Get the latest advice about your car

Get Started
Advice » Q&A » 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis

Q&A

Ask Your Question

1998 Mercury Grand Marquis

Question: Dist to empty getting lower... Digi Gauges.

Question

JohnHenry, Killeen, TX, February 21, 2011, 20:24
Profile_thumbnail
 Rookie

My wifes Grand Marquis GS w(precision Track) has been getting a lower and lower Dist to empty on fillup. The gauges are all digital, wondering if a tune up would solve this / cleaning MAF etc. I disconnected the battery for a whole hour to clear the KAM. Still no changes reads 245 dist to empty every time. I'm aware of the three gallon fuel light warning. Just wondering what it could be ?

1 Answer
Answer It
Flag This

  • Answer #1

    DaveJHM February 21, 2011, 21:20
    Profile_thumbnail
     Master

    The distance to empty reading is based on a formula that the engine powertrain control module calculates with the message center. You can't really "reset" it; it's based on most recent fuel consumption verses mileage driven information, and averages it. Now, if you suddenly drive on a 400 mile highway road trip, that calculation will get lopsided in the opposite direction by the end of that hypothetical trip.

    No cleaning or procedure you perform will change the DTE reading.

    Now, for fuel economy - yes, make sure your air filter is clean. Make sure your spark plugs are good, and there is no misfiring. Be careful "cleaning" the MAF - many times this yields in actual damage rather than helping anything. I would bet that it is what it is...and there's nothing special to be done.

    Flag This

  • Reply

    JohnHenry, February 21, 2011, 21:48
    Profile_thumbnail
     Rookie

    Wow !! A Tec that actually knows his stuff!

    I earlier just paid 30 bucks online for an ASE tech to tell me to use sea foam !!!! He reccomended motorcraft spark plugs ?

    Thanks as you can see I'm staying up all night trying to figure this out. Ive read that it averages your last 500 miles and give you a dist to empty number. Pretty odd, I'm more of an analog guy but the digital looks all pretty for everyone else. I will do a full tune up minus scraping the hell out of the sensor. Its an old peoples car, I just bought to put as much steel around my wife and kid in case of an accident

    Your Response is worth 30 BUCKS !!!!

    Reply
    Flag This
Answer Ranks

This week's top 10

1 globalhelper 6 Merrimack Auto
2 milesauto 7 Camster
3 csubak30 8 2004toycam
4 jose8889 9 Transmission-Tech
5 obdcar 10 carpetvan2