Katerina Swanson
Knowing how much fuel is left in your vehicle is essential for road safety and can prevent accidents, fines, and costly repairs. While modern vehicles have fuel gauges and dashboard indicators, it is important to understand what to do if these fail. This article will explore methods to determine the amount of fuel left in a vehicle, including checking for fuel spills, listening for whooshing sounds when opening the gas cap, and using a transfer pump to measure fuel levels. We will also discuss preventative measures and best practices to ensure you don't run out of fuel while on the road.
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What You'll Learn
Weighing a canister
Firstly, weigh the empty canister to get the weight of the metal canister alone. This weight is usually printed on the canister and is known as the Tare Weight or 'TW'. If you don't have an empty canister, you can find the weight by subtracting the net weight of the fuel from the gross weight of the full canister (these numbers are also usually printed on the canister).
Next, weigh the partially used canister. Then, subtract the weight of the empty canister (TW) from the weight of the partially used canister. This will give you the weight of the remaining fuel.
Finally, compare this number to the net weight listed on the fuel canister to estimate how much fuel is left, for example, whether the canister is half full, a quarter full, etc.
Some canisters, such as those by MSR, have a gauge printed on the side, so you can see at a glance how much fuel is left without having to make manual calculations.
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Floating the canister in water
To determine how much fuel is left in a canister, one method is to float the canister in water. This method can be done at home or while out on the trail. Firstly, fill a pot about halfway with water. Place the full fuel canister in the water, ensuring it floats upright. You may need to tip the canister to let air escape from underneath. Take note of where the waterline is on the canister. Remove the canister and mark the spot with a permanent marker. Repeat this process with an empty canister. Transfer the marks you made on the full and empty canisters to the partially used canister. Place the partially used fuel canister into the water, again making sure to let the air escape by tilting the canister.
The waterline on the canister indicates how much fuel is left by volume. For example, if the waterline is halfway up the canister, then the canister is half full. To get an accurate reading, compare the waterline to a full and completely empty canister, or refer to a gauge printed on the side of the canister.
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Using a fuel gauge
A fuel gauge is an instrument used to indicate the amount of fuel in a fuel tank. It is one of the most observed instruments on a vehicle's dashboard.
The gauge consists of two parts: the sending unit and the indicator unit. The sending unit uses a float connected to a potentiometer, which is typically a printed ink design in modern automobiles. As the fuel level in the tank decreases, the float drops and slides a moving contact along the resistor, increasing its resistance. This causes a change in voltage supply at the gauge, and in response, the indicator needle moves to the appropriate position on the gauge. The indicator unit, usually mounted on the dashboard, measures and displays the amount of electric current flowing through the sending unit. When the tank level is high and the maximum current is flowing, the needle points to "F", indicating a full tank. When the tank is empty, and the least current is flowing, the needle points to "E", indicating an empty tank. Some vehicles use the indicators "1" (for full) and "0" (for empty) or "R" (for reserve) instead.
It is important to note that the fuel gauge does not indicate the quantity of fuel in litres or gallons but rather the amount of fuel relative to the tank's capacity. This is because the exact quantum in litres is not critical to driving and may be meaningless to the driver.
If your fuel gauge is inaccurate or not working, you can test and replace the sending unit and the gauge. First, check that the gauge is receiving 12 volts of power by turning on the engine's ignition and probing with a multimeter between the ground and the positive terminal on the back of the gauge. If there is no voltage, the fault is in the ignition circuit, and the gauge is likely functioning correctly. If there are 12 volts at the gauge, the issue could be with the sending unit, the gauge, or its wiring. With power running to the gauge, disconnect the sending wire (marked with an "S" at the back of the gauge), and the gauge should jump to its highest possible reading. If it does, the gauge is functioning correctly, and you should check the other system components, as either the wire running to the sender or the sender itself is likely faulty.
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Calculating average fuel consumption
To calculate average fuel consumption, you need to know the total distance travelled and the total fuel used.
Firstly, record multiple tanks of gas in a row to find the average fuel consumption. To get a more accurate picture of your car's fuel consumption, gather more data. For instance, if you calculated your fuel consumption on a day that you drove into the mountains, climbing uphill uses more fuel, so your fuel consumption on that day is higher than it normally is. Therefore, by driving over a longer period of time and averaging your fuel consumption, you eliminate outliers in your data.
Secondly, set your trip odometer to zero with a full tank of gas. After you fill up your car, use your trip button to set your trip odometer to zero. However, do not reset it back to zero when you get a new tank of gas. When calculating average fuel consumption, you need to know the total distance you drove after refilling your car multiple times. If you don't have an odometer, record how many miles are on your car with a full tank of gas as your "Starting Distance".
Thirdly, record how much gas you purchase each time you fill up. To get a more accurate measure of fuel consumption, you need to know how much gas you are using whenever you get more gas. Each time you fill up, write down the number of gallons or litres you purchased.
Finally, you can calculate your average fuel consumption using the formula:
> Fuel Consumption = Fuel Used / Distance Travelled
For example, if you filled up your tank three times, using 12 gallons, 3 gallons, and 10 gallons, your total gas usage is 25 gallons. If your trip odometer reads 350 miles, your fuel consumption is 25/350 = 0.0714 gallons per mile.
You can also calculate your fuel cost per mile by multiplying your fuel consumption by the fuel price. For example, if fuel costs $8 per US gallon, your fuel cost per mile is 0.0714 x 8 = $0.5712/mile.
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Cold soaking
Cold soak tests are performed by aircraft manufacturers to ensure that all systems can operate in severely low temperatures and be restarted when required. These tests are typically conducted outdoors in locations such as Northern Canada, or in temperature-controlled hangars, and involve simulating an aircraft on the ramp, with all systems idling. At the end of the test, the APU is restarted to power the systems, and the engines are turned on as the oil temperature reaches a specified level.
The term "cold soak start" is used in the context of ETOPS commercial aircraft, which are required to perform a cold soak start of the APU every thirty days. This involves the aircraft being at an altitude of over thirty thousand feet for thirty minutes while cold-soaked.
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Frequently asked questions
You can check your owner's manual for precise details or look at your dashboard as many cars now provide an estimated range left.
Fill up as soon as possible. It is not worth taking the risk of running on empty.
In the UK, running out of fuel is not illegal but if it causes an obstruction, you could face fines or penalty points. It is also dangerous for you and other drivers, especially if you are unable to pull over safely.
Drive at lower speeds and turn off your engine when stationary for a while.
