Fuel tank range question / DTE

[ChrisXplorer]

hello everyone.. i need help and fast..
Im new to the forum and to the new explorers

Here's what happened... My wife bought a used 2016 Explorer Sport yesterday.. beautiful SUV
I am a mpg person to where as I drive I gander at it. I know that these love gas which is ok for us.

But we bought the car yesterday- well not signed anything but they let us take it home for the next day for test driving. We filled up the tank. $48ish @$2.89 which came to around 16.6 gallons. (normal?)
The fuel gauge was to the top (full)

I did not see the tank range only until after i got home from the gas station which was exactly 32.2 miles away; highway.

So when i looked at the fuel tank range, at that point, till "E" (empty) it said "146" miles left. and the gas gauge was a little under full. Then after another test drive it was between Full and 3/4, we were at 122 miles till "E"

On fuelly it shows something different.

Is there something wrong here??

We have the option of returning the explorer and not purchasing it or picking out 2018 limited they have. But im new to SUVs and it kind of shocked me that a full tank, or in this case, just under full tank (after 32 miles of driving) its showing 146 miles left till empty.

Normal? something wrong? We have to either buy the car today or give it back so i need help fast
Thank you everyone



Also side note question: Sport is the only explorer that is Twin Turbo and limited is single turbo?
sorry for the lack of knowledge. i am a car guy but fords turbos system always confuses me.

 

[JAPeterson]

The reading on the vehicles computer is called a lie-O-meter and is never to be trusted.

Fill the tank up and then do the math. Miles driven divided by the number of gallons used.

It might also have a bad fuel gauge.

 

[KKRISKAL]

Hello Chrisxplorer, The distance to empty is calculated based on the miles per gallon that was previously driven. For instance if the previous owner or someone in the dealership has been crawling it in the parking lot for long or idling it for long, then the existing miles per gallon displayed on the gauge will be way low. So, now the distance to empty is calculated based on the miles per gallon that is currently registered in the instrument. I recommend that you reset the fuel economy reading in the instrument and then drive it on the highway. With a full tank and the fuel economy reset, then start driving on the highway, it should read somewhere around 270 or 300 miles (distance to empty) based on how hard you drive it. Test it out and let us know.

And as JA mentioned in the previous reply, always remember that these gauges are Not 100% accurate but it should be around what I mentioned and it that is what you see, then everything is normal

 

[ChrisXplorer]

OMG thank you for the replies.

I reset the reading but only after it said 146 miles left to Empty. And when we test drove the explorer it went from 4 miles left in the tank to ZERO. Thats when i drove immediately to the gas station leaving the dealer.

But how does this work now that its reading around 120 miles left to E.. if that the reading is incorrect ,does the "until empty" numbers linger around as the gas gauge goes down? Im confident that the fuel gauge is correct.

So lets say it truly takes now around 230, or whatever, to get to empty. Is the "120 left to E" going to creep down slowly to 0 when the fuel gauge goes to empty?

 

[Elfiero]

Did you try resetting the miles to empty?

 

[blwnsmoke]

Did you try resetting the miles to empty?

You can't reset the miles to empty.

 

[ChrisXplorer]

No i didnt. i only reset it at 146 miles to see if it would change it.
We only have to the vehicle until tonight. We either keep it and do the paper work or return it.

But when we drive off the lot, with its dealer tag, we were told to fill it up and they would cut us a check today.

Because my wife was driving it she didnt reset anything. Its when we got home and I now did my test drive in it, is where i toggled though the menu and saw 146 miles left to empty and it was just under full .. and i said what the ___ . I was like there is no way this is right. i mean i get SUV have poor[er] gas mileage then cars, but 160ish miles till empty or so on a full tank is not right here.

So as of right now i cant test anything different with different gas levels n whatnot as we only have it for today.
Now if i end up buying it then yea, i'll do the reset correct once empty. But i wanted to ask if anyone thinks that there is something terribly wrong, the reading is way off and it'll correct itself, or if this is what a 3.5TT explorer does (as in fuel consumption)

 

[blwnsmoke]

OMG thank you for the replies.

I reset the reading but only after it said 146 miles left to Empty. And when we test drove the explorer it went from 4 miles left in the tank to ZERO. Thats when i drove immediately to the gas station leaving the dealer.

But how does this work now that its reading around 120 miles left to E.. if that the reading is incorrect ,does the "until empty" numbers linger around as the gas gauge goes down? Im confident that the fuel gauge is correct.

So lets say it truly takes now around 230, or whatever, to get to empty. Is the "120 left to E" going to creep down slowly to 0 when the fuel gauge goes to empty?

The miles to empty is an average based on several fill ups. It does not correct itself from 1 tank to the next immediately.

As stated above, reset your average mpg by selecting that option in the display and hold "ok" till it resets.. then go for a drive. You should be around 20-22mpg on the highway and mid teens in the city. As long as you are getting that, you are good.

You would want to go through a couple tanks before everything averages out. My 2011 is around 290 miles to empty when filled completely.

Also, Sport and Platinum are twin turbo, the rest are no turbo (Naturally Aspirated)

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Chris.
To start with the capacity of the fuel tank is 18.6 gallons. So when you filled up you had about 2 gallons left. When you fill up the tank, the DTE displayed is based on the previous average MPG. As you drive, that figure could go up or down depending on how you drive. If you are averaging more MPG than before your fill up then the DTE will increase. I had that happen on my last fill when the DTE went up. As mentioned, the Average MPG display is not that accurate and is usually about 1 MPG more than what you are getting. I have been using Fuelly.com to record all my fill-ups for the past 3 vehicles and it will give an accurate reading when you plug in the numbers. You may also be able to adjust that reading so it more accurate; How to: - AFE Bias - How to correct your MPG readout/display
I was able to adjust mine. BTW, the PLatinum is also a twin Ecoboost.

