F3 Fuel Gauge and fill-ups

[dguisinger]

What have others been seeing on their fuel gauge?

When it gets down to 1 bar and my fuel light comes on, I have filled it up and the pump tells me it only put 4.8 gallons in for a 7.1 gallon tank. That leaves 2.3 gallons in the tank.

Does reaching the last bar (of 8?) really indicate 33% fuel left in the tank??

I set my trip meter the last time I filled up. It dropped me to 3 bars at 104 miles. I would expect to be more near 50% since if you drive it well you can hit 250 miles on a tank.

Has anyone else had this experience? When you fill up at the gas station, is it putting in much less fuel than you are expecting?

Should I bring it in for a check of the fuel sensor or is this what others are experiencing as normal?

It says the reserve is 1.2 gallons, but even if I consider the bar graph to represent 5.9 gallons, it still seems to have a weird calibration....

 

[ARtraveler]

Similar to automobile gas gauges. If you top it off to the top of the gauge, it takes forever to go down a couple bars or notches. Once you reach a half tank or so you can almost see the gauge go down as you ride.

Once you figure out your "usual" mpg, set a tripmeter to zero each fill up. Use the gas gauge as a reference, but the tripmeter for more accurate feeling of exactly where you are on gallons/miles left. After a couple tanks you will kind of "know" when the refuel light is about to come on.

On my 2014 RT, I consistently get 200 miles on the tripmeter before the refuel light goes on. I do not always wait for the light and usually refill at 150 miles. That's when the 998 wants its gas.

We don't have a lot of reports on fuel mileage for the F3's yet.

 

[Tom in NM]

Good questions . . . .

. . . . but I don't have an exact answer for you.

To me, the fuel gauge on my Spyders is more an art than a science. ( my BMW too )

On my F3 ( 6 fillups so far) I fill it when it is showing 2 bars usually. After filling up, all bars are showing.

Here are my miles traveled & gallons to full.
183. 5.65
166. 5.39
156. 5.07
164. 4.84
152. 5.22
182. 5.36

I am over 1k miles and the last MPG was 33.92. Mostly city driving with a few 60 mile cruises.

Hope this helps. While there are some big stretches out here in NM without gas stations, I just make sure I am full before I tackle them. Worrying about gas is something I try to avoid - it is hard to smile when you are grinding your teeth.

Tom

 

[dguisinger]

. . . . but I don't have an exact answer for you.

To me, the fuel gauge on my Spyders is more an art than a science. ( my BMW too )

On my F3 ( 6 fillups so far) I fill it when it is showing 2 bars usually. After filling up, all bars are showing.

Here are my miles traveled & gallons to full.
183. 5.65
166. 5.39
156. 5.07
164. 4.84
152. 5.22
182. 5.36

I am over 1k miles and the last MPG was 33.92. Mostly city driving with a few 60 mile cruises.

Hope this helps. While there are some big stretches out here in NM without gas stations, I just make sure I am full before I tackle them. Worrying about gas is something I try to avoid - it is hard to smile when you are grinding your teeth.

Tom

Your numbers seem much better than mine regarding the gauge. 25% with two bars, that sounds correct (2 of 8 bars after all).... I'm getting 33% at 1 bar.... it just seems like something is off with mine. You are putting more gas in than I am even though I'm showing I'm on empty and you aren't...

 

[dguisinger]

Also, do you guys get the last bar to display? On my RS it was a little triangle at the top?
My F3 never shows that top part after filling up, it only displays the last full rectangle when full.

If I pump the handle and put more fuel in, it spills out onto the top of the spyder, so the tank definitely is full.

 

[Tom in NM]

I usually see the triangle . . . . .

. . . . but I have never seen the Fuel light.

Where I park my Spyder, it sits on a slight grade. On my ST-S, the Fuel light was always coming on, but after stopping in the driveway to open the gate, it would go off and show 2 bars.

When filling up, I use the hands-free mode, but it is at the lowest setting and I am always ready to click it off if I have to. A quick look in the tank shows gas, but it has never bubbled or splattered out.

Tom

 

[dguisinger]

. . . . but I have never seen the Fuel light.

Where I park my Spyder, it sits on a slight grade. On my ST-S, the Fuel light was always coming on, but after stopping in the driveway to open the gate, it would go off and show 2 bars.

When filling up, I use the hands-free mode, but it is at the lowest setting and I am always ready to click it off if I have to. A quick look in the tank shows gas, but it has never bubbled or splattered out.

Tom

Tom, I think you are misunderstanding that last one...

