My experience so far with mileage and filling up the tank.

[sasscuba]

Wanted to share my mileage experience so far. I have 1400 miles on my SEL. I drive 13 miles to work 5 days a week doing 40 mph for 5 miles and 65 mph for 8 miles. On the weekend we do about 50/50. The best going back and forth to work I have gotten for mileage is 390 miles per tank. I am averaging 26 mpg from my calculations and the onboard which has been very accurate per tank.

 

I have read numerous posts of people only being able to fill 9-12 gallons at fillup from empty.

 

My experience is the low fuel light comes on at 35 DTE and when I fill the tank I am only able to put 12 gallons in before pump shuts off.

 

If I squeeze very slowly and let the gas settle between each squeeze I can get 14.8 gallons in.

 

I had problems filling the last couple of gallons when I had my 05 GT Mustang.

 

Is it a design flaw to get that last few gallons in all Fords?

 

What is everyone else's experience filling up?

 

Thanks.

Edited March 22, 2013 by sasscuba

[ticobird]

I understand everything you said and you might be right. Now I fall into the category "I have read numerous posts of people only being able to fill 9-12 gallons at fillup from empty."

When my empty fuel light first illuminates I make a mental note to get gas. Rationally I know I should be able to travel another 100 miles but what's the big deal with filling up while there might still be (probably is) 3.5 gallons in the tank? So what if I stop for gas 2 times more or less per year than otherwise.

 

Now because I tend towards caution I proceed as per the instructions in the Escape Owners Manual. Here is the most illuminating instruction and advice from page 146 of the 2013 Escape Owners Manual:

 

"FUEL CONSUMPTION

Note: The amount of usable fuel in the

empty reserve varies and should not be

relied upon to increase driving range. When

refueling your vehicle after the fuel gauge

indicates empty, you might not be able to

refuel the full amount of the advertised

capacity of the fuel tank due to the empty

reserve still present in the tank.

Empty reserve is the amount of fuel

remaining in the tank after the fuel gauge

indicates empty. Do not rely on this fuel for

driving. The usable capacity of the fuel

tank is the amount of fuel that can be put

into the tank after the gauge indicates

empty. The advertised capacity is the total

fuel tank size – it is the combined usable

capacity plus the empty reserve."

[ScapeTom]

Interesting note on the fuel consumption and the "empty reserve". That's a concept that I'm not familiar with. Are there any diagrams or explanations on how this works and why it's used?

 

I would have thought that if a vehicle had, say, a 20 gallon tank (I know that the Escape isn't 20 gallons), then it would have a single tank with 20 gallons of capacity.

[akirby]

Interesting note on the fuel consumption and the "empty reserve". That's a concept that I'm not familiar with. Are there any diagrams or explanations on how this works and why it's used?

 

I would have thought that if a vehicle had, say, a 20 gallon tank (I know that the Escape isn't 20 gallons), then it would have a single tank with 20 gallons of capacity.

 

All cars have empty reserves for 2 reasons - to make sure you don't run out of gas as soon as you hit E and to keep extra fuel for the fuel pump. For Ford it's about 10% but I'm sure it varies by mfr.

[ScapeTom]

All cars have empty reserves for 2 reasons - to make sure you don't run out of gas as soon as you hit E and to keep extra fuel for the fuel pump. For Ford it's about 10% but I'm sure it varies by mfr.

 

Is that simply a matter of calibrating the gas gauge to read "E" when there's still a couple of gallons sloshing around in the bottom of the tank, or is there actually a reserve container or partitioned area that the gauge float (or whatever they use these days) doesn't 'see'?

[akirby]

Is that simply a matter of calibrating the gas gauge to read "E" when there's still a couple of gallons sloshing around in the bottom of the tank, or is there actually a reserve container or partitioned area that the gauge float (or whatever they use these days) doesn't 'see'?

 

Calibration.

[ScapeTom]

Thanks, akirby.

 

Based on what I'm reading elsewhere, dropping the fuel level too low reduces cooling on the in-tank fuel pump which might (or might not) affect it's life expectancy. I just wonder where that level is.

 

I've already taken this car to just beyond the "0 miles to empty" which corresponds with being just a hair below "E" on the gauge. But I've also noted that upon filling up both times, I had more than 2 gallons remaining.

 

You might ask why I did that - well, my previous car didn't have a "miles to empty" gauge, and I would regularly run it down very low when on long trips (ones where I knew where the gas stations were located). Plus, I wanted to get a better feel for how much gas was in the tank when the needle was at a specific position. I now know that I can drop at least a half needle below "E" if I need to.

 

I didn't like the prospect of having a 15.1 gallon tank and having to fill up with 3.5-4 gallons left. Presently, that is about 80-110 miles for me when travelling. Not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but on some trips, that's the difference between 1 fuel stop and two. I hate stopping!

[Elf911]

Wanted to share my mileage experience so far. I have 1400 miles on my SEL. I drive 13 miles to work 5 days a week doing 40 mph for 5 miles and 65 mph for 8 miles. On the weekend we do about 50/50. The best going back and forth to work I have gotten for mileage is 390 miles per tank. I am averaging 26 mpg from my calculations and the onboard which has been very accurate per tank.

I have read numerous posts of people only being able to fill 9-12 gallons at fillup from empty.

My experience is the low fuel light comes on at 35 DTE and when I fill the tank I am only able to put 12 gallons in before pump shuts off.

If I squeeze very slowly and let the gas settle between each squeeze I can get 14.8 gallons in.

I had problems filling the last couple of gallons when I had my 05 GT Mustang.

Is it a design flaw to get that last few gallons in all Fords?

What is everyone else's experience filling up?

Thanks.

 

26 MPG? I'm going to guess a FWD 1.6 EB? That's great mileage even with living in Oklahoma. Guessing very little to no traffic on your commute or pleasure drives?

[sasscuba]

26 MPG? I'm going to guess a FWD 1.6 EB? That's great mileage even with living in Oklahoma. Guessing very little to no traffic on your commute or pleasure drives?

yes 1.6 EB. no traffic at 3 a.m.