Gas/mileages gauges give incorrect mgp

[suggee]

I have a 2012 EcoBoost 2 L EDGE that I bought new last year (long story). It has a little over 13,000 miles, so is still pretty new. The gas gauge consistently reports better mpg higher that what I calculate when I fill up. The number of "used gallons" reported by the car gauge is at least 1 gal or more lower than what the pump provides when I fill up. So I was thinking I was getting 17 mpg city (which is bad) and I am actually getting 16 mpg (which is worse). I am a little old lady who does not race the car. The dealership just told me to ignore the car gauges (!!) and use something to clear the fuel injectors. Any other suggestions?

Edited September 22, 2014 by suggee

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Welcome to the forum, suggee! Yeah, the mpg displays are generally optimistic, I usually get 0.5 mpg lower by hand calculation on a regular basis (same station, same pump, first click off). Not to worry, you can factor it in from experience I hope you are resetting the mpg/trip displays every time you fill up the Edge? That would get closest to maximum accuracy for the current trip.

 

City driving is murder on mileage, with all its' stop and go situations. If the cooling fans are constantly cycling, that will eat into your mileage. Short distance driving is a challenge too if the engine does not get to run for a sufficient time at operating temperature (not to mention the transmission) to return the expected mileage.

 

You can try running a bottle of Techron fuel injector cleaner when you fillup the tank next. Dump in the cleaner, then refuel. At a maximum, that is all you should need with such limited total miles on the vehicle. The cleaner is especially useful if you are not using one of the better quality gasoline brands.

 

And when in doubt, have the dealer pull any trouble codes set in the computer. There are service bulletins (TSBs) out there specifically for the Ecoboost engines in the Edge. One or more may apply.

Edited September 22, 2014 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W

[akirby]

If you drive mostly short trips (3 miles or less) your mileage will be terrible no matter how you drive because the engine doesn't have time to warm up.

[suggee]

Thanks to both of you. I sold a 20 yo Camry for the Edge and the gas mpg was painful - although I really love the EDGE. You are correct that my city driving is really short trips, so I am paying the price. I am skeptical of additives, so I appreciate someone else confirming that they can be useful. Will give the Techron clean a try!

[akirby]

That 20 yr old Camry had much less restrictive emissions requirements. A new Camry would yield similarly disappointing mpg results on the same short trips compared to EPA ratings.

[omar302]

To OP, do you do a lot of remote starts? I do & noticed that the fuel used during remote starts is not calculated in the Trip Computer so the actual fuel used is always going to be more than what is registered in the Trip Computer.

 

Actually, I wish they had a fuel economy gauge that would only calculate the actual mileage without the stops where the engine is only idling. I think it would give a better feel of the "driving" fuel economy. I previously owned a Chevy Lumina (an '05 Australian Holden) that when idling, would show fuel consumption rate in Liters/hour & while driving it switched to Liters/100km. Good idea instead of the useless 99L/100km (or 0 mpg for US) while idling.

[Waldo]

To the OP, do not bother with the Techron. Your EB engine is a direct injection engine, the Techron will not work and could cause damage to your engine!

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

I am curious, why would Techron damage the engine, if it is recommended/approved by car manufacturers like Hyundai & BMW for use? It might be a waste to run it more often than 3000 miles or every oil change, for sure. I would agree that the intake valves will not get cleaned, and for that you have to perform mechanical and/or chemical service.