Hello, This is my first post, I just join a couple of days ago and you guys are great. I have learned alot of stuff to do and try. Thanks for all the advice. Here Is my question.
I have an 01 v10 limited ex with 35's and 3.73 gears(not for long 4.56's soon) and I havent reset the computer for the speedometer. When I fill up the miles to empty reads 396. Everything works ok low fuel light comes on with 50 miles to go. Since I have had it (going on 5 years now)the most I have ever put in is 37.5 gal. and that time it said I have nine miles to go.
I was wondering if not having the computer reprogrammed could be giving the wrong info and I still have more left in the tank? I should have a 44 gal tank.

 

First of all, welcome!

My understanding is that this is a common issue. I have the same thing in my X. The miles to empty reading is pretty conservative. I have run it a few miles past '0 miles to empty' and still haven't put more than 40 gallons in it. I don't have the cojones to, but I remember hearing somebody say they went like 30 miles past when the trip computer said '0 miles to empty'. I just think of it like a little safety net and leave it.

 

I agree the tank still has a few gallons in it even at empty.

Some have reported running out of fuel before the tank showed empty though so I wouldnt push yoru luck too much! Lowest I have personally seen was low single digits once.

 

On my x, it goes faster from 100 to 50 miles left than it does from 200 to 100. I'm not sure the scale is exactly linear either......

 

Slow fill it until you see solid fuel to the filler neck. I have put in 44 gallons of diesel in my tank that supposedly had a few gallons left. Slow fill until you see fuel to the filler neck. It takes me 20 extra minutes for this.

 

You guys have much larger nads than me...

I'm like a scared little girl and too chicken of running out of fuel having to push my 17,000# combined Ex and trailer to the station!!!

Also I'm too cheap to see $160 fill ups!...Psychologically it helps to only see $120 fill ups!

When my fuel light does come on...I've only pumped 38 or 39 gallons at that point...

 

I've noticed that too.. under 100 miles to empty, each mile is equivalent to about 0.55 miles on the odometer (averaged out for ~30 or so miles to empty miles. The tank is also very conservative on the fuel gauge it seems; i've ran it to 8 miles to empty and was only able to put 37ish gallons in as well...

gonna give the slow fill process a try, but only after the card resets at 100 bucks, i don't wanna get old at the gas station :P

 

You guys are gonna love this to get around the 100 cap, simply move your x close to the pump, put your card in, start filling, then go to the other side, grab the other diesel handle, put ANOTHER card in (you have to use a different CC card) and get that one ready to go. When the first one caps at 100, or close there to, put it up and put the other one that is ready to go in and start filling!

 

I'd risk getting shot by a prius driver if I pumped gas from 2 pumps...

 

In there zeal for 'green'...they surely carry non-lethal electric stun guns...so no worries...

What is amazing...is that you can carry the SAME credit card to 3 different gas stations and hit 3 different shut off limits.

I've hit $50, $75 (most common) and $100. I finally took to sending the wife in to 'pre-pay' at the desk as we always pumped near $120 when towing on our trip. Some of the stations were more elaborate than others...some would simply pre-charge say $150 and then when the pump was put up and only say $121 was pumped...your card would simply get charged the $121...others had to have the cashier complete the transaction...but to say that the limit is set by the credit card companies is pure BS since the same CC is used with different shut-offs...

 

I fill once a month 700-750 miles per tank $200. Filling once a month is a lot less stress to me than filling twice at month at $100

 

At our local Speedway, I just reset the same pump after the limit is reached and finish filling from the same pump. It doesn't make any sense that there's even a limit! It's a bummer since it takes about a full minute for the pump to reset to finish the fill.

Or sometimes, I'll . . . . . . . . .

I've done this a couple of times too although I'm using the same card that I just used on the other side of the pump! I thought this was my little secret. Sean's just too sharp!

 

I know most of you guys in this thread are running on gas....with the diesel, with 5 miles left on the lie-o-meter I have put in a little over 45 gal after burping the tank and filling to the top of the neck.

don't forget your "miles to empty" is greatly effected by time since reset and your mpg. consistent 8mpg will be a lot different than consistent 22mpg with respect to how much you can fill in the tank. I use the fuel gauge as an estimate. for example depending on how much I top it off I can go anywhere from 20-150 miles before the gauge needle is "over" the F full mark.

as far as the card thing....I've gotten too frustrated about putting a card three times, so now I just go in give them the card and ask them to open it up.

 

What I need to do is see if I can correlate my Aeroforce gauge readout since it reads in % of fuel remaining as reported thru the ODBII port. I never thought to see if that was accurate. What would be interesting to see is when the gauge says say 20% remaining if I actually pump 35.2 gallons or there abouts (i.e. 44 * 0.8).

My gauge can report that parameter but I never seem to have thought to see how accurate it was...this way even at 5% remaining (depending on accuracy and sloshing)...in theory I'd still have 2.2 gallons in the tank...now whether that will make it to the pickup is another story...and like i said...my nads are no where near large enough to go below 15%...I guess to experiment I could simply carry around a 5 gallon tank with me...just in case! LOL

I think I'll start with running my tank down to the low fuel light to see if it consistantly comes on with 5-6 gallons left or 11-13% remaining on the digital gauge...every time I've seen the low fuel light...I pump 38 or 39 gallons...but just knowing my gauge ACCURATELY reports remaining fuel as a percentage of full would be a huge step up in knowing how much fuel is really left...I don't know if the scangaugeII reports % fuel level or not...

Also I do NOT have an overhead computer that reports miles to empty...My Ex is old school...only the fuel gauge and odometer for me...

Thanks for the thought for a new experiment...

joe.

 

LMFAO

I don't even look at the lie-o-meter anymore. I've run it down to 0 before and still drove more that 50 miles. I've taken the gauge just down below the E line and put in 42 gallons before.