600 mile club

[md13ffhguy]

Congratulations higheroctave32!!! Feels good, no? Me... I just dropped in to say goodbye to this thread for a while. Barely made it into the 500 mile club yesterday. Cold weather is a bummer...

[higheroctave32]

It certainly does.

[ptjones]

I have gone over 500 each fill up (so far just 2 of them) but have only put 10.8gal back in. How much usable fuel is left?

I could just take a gas can with me and run it dry to see?

The Owners Manual says 13.5gal so I think around 13.9-14gal. I'm going to try to find out next Tuesday when I'm going to borrow dealer FFH and run it out of gas. Finally get the answer and have my gas can ready if I can't EV it to a gas station. I'm amassed that no one on this forum hasn't run out of gas in two years that the car has been out. :shift: :)

 

Paul

[corncobs]

The Owners Manual says 13.5gal so I think around 13.9-14gal. I'm going to try to find out next Tuesday when I'm going to borrow dealer FFH and run it out of gas. Finally get the answer and have my gas can ready if I can't EV it to a gas station. I'm amassed that no one on this forum hasn't run out of gas in two years that the car has been out. :shift: :)

 

Paul

What's the point?

 

If it happens in case of emergency ok maybe but there are more important things in life I wanna know before I have a desire to know if my car holds 12 or 13.5 or 13.9 gal of gas.

[Texasota]

What's the point?

 

If it happens in case of emergency ok maybe but there are more important things in life I wanna know before I have a desire to know if my car holds 12 or 13.5 or 13.9 gal of gas.

Agreed. Especially when our FFH owners manual states that running out of gas will likely damage the car. I just don't understand the thrill or personal challenge involved with this.

 

The Owners Manual says 13.5gal so I think around 13.9-14gal. I'm going to try to find out next Tuesday when I'm going to borrow dealer FFH and run it out of gas. Finally get the answer and have my gas can ready if I can't EV it to a gas station. I'm amassed that no one on this forum hasn't run out of gas in two years that the car has been out. :shift: :)

 

Paul

Why are you borrowing a dealer FFH to perform this stunt? Why not do it with your own car?

[hermans]

He tested out his grill shutters on a rental. I wonder if the rental car company knew what he is doing? I can see it now, I want to borrow one of your cars to run it out of gas and see what happens.

[ptjones]

Agreed. Especially when our FFH owners manual states that running out of gas will likely damage the car. I just don't understand the thrill or personal challenge involved with this.

 

Why are you borrowing a dealer FFH to perform this stunt? Why not do it with your own car?

Some people hate stopping for gas at a inconvenient place (Price or Location) just to find out they could have gone another 50-100miles. If they only knew the actual capacity of the fuel tank. Experience has shown you can go 25-50miles farther after 0miles to empty in my CMAX.

 

I did my research and talked to my Service Manager and could find no problems with run running out of gas. The Fuel pump stops when the ICE stops and the ICE is designed to run without fuel with down hill braking. Unfortunately there is some misinformation in OM and some of it is just wrong. It would be useful if members would be as factual as possible to minimize the confusion for other members reading these comments. OM says "Avoid running of fuel because this situation may have an adverse effect on vehicle components."(Legalese just in case)

Experience has shown me that the risk must be very small if there is one, with 83K miles and having run out 5 times and no adverse effects. BTW you go into EV mode when you run out of gas, I went a 1/4mile to the gas station I was planing on stopping at. The car starts right up when you put gas in it.

 

I hope we will continue test and learn more about our Hybrids and in the future maybe we will able to plugin our Hybrids just like the NRG. :shift: :) Paul

[Texasota]

The owner's manual also states this about running out of fuel:

 

 

Your vehicle is equipped with various emission control components and a catalytic converter that will enable your vehicle to comply with applicable exhaust
emission standards. To make sure that the catalytic converter and other emission control components continue to work properly:
• Use only the specified fuel listed.
• Avoid running out of fuel.

 

If you are so confident that the owner's manual is incorrect, then why are you only performing this test on a borrowed car instead of your own?

[GrySql]

The bear goes over the mountain to see what he can see...

 

Ol' PT is an explorer and funding for explorers is hard to come by so he innovates. ;)

[mwr]

having run out 5 times

Whatever you're doing, I'm not going to do it :-)

[md13ffhguy]

BTW you go into EV mode when you run out of gas, I went a 1/4mile to the gas station I was planing on stopping at. The car starts right up when you put gas in it.

That sounds all well and good, but what happens when the station is farther away than what the remaining charge in the HVB can take you? The car does not have a traditional starter motor, so with a depleted HVB, wouldn't you be screwed?

[Texasota]

The bear goes over the mountain to see what he can see...

 

Ol' PT is an explorer and funding for explorers is hard to come by so he innovates. ;)

 

GrySql, you have a gift with words. ;)

 

 

I can't help but wonder what the reaction would be if the roles were reversed. Assume that Ted, a Ford technician, is also an "innovative explorer" and is performing a reprogramming of the PCM on PT's FFH. Ted thinks that steps 7-13 in the service manual are only legalize even though the manual warns that skipping steps 7-13 may result in intermittent yellow wrench displays and damage to the emission control components. Ted wants to “test and learn” so he circumvents steps 7-13. Two days later the car is back in the shop because of the yellow wrench being intermittently displayed. Ted explains to PT that he skipped steps 7-13 on his car because he wanted to "test and learn".

 

Seems like PT might have two possible reactions upon learning that his car was used for experiments in this manner:

1. I'm fine with the technician experimenting to increase his knowledge. We all benefit from the experiment on my car.

   OR

2. I’m enraged that you would perform this experiment on my car.

The initial point of post #178 (http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6964-600-mile-club/?p=90686) was to learn what happens when driving past a DTE of zero but, in my opinion, that interesting discussion is largely overshadowed by the ethics issue.

