Fuel fill-up question

[jonshep]

I always fill my F250 7.3 diesel at half tank. It holds 25 gallons and I can't afford to buy a full tank! I don't watch the Mav that closely.

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[RideSolo]

I rarely let either vehicle get below 1/2 tank. Only one reason: We're both getting up there in years, I don't want to have health problems or problems w/ family members come up and have to worry about fueling up if we need to attend to business.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I rarely let either vehicle get below 1/2 tank. Only one reason: We're both getting up there in years, I don't want to have health problems or problems w/ family members come up and have to worry about fueling up if we need to attend to business.

When we get old buying half a tank is pretty much the same as not buying green bananas!

 

[oysterville]

I wish people would read all posts in a thread. I do. But I guess that's too much work.

Stating "you can get a few molecules of water in your tank" is like saying the sun will burn out. Both true statements, but inconsequential to your life.

The ears to mouth ratio has a related application online as well. Some people converse to learn. Others talk to be heard/read.

 

[HeyBales]

The gauge should have "F" on the right side and "R" on the left side.

"Full" and "Refuel".

I wonder if anyone would change their old habits? Probably not.

Funny irony is: if you run down miles remaining to zero, it does say "Refuel Now". Implies refueling earlier is fine, but not necessary.

P.S. the hybrid has a 16.5 gallon tank.
13.8 gallons is the typical usable fuel, while still keeping the pump happy and no risk of getting stranded.

13.8 is the designed INTERVAL between refuelings and not the physical tank size.

I know the "manual" and the advertisements are not clear on this. So it's great there are sites like this.

Given enough time, almost every owner will refuel 15 gallons or more once or twice. I have indeed refueled 16.5 gallons once, as have hundreds of people who posted about it online.

Ecoboosts hold about 18.5 gallons. Maybe at the extreme 19.0 gallons from what I have read online.

My last refill before a trip last weekend, QT with ground tilted - I parked with fuel door "up".
Had gone just a couple miles past 0 miles left, so expected the 13.8 abouts I'd seen when I was close to the mark the prior fillups.
Was in truck and heard click - 14.6.
Did my normal 2nd click with auto-holder, because I didn't get to hear if extra sloshing sounds caused an early kick-off (yes, even at top-tier stations some sensors/hoses/systems slosh more and have seen a kick-off 2 gal early), only got 0.2 more so good to go.

My biggest fill to 2nd click method was 15.7, extra gal on that 2nd click due to sloshing I heard.
Ahhh - the heady days of trying to reach that 600 miles per tank.

 

[HeyBales]

And now for something entirely different!

But perhaps related because it depends on when you fill.

We haven't had a fuel price change in this area for months - had to do a 3-4 hr trip to get something cheaper by 20 cents on way to the Ozarks. Well, trip was happening anyway - wanted to find @Ozarkbeard !

Anyway - years ago when the prices were always going up and down by 20 cents easily - it was nice to have that almost empty tank when the price dropped and could get a decent savings on big fill up.
But it always seemed like just as many times you waited until nearing empty and price shot up overnight everywhere, and it didn't drop while attempting fumes waiting for it.
Aggravating.

Then tried dollar cost averaging due to an article - same method as buying more stocks - put the same amount of dollars into it on regular basis, and get what you get.
Now for fuel had to do the math on what average usage was, but had a pretty normal amount of miles driven and MPG - so not hard to do.

Then every 7 to 10 days, don't recall which - always spent the same $30 for however much fuel that bought for the same length of time.
When price was low got almost a fill up, when price was high didn't get much.
But odds were better on filling up more for whatever reason, several times didn't spend the whole $30, so had to extend the days between.
Worked great - until huge price increase across the board changed it all. Never redid the math and just went to almost empty taking my chances. Discovered those 1 or 2 stations always a day delayed after everyone else jumped. Just timed those.

 

[The Real Maverick]

A very good boat mechanic buddy of mine told me a few years ago to use ethanol free gas in my lawn mower and snow blower. We have 91 octane ethanol free locally but it is usually $1.50 or more a gallon.
I've always run my lawn mower and snow blower empty when put in storage.

But apparently he didn't tell you why.

Ethanol changed the air/fuel ratio.
Expensive fuel injected cars adjust A/F ratio automatically. Small simple carbureted engines do not self adjust.

Ethanol is harsh on natural rubber compounds, natural cork gaskets, and lead solder uses in older simple engines. Modern vehicles have none of that.

