Gas Gauge Accuracy?

[ItsNotaMustang]

I have a 2011 Sport that I bought new about 8 months ago. I have noticed that often when I park like to go to work, when I come out and start the truck the gas gauge seems to read noticeably less than when I parked. The other day it was right on full when I parked and seemed to be down 1/8 of a tank just by sitting. Anyone else experience this? I don't think someone is siphoning it or anything.

 

[exbass94]

Are you parking on a hill? The gas may slosh over to one side, making the sender dip down low as if it had less gas.

I have found that gas gauges in general (no matter what kind of vehicle you have) are not THAT accurate. My Honda's gas gauge doesn't move at all for the first hundred miles after filling up. My Ranger's gas gauge reads empty and the warning light turns on when I could still drive for 50 miles, etc, etc...

 

[DFracing]

parked up hill it will look like you gained gas, parked facing downhill it will seem like you lost gas, kinda suck but will level out once moving around a little and on flatish ground. with any vehicle ive ever owned ive learned to drive by the trip odemeter not the gas guage

 

[robertc1024]

Maybe your co-workers are f**king with you. We had a guy one time that bought a new car. Every day, somebody would put some gas in his tank. He started crowing about getting 50+ miles to the gallon, then we started to siphon it out. He got real quiet.

 

[BLOODBANE]

My 00 SuperDuty does this. Depending on which way I park it in the driveway, some days I have s little more, some days less. It usually levels out after driving just a little bit.

 

[adsm08]

The anti-slosh module won't have the gauge reflecting perfectly accurately while the vehicle it running. It will only let the needle drop so fast with the key on. When you shut the key off it re-evaluates the amount of fuel and adjusts the needle accordingly.

 

[chrwilkins30]

When I fill up it takes forever to get the gauge under 1/2 tank, but once it hits that 1/2 tank it goes to empty in 70 miles or so. Its actually pretty accurate though surprisingly.

 

[Mark_88]

Yeah, I'd get a locking gas cap if you don't already have one...with the price of gas going up and leaving the vehicle unattended for long periods you may be experiencing some petty theft...

But mine does something similar...if I park with the nose higher than the tail the gas reads more to the full side...as soon as I drive on the first downward hill the gas gauged does a dramatic drop and sometimes stays down longer than it stays up...

With the newer trucks could be just the sensor is taking its sweet time adjusting though...I think my tank has an old fishing bobber attached to a bungee cord that gets too soggy...they don't make them like they used to...

 

[pjtoledo]

Maybe your co-workers are f**king with you. We had a guy one time that bought a new car. Every day, somebody would put some gas in his tank. He started crowing about getting 50+ miles to the gallon, then we started to siphon it out. He got real quiet.

dude, that stunt was pulled on a TV show way back in the early sixties. t'was a VW Beetle then. not sure what show, Dennis the Menace maybe???

 

[ItsNotaMustang]

I know about the hill thing. Where I park at work is flat and monitored by surveilance cameras and surrounded by police cars. Relatively safe...Ive had two Rangers before. A '93 and a '99. Never noticed it with them. The odometer does seem to be a better way to determine when to fill it up though I think. You'd think with all the technology we have thy could make a gas gauge that works.

 

[tony314]

My gauge has always been a little funky, but when in doubt,put fuel in!

 

[martin]

Wow! a ranger with a fuel gauge that works at all, impressive.