Recalibrate Fuel Gauge

[thrasher086]

My gas gauge is way off in calculating and I was wondering if there was a way to reset it? Today I actually went down to 0 to empty and then filled the car up with 14 gallons which I was a little shocked. I drove about 50 miles after and it already says a quarter of the tank is used. It has been doing this since I purchased the car a few months ago. Just wondering if I should be concerned or is this a "normal" thing for FFH's.

[acdii]

Quite normal. If you haven't done so yet, mark down the trip gallons used and compare with what you actually put in and see how close they are. Mine is way off, it will say 0 DTE when I have a 1/4 tank left actual. I normally fill with only 10 gallons used, the car learned that, so it tells me 0 DTE when I have used 10 gallons. I have seen it go above full when filling, and by the time I got home there would be a gap below the full mark. I also never top off.

[thrasher086]

Quite normal. If you haven't done so yet, mark down the trip gallons used and compare with what you actually put in and see how close they are. Mine is way off, it will say 0 DTE when I have a 1/4 tank left actual. I normally fill with only 10 gallons used, the car learned that, so it tells me 0 DTE when I have used 10 gallons. I have seen it go above full when filling, and by the time I got home there would be a gap below the full mark. I also never top off.

 

The trip said 10 gallons when the pump said 14 so thats what got me concerned. It has been really cold here with tons of snow and me using remote start everyday so I was thinking that could be part of the 4 gallon difference.

[GrySql]

Quite normal. If you haven't done so yet, mark down the trip gallons used and compare with what you actually put in and see how close they are. Mine is way off, it will say 0 DTE when I have a 1/4 tank left actual. I normally fill with only 10 gallons used, the car learned that, so it tells me 0 DTE when I have used 10 gallons. I have seen it go above full when filling, and by the time I got home there would be a gap below the full mark. I also never top off.

Acdii, would a Hard Reset, with the gas tank completely full, return all the KAM to the factory default and reset the fuel tank/gauge parameters?

Edited February 15, 2015 by GrySql

[hybridbear]

 

The trip said 10 gallons when the pump said 14 so thats what got me concerned. It has been really cold here with tons of snow and me using remote start everyday so I was thinking that could be part of the 4 gallon difference.

Remote start fuel use is not counted by the trip meter.

[corncobs]

Remote start fuel use is not counted by the trip meter.

Most likely where the difference is coming from.

[rwhgme]

I have what may seem like a dumb question, but, doesn't running your tank near empty damage your fuel pump? Virtually every car I have owned needs to be refueled before the pump gets exposed as it is cooled by the fuel in the tank. With a 13.5 gallon tank, I would feel uncomfortable if it took around 12 gallons to fill up. Can someone either clarify or assuage my fear, please?

[Texasota]

I have what may seem like a dumb question, but, doesn't running your tank near empty damage your fuel pump? Virtually every car I have owned needs to be refueled before the pump gets exposed as it is cooled by the fuel in the tank. With a 13.5 gallon tank, I would feel uncomfortable if it took around 12 gallons to fill up. Can someone either clarify or assuage my fear, please?

Not a dumb question. There have been numerous threads in this forum that have discussed this question. You can easily find lots of information on the web regarding this subject and much of it states exactly what you described in your post. The Owner's Manual for your FFH also warns against running out of fuel and states that damage may result to components.

[acdii]

Acdii, would a Hard Reset, with the gas tank completely full, return all the KAM to the factory default and reset the fuel tank/gauge parameters?

It would but you have to retrain it, so if you continue to fill at 10 gallons, you will be back where you started. Would be interesting to see where it determines DTE when the tank is full after a full reset.

[GrySql]

It would but you have to retrain it, so if you continue to fill at 10 gallons, you will be back where you started. Would be interesting to see where it determines DTE when the tank is full after a full reset.

Yes, that was what I was thinking, run it till the light comes on for the first tank after the reset.

 

I haven't been paying close enough attention to this tank of gas and the fuel light came on tonight.

I was at the top of a hill and EV'ed almost all the way down the next 3 miles right into a Costco gas station.

It took 13 gallons on the first click, I didn't try for more. This time my Low Fuel light was awful darn close to exactly empty.

[Hybrider]

If you don't ever run your tank all the way to E, it doesn't really matter how accurate the DTE is. Just sayin'. ;)

[Waldo]

I have what may seem like a dumb question, but, doesn't running your tank near empty damage your fuel pump? Virtually every car I have owned needs to be refueled before the pump gets exposed as it is cooled by the fuel in the tank. With a 13.5 gallon tank, I would feel uncomfortable if it took around 12 gallons to fill up. Can someone either clarify or assuage my fear, please?

 

Just one of those old-time myths. The fuel running THROUGH the pump is enough to cool it, you don't need it submersed. If you run the tank dry and the pump starts pumping air, then that's when you could cause damage, but usually not in the short time before it shuts itself down.

[Cobra348]

Question: My Fiestas allegedly have a reserve of about 1/2 gallon to prevent fuel pump damage ... thus the gauge is calibrated for 12 gallons. Can I assume then that the Fusion has no reserve at all and one can actually run to totally empty? The reserve is probably the difference of the tank capacity versus gauge - and thus being a mental number. <shrug>

 

I'm getting ready for the new car ... have been reading the PDF of the manual and have seen nothing yet discussing fuel this question.

 

Thanks!

Edited February 16, 2015 by Cobra348

[Waldo]

All Fords have the gauge calibrated so that it will show E with 1/8th of a tank left. There's no physical "reserve" and nothing to stop you from using it all.

[acdii]

If you don't ever run your tank all the way to E, it doesn't really matter how accurate the DTE is. Just sayin'. ;)

Yep, thats usually what most people do, get down to what they think is a 1/4 tank and fill it up. Thats what I have been doing since day one, and why DTE 0 is no more than 11 gallons.

[machoman1337]

With gas prices being so unpredictable I just fill up if the price is lower than it was the day before, even if my tank's almost full. Sometimes I stop at the pump on the way home from work and fill in fewer than 10 litres. It's worth it if I see the price being higher the next morning :)

 

Coincidentally, my gauge is way off. When it says I've dropped below half a tank, my fill-up may not even give me 20 litres - and that's in a 51-litre tank.

[hybridbear]

With gas prices being so unpredictable I just fill up if the price is lower than it was the day before, even if my tank's almost full. Sometimes I stop at the pump on the way home from work and fill in fewer than 10 litres. It's worth it if I see the price being higher the next morning :)

 

Coincidentally, my gauge is way off. When it says I've dropped below half a tank, my fill-up may not even give me 20 litres - and that's in a 51-litre tank.

You may want to see if this TSB applies to your car: http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9352-technical-service-bulletins-tsbs/?p=88007

[thrasher086]

You may want to see if this TSB applies to your car: http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9352-technical-service-bulletins-tsbs/?p=88007

 

I got excited to see some documentation but doesn't apply to me. I would have been bugging out if it only took 10 miles to reduce the tank by a quarter.