MILES TO EMPTY READING

[seoden88]

The miles to empty reading on my Badlands is certainly pretty misleading at the moment. Yesterday it said 92 miles left before I drove 3.5 miles to work, and when I got home, it said 61 miles.

I'm thinking that once you get a cycle or two of tank fills, the miles to empty will correct itself. On our delivery, it had 4 miles on the odometer, and the miles to empty said we had over 370 miles to empty, so it seems weird for your indication.

Stop commenting on ancient threads please

Sponsored

 

[Mark S.]

Stop commenting on ancient threads please

If you don't want to see an old thread pop up in your unread section you can just click ignore. Problem solved.

 

[cprcubed]

Shoot, none of these threads are that old! Some of the diesel forums I'm on have folks responding to threads that have been dead since 2005 and before
Cheers!

 

[endrMinr]

Stop commenting on ancient threads please

You know the old saying, "If you resurrect a thread, it was never really dead."

 

[Dude]

If you don't want to see an old thread pop up in your unread section you can just click ignore. Problem solved.

Thanks @Mark S. !! Didn’t know about that option but making use of it now on several on-going posts. Wish I knew about ignore a few months ago to have banished these favorite threads…

Cracked windshields
Cracked injectors
1.5L anything

Synthetic vs. Conventional Oil (Synthetics won … it’s over)

Best and worst oil filter, air filter debates

The great About Turbochargers debate of 2023

 

[Bucko]

If you don't want to see an old thread pop up in your unread section you can just click ignore. Problem solved.

Amen. No one forces members to read (and respond) to threads of any type. They come back from time to time due to a new member having that same issue.

 

[Meanderthal]

It‘s not that the computer keep changing its mind about how many miles you have remaining, it’s that your MPG change, which changes your miles to empty. When you fill your tank your miles to empty is based on the current average MPG.

As far as gallons remaining at zero: do you have a reference for this? I once ran my BS down to 10 miles remaining, and although I don’t remember the exact amount of gallons I put in, it was just about the max that the vehicle could hold. The miles to empty estimate is pretty accurate in my experience.

Okay, it’s been almost a year, but I have somewhat of answer on this. Today I drove 5 miles past the point of it reading zero miles to empty. When I fueled up, it took 15.7 gallons. My current mileage, as reported by the computer, is 23.1 mpg or .043 gallons per mile. That would mean that during those 5 miles past the zero reading I used about a quarter of a gallon. So, the BS is reporting zero miles to empty when there is about 1/2 gallon in the tank based on the listed fuel capacity of 16 gallons. I don’t know if that capacity includes whatever is in the filler neck or if it is just what is contained in the actual tank.

That is not a lot of buffer and a little less than I have seen from other vehicles. I have generally found that there is about 1 gallon remaining when it reads zero. So, at least for me and my BS, there is about 10 miles remaining when it reads zero Miles to Empty on the display. This is in no way saying that you should push to the edge of that 10 miles (1/2 gallon). It is good to know that when I am 5 miles away from a preferred gas station and the reading drops to zero MtoE, I can make it to that station without concern. Feel free to dream up whatever other scenario you wish in this scenario.

This happened today because the reminder came on yesterday on my way home but it was cold and raining and I wasn’t feeling great, so I decided to wait until today. I know it would be pretty close but then got even worse because I drove 5-7 miles for lunch (which I didn’t intend to do). My preferred gas station has ethanol free gas, so I do what I can to use that station and not buy gas with ethanol if I can avoid it.

At some point I may put a gallon of gas in a can and just drive until it runs out of gas to determine the true capacity. I do believe that I have put in a little more than 15.7 gallons before but I didn’t record it anywhere.

All of this is just information for any of you to do with what you will. For me, it is just good to know the limits in case I do need push up toward them. You may not ever want to push the limit but if/when you find yourself in an ”emergency” situation you might remember this post and know that you still have 10 miles until you run out and you can make a decision about what you need to do.

 

[Mark S.]

At some point I may put a gallon of gas in a can and just drive until it runs out of gas to determine the true capacity.

Just be careful. There's a section in the manual about running out of fuel. It mentions the need for a minimum of 1.3 gallons in the tank before attempting a restart. Like most newer vehicles, there's a fuel pump in the tank which relies on fuel for cooling.

 

[Meanderthal]

Just be careful. There's a section in the manual about running out of fuel. It mentions the need for a minimum of 1.3 gallons in the tank before attempting a restart. Like most newer vehicles, there's a fuel pump in the tank which relies on fuel for cooling.

Okay then, 2 gallons in a can.

 

[CableXJ]

The algorithm that determines the miles to empty is constantly analyzing your fuel consumption and mileage. It attempts to provide you with the best info available. It seems to work pretty well.

 

[Bucko]

My low limit is 1/4 tank...then I fill up.

In winter times, I adjust to about 1/2 tank.

 

[Meanderthal]

In winter times, I adjust to about 1/2 tank.

Are you concerned that you might get stuck in a snow storm in Gainesville, FL?

 

[Bucko]

Are you concerned that you might get stuck in a snow storm in Gainesville, FL?

No, I like to keep condensation in the gas tank to a minimum.

 

[Barry S.]

Okay then, 2 gallons in a can.

You apparently have too much time on your hands. Lol.

 

[Mark S.]

Okay then, 2 gallons in a can.

My concern would be running the tank empty in the first place. To burn all the fuel in the tank requires running the pump for a significant amount of time with less fuel than necessary to provide cooling. I believe that is the basis of the statement in the manual that your warranty may not cover damage caused by running the tank dry.

Sponsored