[ptjones]

The owner's manual also states this about running out of fuel:

 

 

If you are so confident that the owner's manual is incorrect, then why are you only performing this test on a borrowed car instead of your own?

I would if I had one, unfortunately I didn't do it when I rented a 2014FFH for two weeks.

 

That sounds all well and good, but what happens when the station is farther away than what the remaining charge in the HVB can take you? The car does not have a traditional starter motor, so with a depleted HVB, wouldn't you be screwed?

The computer wouldn't allow the HVB to deplete itself low enough that it can't start the ICE.

 

It is interesting that My Wife's ECOBoost Explorer has the same avoid running out of gas statements and they are very different vehicles.

 

OBTW your FFH runs out of gas everytime it goes into EV Mode, and the ICE is designed to run without gas in Grade Assist mode.

 

Running out of gas isn't a experiment anymore, No one does it on a regular bases, several CMAX member have done it and the car has started right up when gas has been put in the tank.

Which is alot better than many FFH members can say from just trying to start their cars in the morning. Dead Battery issue. :) PS this thread started out with seeing how far you can go on a tank of gas and you don't know until you run out of gas.

 

Paul

Edited December 16, 2014 by ptjones

[ptjones]

In case you didn't see the other thread the FFH has an actual 14.1gal. fuel tank when Topped Off. :)

 

Paul

[wiscy67]

Was able to extend the range for this tank nicely. Low fuel light came on around 580 miles! When I filled up here at 601 miles the DTE was 24 miles. The pump clicked off at 11.7 gallons which makes me wonder just how far she could go.

[hybridbear]

Was able to extend the range for this tank nicely. Low fuel light came on around 580 miles! When I filled up here at 601 miles the DTE was 24 miles. The pump clicked off at 11.7 gallons which makes me wonder just how far she could go.

Cool! Did you know that you can get more data on your trip meter if you turn on the "Advanced" setting?

[wiscy67]

Nope, I thought I had all the options turned on so I'll take a look at that. Thanks! I'd like to find a way to create the MyView with the settings I want. Currently when I try to show all the features I want I run out of room. I had use of a loaner non-hybrid 2013 SE and it had a way to show Trip miles, instantaneous mpg, DTE, lifetime AVG all in one small area. But I can't figure that out on my 2014 FFH. But I will explore the Advanced Settings and see what it can do.

 

I finally made it over the 60 mpg mark on my normal work commute today. One change I made part way through the drive was to turn off the auto climate but I don't know if that was the reason for the improvement.

 

[ptjones]

Was able to extend the range for this tank nicely. Low fuel light came on around 580 miles! When I filled up here at 601 miles the DTE was 24 miles. The pump clicked off at 11.7 gallons which makes me wonder just how far she could go.

Well let's figure this out. You used 11.7gal. and the tank holds 14.1gal. so you had approx. 2.4gal left and at 51.36mpg on your tank= 724mi. you could have gone. Good Job! :)

 

Paul

[md13ffhguy]

Well let's figure this out. You used 11.7gal. and the tank holds 14.1gal. so you had approx. 2.4gal left and at 51.36mpg on your tank= 724mi. you could have gone. Good Job! :)

 

Paul

That's very likely false. What it can hold (according to your one-time run-it-out-of-gas experiment) and what his held at any given time are likely different, maybe very different. Published capacity is 13.5, but either way, I suspect fill-ups may vary wildly, from pump to pump, angle of the car, and the tendency of the person to overfill or top-off their tank.

[hybridbear]

I had use of a loaner non-hybrid 2013 SE and it had a way to show Trip miles, instantaneous mpg, DTE, lifetime AVG all in one small area. But I can't figure that out on my 2014 FFH. But I will explore the Advanced Settings and see what it can do.

That view is only on the non-hybrid Fusions.

[ptjones]

That's very likely false. What it can hold (according to your one-time run-it-out-of-gas experiment) and what his held at any given time are likely different, maybe very different. Published capacity is 13.5, but either way, I suspect fill-ups may vary wildly, from pump to pump, angle of the car, and the tendency of the person to overfill or top-off their tank.

Wildly? I have 155 fillups and at most that I have seen between first click and topping off is .5 gallons. I don't consider that wildly different. :)

 

Paul

[Texasota]

After tracking 21 tanks the trip display MPG as compared to my hand calculated MPG varies from +4.46 (over reporting) to -3.6 (under reporting) which is a range of 8.06. I don't think this variance is caused by randomness in the fuel metering componentry of the car. It is much more likely caused by exactly the reasons md13ffhguy listed (and especially the angle of the car when refueling).

 

I think this wide range in trip vs hand calculated MPG suggests that there is almost always a variance (sometimes significant and maybe wildly) when refueling just as md13ffhguy suggested.

[ptjones]

From the testing I have been doing since Oct. 2012(155 tanks,90K) generally the better your MPG's on a tank, the more accurate the trip gauge gallons are. Driving 65-75mph the Smart Gauge Trip Display is off more than City driving, better MPG's. BTW I have only had two tanks where trip gallons was higher than pumped gallons. I have had a number where they were right on. :)

 

Paul

[Bob Cooke]

OK Gang, I've made the big league. Barely squeaked it out but did anyway. At least I now know I can make it. Hopefully things will improve

once the weather warms up a bit.

[jeff_h]

OK Gang, I've made the big league. Barely squeaked it out but did anyway. At least I now know I can make it. Hopefully things will improve

once the weather warms up a bit.600 miles.jpg

 

Wow that's very good not only for the weather not being really warm yet, but also with less than 2k miles on the car... you will probably be getting even better when the car has about 5k miles... congrats!