Hi there, I'm new here, used to drive a PT Cruiser (thus the handle) until I got my Escape.

I've been reading through the various threads and the FEH FAQ and noticed that my '08 FEH displays a much lower Miles To Empty than just about everyone else here. Upon filling the tank I average between 350-400 MTE, never once have I even approached 500.

My car is broken in, about 17,000 on the odometer now. I don't drive like a maniac, accellerate towards red lights or do any of the other gas-wasting behaviors. Most of my weekday driving is city, weekends highway. My average MPG reads 28.5, but I haven't reset that since winter.

I usually run the tank down to under 50 MTE before filling. Does anyone else here get the same MTE readouts I get on a full tank? I was a bit shocked when I saw what others were getting. Can someone offer some insight and/or suggestions on remedying this very serious issue?

 

The computer uses what it thinks is its current MPG to do this calculation. You have to watch it and make sure you have a good idea what number it is using for MPG to run the Miles to Empty number. It's as if it uses an MPG average calculated over several thousand miles.

I don't put much stock in this number since I can't tell what it is really using to run the numbers.

For example when I towed this past summer (a distance of about 1800 miles) my calculated, tank to tank, MPG dropped immediately and precipitously, as expected to about 22-23 mpg. But the MTE readout numbers only dropped slowly and then rose afterward only slowly.

I track fuel consumption tank by tank in a spreadsheet.

 

I stopped looking at the # long time ago. I know others here have driven well past MTE 0, I'm not that bold. But one of my last tanks it did get down to about 15 MTE (even had low fule light come on). So at 30-32mpg that's 1/2 gal of gas right? Tank holds what 15-16gal, so I fill up and only get like 12. So either these a good reserve or the MTE is off.

I couldn't even tell what that # resets to on fill up, I think around 400-425 for me. I avg 30, maybe 32 a tank lately. But I think that's more of a life long estimate, or very long history.

Did you buy new or used? If used the previous owner may have a lower avg.

 

So here's my question. It says 400MTE at the start of a tank and 50MTE at the end... how many miles did you drive? 350? 300? 450?

 

I've driven on 0 MTE, but only for a couple miles. Oddly enough, when I'd driven on 0 for a while, after my next fill I almost hit 400 MTE. Perhaps my tank is miscalibrated, the computer thinks it has less gas than is actually in there? Unfortunately, I'm not willing to drain the tank dry just to prove this. When I fill, it seems to take around 13 gallons.

When I drove on 0 MTE, the ICE was always on. Probably by design I assume.

I did buy new and have pretty much driven it like a Sunday driver for the entire 17,000 miles. I don't accelerate fast/brake hard.

Anyone ever take theirs up the Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire? Mine did some funky things on the way back down in L. I know the engine revving is normal, but it's still unsettling.

 

I've never wrote mte at fill up and rest trip to see how far it actually goes/is off byAlong these lines tho, just this week I filled up (less thn 1/2 tank) with engine on. got in drove 5mi home, gauge never went up, no biggie. Next day gauge is only 3/4!? go to work, drive home gauge is now full!?filled on 8/3 at 24028.6 6.4galtoday 24085 and 371MTE and gauge is still full (guess it should be at 50mi used on a "500" tank)

 

The basis is on BOTH fuel tank level and the long term MPG average.

If you add 2 gallons in the middle of a tank, it adjusts.
If you siphon out fuel in the middle of a tank, it adjusts*.

*may take 15 minutes to adjust

People with this "problem" are not getting a full tank of fuel.

13.7 is the "nominal" fuel you can fill. But if you fill slowly, the tank actually holds over 17 gallons, but the computer always assumes a "full" tank is 13.7 gallons.

28.5 MPG x 13.7 = 390.5 miles. Yours is working perfectly.

 

Thanks! I'll give the car a little bump during the next fill and see if I can't get more gas into it. I'll let you know how I make out.

 

Don't forget that Ford puts an "anti-bounce" circuit in the fuel gauge circuitry. This prevents the fuel gauge circuit from indicating a quickly changed level without an intervening engine shutdown on the presumption that you just went over a big bump and the level really hasn't changed.

So when you add (or remove) fuel while leaving the engine running it won't show the new level for some time. It does begin adjusting level and you can watch it move slowly toward the new level.

If you turn the engine off it will presume any level change to be from fueling (or I suppose defueling) and will immediately show the accurate level on the next start.

 

Hello!

Well, first of all, your average MPG is only based on the last 2000 data points, generally it's thought that the last 2000 data points are less then 500 miles, so you may as well reset that every time you fill up. That said, MTE is based on how much fuel it thinks is in there multiplied by your average MPG. Low MPG = Low MTE. This is a corolation I see all the time, in the winter my MTE dips down, and in the summer it along with my MPG rises, following my MPG trends.

Also, your MTE is never going to be the real amount of fuel in there, that's how you can drive on 0 MTE; as John mentioned it calculates and leaves you some fuel to get about with.

500 MTE or better occurs when the display averages 36.7 MPG or better for the most part. Now, if you were in that area and weren't getting it, then you'd have a very valid concern.