After a singularly bitter experience many years ago in the hills above Florence, nowadays the half-way mark on the gauge means "Fill her up time" to me.
Not having a poke at you of course, but I honestly can't understand why anyone would run their fuel down that low . . . except on the approach to Luxembourg perhaps! :wink:
You're right,I seldom let it get below half....apart from today!I was nearly home from York when the light came on and it just made me think.I dont take any notice of the figure the so-called computer has given as this changes randomly when it feels like it.So 2 gallons should be about 50 miles.Thanks for the replies.
Off your topic a bit (but not much :wink: ) I have often wondered about carrying a can of diesel for emergencies, like the fuel crisis in France a couple of years ago, or any other "unforseen".
A couple of gallons would give about 60 miles of steady driving, which could make all the difference. Where to carry it is the problem though, and I'm not that paranoid . . . yet!! 8O
I too hate the idea of running out of diesel. My earlier van had to have the fuel primed, things undone and a pump operated so I carried a couple of gallons of Diesel in a large black plastic container.
It was big and cumbersome, but I would have felt naked without it although I always filled up at a quarter full.
I still carried it in my next van, with it occupying a large storage space. I then filled my tank to the brim in Basque Spain..... with petrol. After some backfiring and a dozen miles before finding a workshop who changed the petrol for diesel (50€ inc diesel). I noticed this engine was self priming and I still carried a couple of gallons of diesel which I still did not use :roll: . When I got home and smelt the fuel there was very little odour. I asked questions here and learnt that it was possibly no longer viable as a fuel. :?
Since that time I have not carried any spare fuel, so your notice that I should still have 50 miles of fuel left when the light (never seen the light) comes on, has given me confidence to travel sans reserves.
Thank you!
Alan
I was checking my vehicle handbook on another matter but noticed the following warning (this is for a Fiat Ducato 3 litre but I imagine it will apply to your model).
"The warning light turns on to indicate that approximately 10/12 litres (according to versions) of fuel are left in the tank." It then says "do not travel with the fuel tank almost empty. The gaps in fuel delivery could damage the catalyst." It then warns against turning on the heater under fuel reserve circumstances as, presumably, this will increase fuel usage.
Like others I try to top up when the tank is half empty.
Yes, half empty is my rule too and even then we have had a couple of close calls and ended up doing 50 or 60 miles with the light on. Once in France on a Sunday when we either couldn't fit into the stations we found or they would not take our cards and once in a very remote place where we just couldn't find a petrol station, Alan.
The question of "how many miles" you have left, is largely about MPG. On my last X250 Fiat the light came on when 20 litres were remaining.
We did 23,000 miles in our Fiat Ducato over the course of the year and when the fuel light came on we found we could only get 70 litres of fuel in, meaning on a 90 litre tank there was 20 left to go.
@ 30MPG for our Panel Van conversion that meant 134 miles - obviously that would be cutting it fine!
We ALWAYS did at least 40 miles after the fuel light came on before filling up if we knew fuel stations were plentiful and on average still only managed 75 litres (15 still remaining).
The most we did was 90 miles with the light on (doing the "Atlantic Highway in Norway, no fuel stations in the sea!) and even then we 'only' got 82 litres in, so still 8 remaining - at least another 50 miles.
Remember that "White van man" doing 100,000 a year isn't going to want to spend his life in a fuel station filling up at 50% all of the time, he is going to get the maximum he can out of a tank. In that respect, I think the fuel light on the Ducato X250 comes on a bit too early.
................
Remember that "White van man" doing 100,000 a year isn't going to want to spend his life in a fuel station filling up at 50% all of the time, he is going to get the maximum he can out of a tank.............
He may well be in an area he is familiar with though, or just in an area where Filling Stations aren't scarce. He may have a local fuel card or credit card which he knows will always be accepted and he will probably know about any local irregularities in opening times, or as is the case in France, he will know when Stations are unmanned. In familiar territory or on a motorway or in an urban area I might not fill up at 50% either.
It's different and pays to play safe when your are in unfamiliar territory, as you know, Alan.
If your going to carry spare diesel the following should be kept in mind:-
Modern diesel does not keep indefinitely and is probably best used within six months - it's due to the addition of a proportion of biodiesel to all diesel fuel now.
I never fill up with the needle above a quarter full and regularly (but not often) go into the red. If it is getting low I do tend to watch the Distance to Empty carefully.
still carry a 5 litre metal jerrycan from machinemart have sweated it on the m/way at night knowing i'm gonna stop the night on a service , i know that the predicted milage turns of with about 37 miles to go but this is so erratic would not like to go much past 20mls after it has abandoned me
Both times on the way home in the UK and close to home and determined not to pay motorway fuel prices.
I went to the nearest garage off the motorway and it took 62 litres/58 litres to fill to the top, so I suppose about 18/22 litres left when the light came on.
I normally fill when the gauge is between half and a quarter full and I know from experience that this means that the tank is half full, not half empty.
PS when on the continent the gauge is fairly accurate, so I suppose the camber of the road effects the reading? :?
I always fill up between half and quarter. Not only does it save worry about getting fuel, it also has the major benefit of being cheaper - I'm can't afford to fill the tank from empty :lol: :lol:
I just purchased a new Fiat Ducato 2.3 140bhp motorhome. I ordered a 90 litre fuel tank and the dealer confirmed it was 90 litres. After my fuel light came on, I only drove a few kilometres, maybe 20. When I went to fill the tank it only took 68 litres to the brim. So, like the original poster I'd also like to know how much fuel is in the tank when the light comes on. When my light came on the needle was in the red. The needle seemed to drop faster than my other Fiat Ducato van which is a 2008, 120bhp. It definitely has a 90 litre tank and I've never seen the fuel light on it. I always fill up at a quarter. I was trying to look underneath the new MH to see if it says anything on the tank itself but I couldn't see anything.
FUEL RESERVE
The warning light switches on when the ignition key
is turned to MAR, but it should switch off after a few
seconds. The warning light switches on when there
are about 10/12 litres of fuel (for versions with tank
capacity 75/90 litres) or 9 litres (for versions with tank
capacity 60 litres) remaining in the tank.
I think you will find it is now standard at 75 litres for the fuel with a 19 litre Adblue tank. My new Ducato Rapido 180 technical info says so. So your 68 litres in with the red light on and 10 spare is about correct. Cannot confirm as new van not arrived yet.
The 2008 had a 90 litre and did travel about 30 miles after the light came on. When I eventually found a station I put in 86 litres and I lost a stone in weight with sweat. My next fuel stop on the Autoroute was closed so had to stretch it a bit to the next open one.
Alan
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