miles till empty

[2002_lincolnLS]

hi i have a 2002 lincoln ls. my status thing on the dash is acting up i think. when i have the fuel status, (miles till empty) it jumps around when i start my car like it said today 84 miles till empty when i turned it off and when i came out of the store it said 115 miles till empty. is this common? its done it before but only like when i get on the highway which made sense because the fuel millage is changing a little bit.

thanks for the help

 

[PetesSweets86]

probably reacting towards your driving habits. Mine when acting normal will be 360 on a full tank but when I'am only darting back and fourth in the city and flooring it at the light then I get about 280 or 290

 

[2002_lincolnLS]

ok cool thanks i was hoping i didnt have some dumbass sensor that was acting up.

 

[starfox86]

yeah, it goes off of your MPG, nothings wrong with it

 

[PetesSweets86]

ok cool thanks i was hoping i didnt have some dumbass sensor that was acting up.

np. You'll see that when you install anything like a Intake Cone (CAI) or an intake tube that they will fluxuate a lot. In fact I was getting maybe 10mpg and 260 on a full tank with the darn Intake tube I had

 

[2002_lincolnLS]

yeah thats great news i really don't have money for a sensor being a broke college student.... th Lincoln ls seemed like a good idea the time although i do love my car and it helps out with the whole professional aspect as we have co-ops at my school its still expensive as hell

 

[BigWorm]

Yes it is expensive but you do looook good!

 

[joegr]

It will sometimes go to a higher number when you restart the car because it thinks you poured some more gas into the tank. This should only happen if you are parked on an incline. Otherwise, it might be a symptom that one or both of your fuel senders is starting to fail. (Miles-to-empty changing while you are driving would be due to changes in your gas mileage. Changes between shutdown and restart are not due to mileage changes, they are due to fuel level changes.)

 

[Jim Henderson]

If it ever does give you an error code, I forget what, but it's obvious, then most likely it is the sensor in the tank.

I have not repaired it my self but know the sensor is in the tank under the rear seat. An easy job if you have to fix it. Don't know the cost of the part.

If your numbers are wildly different like 300 miles to empty then next start it's 50 miles and then next time 200, it may be the sensor getting ready to dump. But radical driving can change the readings alot too especially when there is room in the tank to slosh around. The LS has a "Saddle" tank with two side to it and two fuel pumps to tranfer gas from one side to the other. So the gas level on the side with the float can vary a lot.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

[scjmc]

Mine is actually very consistent. 440-450 miles to empty, and it is within 20 miles of that when I calculate mileage. I have a very consistent commute though.

 

[JWerner2]

It will sometimes go to a higher number when you restart the car because it thinks you poured some more gas into the tank. This should only happen if you are parked on an incline. Otherwise, it might be a symptom that one or both of your fuel senders is starting to fail. (Miles-to-empty changing while you are driving would be due to changes in your gas mileage. Changes between shutdown and restart are not due to mileage changes, they are due to fuel level changes.)

+1, its most likely do to the elevation differences where you park.

I hate that thing, it becomes a compulsion and you know its never accurate do to the saddle and sloshing.

What I do is I will sometimes-maybe once a week- make sure I park on level ground like my garage and leave the battery disconnected overnight.