How accurate is gas guage?

[THLONE]

I was coming home from a trip and my gas pump light came on and the dash said 50 miles till empty. My gauge said about 1/8th till the red. Since I was about 45 miles from home I wondered if I could make it. Wife said get some gas. When I filled it up it took 16.5 gallons. Anybody run dry and fill up to see how accurate the gauge and computer is?

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[VAMike]

running a modern car dry is generally a bad idea

 

[MT19RANGER]

I was coming home from a trip and my gas pump light came on and the dash said 50 miles till empty. My gauge said about 1/8th till the red. Since I was about 45 miles from home I wondered if I could make it. Wife said get some gas. When I filled it up it took 16.5 gallons. Anybody run dry and fill up to see how accurate the gauge and computer is?

It's been engrained in my head by my grandfathers and dad to never let the fuel get below 1/4.
Growing up here in the cold country you never know when you might get stranded and need to leave the vehicle running.

 

[RedlandRanger]

running a modern car dry is generally a bad idea

It can prematurely wear out the fuel pump since most fuel pumps these days reside in the tank and the gas helps cool them.

 

[THLONE]

I know all that stuff and I normally fill up at 1/4 but if gas is going thru the fuel pump then it will be cooled. If it is not going thru the pump then you are stopped.

 

[toddiscdn]

Id say its close, I ran it down to just a few km left and had no issues, I took it easy on the throttle and the distance to M/T got a bit better. Got caught in traffic once and my wifes Nissan ran about 5 miles reading 0 to empty so you never know. Id say if you destination is a few less you,ll be fine, go easy on the throttle and you,ll be fine.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

I was coming home from a trip and my gas pump light came on and the dash said 50 miles till empty. My gauge said about 1/8th till the red. Since I was about 45 miles from home I wondered if I could make it. Wife said get some gas. When I filled it up it took 16.5 gallons. Anybody run dry and fill up to see how accurate the gauge and computer is?

To your original question, the gauge is pretty accurate. If you run it to where it says zero miles to empty, you will probably put in about 17 gallons. Even when it says empty, there is a 1-2 gallon reserve. The tank is 18.8 gallons.

To the point of what everyone else is saying, it is not good to run it to empty if you have the option of filling up. I fill up when the light/50 miles to empty is on. For the same reasons - safety in case you are stranded and need to idle it, to cool the fuel pump, and mainly since it is turbocharged so running it all the way down risks sucking up some air and causing detonation. I have observed if you do run it down, it gives a better estimate on the next tank for miles to empty.

Hope this helps

 

[ExChief45]

Don't run that low and there is no problem.

 

[MSG W]

I fill up with about 100 miles left. I drive 30 miles to work and back (60miles for those that are math challenged and the closest place to get gas is about 12 miles away. I never let it get that low .

 

[Arron]

The DTE calculation on my Ranger I know is off by about 10 miles according to the diagnostics screens. the Instant calculation is 354 and the displayed value is 345.

I notice that the DTE calculation varies from around 13 to 8 miles when I have dug into the diagnostics screens.

As for the fuel gauge, my results seem to show that the gauge is very much in sync with the DTE calculation and what I have calculated when I fill up.

 

[FLEngineer]

I ran it to less than 1 mile to E (don't ask) and filled up with 18.8 Gal. I'd say there is a little wiggle room given the filler neck but I wouldn't rely on it.

 

[joeb427]

[QUOTE="MSG W, post: 40508, member: 1505"]I fill up with about 100 miles left. I drive 30 miles to work and back (60miles for those that are math challenged and the closest place to get gas is about 12 miles away. I never let it get that low .[/QUOTE]

Same here.

 

[Snorebaby]

Whether I am getting 16mpg or 20mpg, at the 1/4 tank mark the 50 miles til empty message and the fuel light comes on. I think the fuel gauge is "electronic" and calculated with the computer. I did run it one time to 18 DTE, put 16.9 gal in it. I will start keeping track of the DTE at fill up, my curiosity has been peaked.

 

[THLONE]

That is what I needed to know, thanks. Biased on my miscalculations I can believe that Ford gave me a little room. Not that I will stretch it but I know that I can believe that the gauges on my truck will give me an accurate level.

 

[Snorebaby]

That is what I needed to know, thanks. Biased on my miscalculations I can believe that Ford gave me a little room. Not that I will stretch it but I know that I can believe that the gauges on my truck will give me an accurate level.

On my 2015 Goldwing, my fuel light comes on with about 1 gal left in the tank. It holds 6.6 gal. There is no "Reserve" like the one on my 1986 CMX450C Rebel.

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