Peter

 

[KayGee]

Other Ford vehicles have the following in their owners manual:

Distance to empty is calculated using a running average fuel economy, which is based on your recent driving history of 500 miles (800 km). This value is not the same as the average fuel economy display. The running average fuel economy is re-initialized to a factory default value if the battery is disconnected.

Disconnect the negative battery terminal for ~ 10 minutes or so and see if it resets to 'baseline' values.

 

[KKRISKAL]

Peterk9 is correct. The DTE will change once you fill your tank based on your previous mpg. Best way to test is fill tank, and then reset mpg, drive on highway and check DTE and mpg.

 

[ChrisXplorer]

Awesome guys.. thanks! from the sounds of things, theres nothing wrong with the reading/explorer. Just based on driving conditions to give the reading. I thought for a second that this things sucks gas like a truck pulling a yacht lol. Then i read that the "till empty" is greater then i saw so then i thought something has to be broken.
Thanks guys again and will let you know if we end up buying it or not ... or getting the limited.

 

[KKRISKAL]

All the Best ChrisXplorer and enjoy the new ride whichever one you decide to buy

 

[blwnsmoke]

Other Ford vehicles have the following in their owners manual:

Distance to empty is calculated using a running average fuel economy, which is based on your recent driving history of 500 miles (800 km). This value is not the same as the average fuel economy display. The running average fuel economy is re-initialized to a factory default value if the battery is disconnected.

Disconnect the negative battery terminal for ~ 10 minutes or so and see if it resets to 'baseline' values.

Thank you for posting that. This is why I said over the last few tanks. I see this all the time when I hook up my 13,000lbs 5th wheel to my F350. Mileage tanks and takes a few tanks to recover after I'm done towing. Heck, the low fuel warning of 50 miles alerts me at 1/4 tank full after towing but once this all works it's way through, gives me the same warning at about 1/8 of a tank.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Peterk9 is correct. The DTE will change once you fill your tank based on your previous mpg. Best way to test is fill tank, and then reset mpg, drive on highway and check DTE and mpg.

Again, as posted a few times now, it takes a few tanks to reset and show you the proper DTE, it does not reset when you fill your tank.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Awesome guys.. thanks! from the sounds of things, theres nothing wrong with the reading/explorer. Just based on driving conditions to give the reading. I thought for a second that this things sucks gas like a truck pulling a yacht lol. Then i read that the "till empty" is greater then i saw so then i thought something has to be broken.
Thanks guys again and will let you know if we end up buying it or not ... or getting the limited.

Go for the limited. Sync 3 is far better then the 2016 MFT (gen 2).

 

[peterk9]

Again, as posted a few times now, it takes a few tanks to reset and show you the proper DTE, it does not reset when you fill your tank.

Not sure what "reset" actually means. After the last fill it showed 476 kms to Empty. When I got home, about about 12 kms, it read 506 kms to Empty. I contribute that to the difference in the previous average mileage compared to the average mileage since the fill after the average was reset to 0.

Peter

 

[blwnsmoke]

Not sure what "reset" actually means. After the last fill it showed 476 kms to Empty. When I got home, about about 12 kms, it read 506 kms to Empty. I contribute that to the difference in the previous average mileage compared to the average mileage since the fill after the average was reset to 0.

Peter

To show actual real world DTE. Not a reset button but to accurately show what they have left. You are talking about a 5% adjustment +/- for your vehicle. My example is talking about a 75% adjustment and for the OP, a minimum of 100% adjustment. That will not happen with 1 fillup.

 

[KayGee]

Again, as posted a few times now, it takes a few tanks to reset and show you the proper DTE, it does not reset when you fill your tank.

I'm not sure I've seen a truly proper DTE on any of my Ford vehicles. Every time I drive them, they provide a DTE that can, and does, change while driving. I've had some that seem to increase if I have been doing more city/short trips and then jump on the freeway for an extended drive and vice versa. They also seem to change from day to day - what they show at the end of the day after driving and what appears the next morning are always different - not sure what causes it. But, if I come home from work and the DTE says 241 miles to empty, it does not say the same 241 miles to empty when I start the vehicle the next morning. With the colder weather lately, the DTE has been lower in the morning than the night before. Perhaps the fuel volume changes with temp and causes the disparity or it has time to settle more and provides a more accurate reading after sitting overnight vs when driving around?

 

[RhinoQuartz]

I'm not sure I've seen a truly proper DTE on any of my Ford vehicles. Every time I drive them, they provide a DTE that can, and does, change while driving. I've had some that seem to increase if I have been doing more city/short trips and then jump on the freeway for an extended drive and vice versa. They also seem to change from day to day - what they show at the end of the day after driving and what appears the next morning are always different - not sure what causes it. But, if I come home from work and the DTE says 241 miles to empty, it does not say the same 241 miles to empty when I start the vehicle the next morning. With the colder weather lately, the DTE has been lower in the morning than the night before. Perhaps the fuel volume changes with temp and causes the disparity or it has time to settle more and provides a more accurate reading after sitting overnight vs when driving around?

Doesn't fuel mixture usually run richer when it's colder? Maybe it's able calculate that too?