How does the overhead magic box cal. the DTE fuel amount ??

 

Fuel level and current average MPG.


phox

 

Mine appears to be calculated by pure BS. Was on the interstate the other day with a small trailer (5k lbs) 40 miles from home, same speed and conditions as the rest of the trip. Overhead said 91 miles to empty so I go for it. well...... 20 mi later, overhead said 38 miles to empty. By the time I got home it was in the single numbers bouncing all over. That was the last time I looked at it!

 

then if that is the case - something is wrong.. the tank is 32 gals! correct?? if I fill up (anywhere close for that matter)... and I am driving on the highway and the overhead says (20+ mpg) then the DTE should be over 600 miles.. correct??

then why does the dam thing say in the upper 400's.. I will check this again in the am... I was checking it and can't remember if it was before or after I filled up...

 

I didn't say it was anywhere near accurate.

My low fuel dinger goes off at 50 DTE.

Often, it will start dinging as I pull onto my street.

I'll park it, then when i go to leave the next day, I've suddenly gained 25-30 miles till empty,
(now reading 75-80 DTE).

Dodge fuel senders are notoriously innaccurate.
My average MPG is always 2-3 off my hand calculations.

Put these two systems together to figure out DTE and you're guaranteed accuracy.

Oh, when it does say 50 DTE,
I'll go fill up and can only put in 24 gallons into a 34 gallon tank, seeing fuel in the filler neck.


phox

 

then if the DTE is really to reserve ( and I have been told reserve is 8 gallons) then it does add up... 470 DTE + 8 gallons at 160 more miles (20 mpg) = 630 miles... which would add up (approx) to the 20 mpg X 32 gallons.. so looks like someone at dodge can do math...

 

You guys need to read your owners manual. The ovehead computer does in fact tell you that your DTE is alot less than actual. As the MANUAL states this is to help those of you that wait untill you are empty to fillup. The MANUAL states somewhere around 10% of fuel will be left when the IDIOT light says you are empty and the DTE goes t 0. Its so you don't run out of fuel inthe backwoods or Podunk, Nowhere when traveling
If you fillup when the DTE states empty then you may take about 28-30 gallons. Some people say you jput 40 gallons in the tank, but NOT for me. I leave that extra space for expansion of fuel.
Just take the ovehead computer with a grain of salt and use it help make sure you don't end up stranded. I know about how many miles I can go prior to filing up and that's about 400miles pulling a TT on the highway. By the time I drive that many miles I'm usually ready for a break anyway

 

you got me on that one...

Guess I have not made it that far into the manual... my A.D.D kicked in and I am too buZY trying to make more miles magically
show up for a tank of gas..

ps: but my DTE does look correct if indeed some say when they fill up alll they can put in is approx 24 gallons.. I will check this myself...

ps2: manuals are like cumputers only as good as the person who programed it... darn tech writers... why do they have to spoil all the fun...

 

Few things to note...the DTE goes on the fuel gauge. Depending on how you fill up you could have 4-5gal before the gauge even has a chance to move. Mine sits on the "full" number (400-600mi depending on what MPG I've been getting) for a good hundred miles or so before the gauge starts to move.

It does not use the same average MPG you see, it keeps it's own average. Resetting the average MPG does NOT reset the DTE average. I noticed this most right after the reflash. The MPG's went up 2-3MPG, but the DTE didn't reflect this.

If you change how you're driving, say you hook up to a trailer, I've noticed it drops a lot faster than it rises. IMHO this is good paranoia, it can't predict how you're going to drive for the remainder of the tank, so it errors on the low side once it sees conditions change.

And as mentioned, it's "empty" reading still has some fuel in the tank.

If my driving is consistant, I've found it to be reasonably accurate once the fuel gauge is off the full peg. Good enough to help decide where to get fuel on the interstate, and a good bit better than the calcs I do in my head. Is it perfect? Nope.

 

It uses the mathematical formula:

(AVG MPG/Galllons) X DCX Factor = BS