premature failure of your fuel pump .
I have also heard from many ppl that you get better mileage if you do this something about the ammount of air in the tank and evaporation

 

If you look at the postion of the tank and the tiny (3/4") fuel hose this explanes why. With the pressure release of the fuel Ipump handel and the slim opening it will shut off long before you get a full tank.

I know since the day I have had my 04 it always shuts the pump off and I can still add approx. 3 gallons after to bring the gas up to the filler door. I understand that you are not suppose to fill it to the brim but was curious and have done this many times to check and each time it is almost three gallons.

So I would not be thinking I still had a few gallons left even though your computer says zero. As was said before with the electronic fuel pump and the fuel injectors you do not want to even think of running them out. Also there is dirt in the bottom of every tank and when she gets empty it trys to suck that dirt into the engine.

 

That's good to know. I never pump after the first shutoff.

Brad

 

My understanding is that you should not fill the gas tank past the first click of the pump. Something about a vapor canister.....you can ruin it. I heard this on the "Car Talk" program a while back.

 

I agree, the general thought is that you SHOULD NOT top it off. But, I have owned Ford trucks since 1975 and have had about 15 over the years and I always fill it till I see the gas at top. It is a me thing

I fill my tank every Sunday because I always want it full and it is just as easy to keep it 3/4 to full as it is to keep it 1/4 to empty IMO. I am not recommeding any one else do it but I have done it since 75 on each truck and I have never had a problem, maybe just lucky but it works for me.

I just wanted everyone to know that generally when the pump shuts off there is still room for 2-3 gallons.

Happy Motoring

 

I've owned Fords, chevy's, dodges (all trucks), Hondas, Toyotas, chryslers and now porsches and I run every one of them down to empty as well as filled it to the top. I have never had a problem with a fuel pump or canister. If Ford designed a system that dies when the tank is run low..well they will be eating a ton of warranty work and I seriously doubt that is the case. This sounds like one of those "friend of a friend told me that he heard it's bad" kind of things. I spent several years working at chrysler doing R&D (trying to blow things up) and we always designed for the worst case...because that is what will always burn you. In any event, I will continue to run my truck down to 0 miles left because the most I've managed to shoe horn in is 26 gallons, which leaves me a bit in reserve. The computer did indeed learn as I drove it more and now it's down to fairly accurate. 1 gallon reserve is plenty for me, could be the pilot in me planning everything in advance, or the skydiver in my waiting until the last minute..but either way, that's how I do it. If the pump dies, it dies and ford gets to give me another one..but I seriously doubt that will happen. My street car has a 21 gallon tank and gets twice the mileage of my truck..a 27 gallon tank in a half ton truck is silly to begin with, I'll be using all of it and next year's truck will be ordered with the LARGE tank.

Bill