Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge

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Sat 12 Apr 2014 23:58
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - Ben 10

We bought a 63 plate Fiesta at the end of last year.

My wife drives it and she noticed that when the warning light/chime for low fuel came on at around 50 miles left, the miles she continued to drive did not match the mileage countdown figures on the dial. I thought it might be the way she drove the car.

I drove it yesterday and the low fuel light and chime came on at 50 miles left. I continued to drive and covered around 10 miles. The dial read 19 when it should have been 40. I could visually see the figure drop almost by the second.

I contacted Ford and the person there said "it just does it, even on mine". No real explanation. But why should it not register the actual mileage countdown, rather than an accelerated false version.

If anyone on here has the new shape Fiesta, watch out in case you think you might be running out sooner than you think. And can anyone explain why this happens when it is not an optional "extra" on my 63 plate Focus.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 09:59
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - skidpan

All these miles to empty gauges are estimates at best. Our old Focus would say it had 450 miles left with a full tank of diesel. We could drive 100 miles on the motorway and it would then say 550 miles left. Drive another 350 miles on motorways and 200 miles left. Drive another 50 miles in town and less than 100 miles left. Same on every car I have owned with one fitted, just ignore it.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 11:06
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - jc2

It calculates it on the actual consumption at THAT moment-it works from the gauge which takes it's signal from the float in the tank-so accelerating,decelerating and cornering will all affect it.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 11:05
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - Andrew-T

Think about it. Your car doesn't know how many litres you put in - it takes a guess from the float in the tank. After that it integrates the fuel flow to the injectors. It calculates the remaining miles based on your driving over the last minute or so, and assumes that is how you will continue to drive. So if you go up a long hill, the 'remaining distance' will drop, beause you are using more fuel - and possibly because the tank tips to the rear.

In the 'old days' fuel gauges always did funny things as the tank approached empty, because the small amount left in the tank could surge from side to side on corners. Electronic gauges do the same in their own way. You may get steadier readings on the M'way.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 11:11
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - madf

Honda Jazz guages are the same.

It's life: worry about something more important.

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Tue 15 Apr 2014 20:09
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - Bolt

And the civic is the same

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 12:47
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - galileo

I think the 'distance to go' figure is actually calculated on the average consumption over a period, not sure how long that period is. On my current car, when I first got it I did mostly long-distance trips, averaging about 40 mpg, so when I filled up the 'distance to go' read 460 miles.

The last year or so, mainly local running in more congested conditions, averaging about 30 mpg, it now reads 330 after filling.

I will be resuming long trips this year and will note whether 'dtg' increases.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 18:23
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - unthrottled

I've never understood why anyone uses dtg figure in the UK. It' not a useful number-unless you think you might not make it to a filling sation.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 19:46
Ford Fiesta - Distance to empty gauge - Railroad.
When I was an AA patrol I once attended a lady broken down in a Volvo 480. She had run out of fuel, and complained that she shouldn't have because her trip computer told her she had 4 miles worth of fuel remaining. She got stroppy when I put a gallon in and the engine started. She was adamant that she should've got those four miles.
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