Boaters should not use ethanol as it will dissolve fiberglas. Boat may have fiberglas tanks as well as hulls. Your Maverick does not.

Also ethanol is harder to ignite with a weak cooler spark. And harder to ignite in cold weather. May be harder to start "pull start" engines.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I always use ethanol free gas in anything with a small engine. I'm sure now an expert will come in and say that's a myth, you don't need to run ethanol free in small engines, but I do.

Read post 127.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I've been driving for almost 40 years. In older cars with less accurate fuel gauges and higher fuel consumption, I filled up at 1/4 tank always because you weren't sure if you'd make it to a station if you didn't get fuel asap! Newer vehicles with range estimates and low fuel lights, I drive until the low warning comes on and then fill up. I've never had a fuel system issue or had to replace a fuel pump. These newer cars still have 3+ gallons left in the tank when the low light comes on. The tank is almost always designed so that the pump is in a low spot and remains covered with fuel when the low light comes on.

Yes.
PROVEN & verified true in the Maverick trucks.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

But apparently he didn't tell you why.

Ethanol changed the air/fuel ratio.
Expensive fuel injected cars adjust A/F ratio automatically. Small simple carbureted engines do not self adjust.

Ethanol is harsh on natural rubber compounds, natural cork gaskets, and lead solder uses in older simple engines. Modern vehicles have none of that.

Boaters should not use ethanol as it will dissolve fiberglas. Boat may have fiberglas tanks as well as hulls. Your Maverick does not.

Also ethanol is harder to ignite with a weak cooler spark. And harder to ignite in cold weather. May be harder to start "pull start" engines.

This post reminded me: My best friends brother was insurance adjuster who had to work some claims where the cleaner solution used between pipeline wiper "pigs" when switching products failed to divert to the slop tank or seals leaked and wound up mixed into 87 unleaded tank. The cleaner worked so well that cars that got that fuel would only get a mile or two until parts in fuel systems were dissolved. He wrote checks for towing, rent cars, repairs, etc.....

 

[Ozarkbeard]

...had to do a 3-4 hr trip to get something cheaper by 20 cents on way to the Ozarks. Well, trip was happening anyway - wanted to find @Ozarkbeard !

Woulda been difficult to find me. I'm holed up in da woods til the weather gets back to some semblance of what we call normal in these hills!

 

[sanpablo]

But apparently he didn't tell you why.

Ethanol changed the air/fuel ratio.
Expensive fuel injected cars adjust A/F ratio automatically. Small simple carbureted engines do not self adjust.

Ethanol is harsh on natural rubber compounds, natural cork gaskets, and lead solder uses in older simple engines. Modern vehicles have none of that.

Boaters should not use ethanol as it will dissolve fiberglas. Boat may have fiberglas tanks as well as hulls. Your Maverick does not.

Also ethanol is harder to ignite with a weak cooler spark. And harder to ignite in cold weather. May be harder to start "pull start" engines.

He explained all of that and more after I showed him pics of my Holley carb from my 67 Shelby GT500. Was it the ethanol? I don't know but I never had this problem before ethanol was added to gas.

 

[RideSolo]

He explained all of that and more after I showed him pics of my Holley carb from my 67 Shelby GT500. Was it the ethanol? I don't know but I never had this problem before ethanol was added to gas.

I have an instance where I was very fortunate to find pre-ethanol gasoline in a vehicle. I bought a very low miles 1975 BMW R90/6 motorcycle that had been sitting for over 30 years. The guy I bought it from admitted to not being much of a mechanic and it had spent the 30+ years sitting w/ gas in the tank and carbs w/ the petcocks not turned to Off. It was very nasty in there BUT if it had been ethanol laced fuel instead of cleanable stinky goop I would have had complete destruction.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I’m 79 years old and in the late 1950s my friend’s dad was the head of civil defense for our county.
He said to never let the tank get below !/2 in case there was a national emergency and at least you had 1/2 a rank of fuel.

I’m 79 years old and in the late 1950s my friend’s dad was the head of civil defense for our county.
He said to never let the tank get below !/2 in case there was a national emergency and at least you had 1/2 a rank of fuel.

But 1/8 of a tank today goes as far as 1/2 a tank went in the 1950's.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

But 1/8 of a tank today goes as far as 1/2 a tank went in the 1950's.

OMG that equates to fill up at 7/8

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