The gas does automatically shut off when filling, but the gallons it put in seemed low and when I turn the Spyder on the top partial-bar doesn't fill in, so I figured it wasn't really full and tried putting more fuel in, and it splashed out. My point of mentioning it was the tank is clearly full, but the gauge (unless it was changed from the RS/ST and doesn't have a partial bar at the top) isn't showing fully full, and is showing empty when its still got 30% of its fuel.... it just seems something isn't calibrated or mounted right.... whereas your sensor does seem to be calibrated or mounted correctly

(My experience with the RS, the tank gauge was spot on)

 

[Tom in NM]

No, I got that . . . .

Tom, I think you are misunderstanding that last one...
.... it just seems something isn't calibrated or mounted right.... whereas your sensor does seem to be calibrated or mounted correctly

. . . . . I was just commenting that I had never gotten low enough for the Fuel light to come on. If/when that is convenient, I will run until it does, just to see what it takes to fill up from that.

As far as the top triangle of the guage, it isn't on for very long, - it usually turns off around 5 miles after fill up, I think.

Given the tank is an irregular shape and the measuring system is float/bobber based, "calibration" may vary. I will have to look at the F3 schematics to verify that. That was true on my GS. I seem to remember a thread about that years ago where some sensors got tangled or limited in their range of motion. But, there were a lot of people who tried several things to find out exactly how much gas the tank would hold / how much was useable & how that would register on the gauge. There was really no definitive answer.

That is in part some of my "art, not science " comment.

Tom

 

[Tom in NM]

F3 Fuel System Parts

Here is the diagram of the F3 fuel system.

Sorry the parts' number/name are so small, but if you want a full size image, PM me with your Email address and I send it to you. You can also go the the BRP website and look at the parts catalogue for the F3.

http://parts.spyder.brp.com/Index.a...u812gmka2&catalog_id=0&language_id=1&siteid=1

I need to look at the F3 Shop Manual to see exactly where the tank sensor is - for now I am guessing it is integrated into the Fuel Pump.

Tom

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

F-3 owners LOOK HERE

This isn't re-lated to MPG's , But that PIC is a great time to get you thinking.......Look at # 26 ...the OVERFLOW HOSE that goes into the center of the EVAC CAN from the gas tank.........This is what will contaminate the CAN with Gas...........On my 08 GS and 11 RSS I spliced in a " T " in that line and made a lowered loop ( similar to a " P " trap under your sink ) .....This will prevent the possibility of any gas from EVER getting into the EVAC CAN for any reason........like just over-filling the tank or boilover ..........You will need to put an extension on the " T " to drain somewhere safely..................Mike :thumbup:

 

[jimnsusie]

Similar to automobile gas gauges. If you top it off to the top of the gauge, it takes forever to go down a couple bars or notches. Once you reach a half tank or so you can almost see the gauge go down as you ride.

Once you figure out your "usual" mpg, set a tripmeter to zero each fill up. Use the gas gauge as a reference, but the tripmeter for more accurate feeling of exactly where you are on gallons/miles left. After a couple tanks you will kind of "know" when the refuel light is about to come on.

On my 2014 RT, I consistently get 200 miles on the tripmeter before the refuel light goes on. I do not always wait for the light and usually refill at 150 miles. That's when the 998 wants its gas.

We don't have a lot of reports on fuel mileage for the F3's yet.

I do the same with my 14 rt as far as using the trip meter. I still watch the gauge tho for a reference. I've gone about 220 on a tank but usually fill sooner with the other bikes I am with.

 

[ARtraveler]

I do have a feeling that the F3's are going to be reporting fuel mileage in the mid to high 30's compared to the RT's 39 to 42. The reason...I think they are going to be driven more aggressive and faster.

I am guessing an RT pilot or two may also succumb to the magic. :yes:

 

[dguisinger]

Alright, so I ran the tank down and filled up again.

I got 2 bars at 133 Miles
Filled up at 149 Miles
4.78 Gallons
31MPG (That should start going up, I started using EcoMode shifting and changed to the Route 129 windshield from the gauge spoiler mid-tank)

When I left the gas station, I was reading 2 bars short of full for the first mile and then it crept up to the last "fullsize" bar as being full, but again never showed the triangle showing topped off.

Using these numbers, I should be getting a 220 mile trip before it runs out of gas, my gauge is vastly underestimating the fuel in the tank.... both when "empty" and "full"

:banghead:

 

[Tom in NM]

I hope other . . . . . . .

Using these numbers, I should be getting a 220 mile trip before it runs out of gas, my gauge is vastly underestimating the fuel in the tank.... both when "empty" and "full"

. . . . F3 riders chime in with their observations. But, as you describe your experience, the gauge does seem to be off. If you have a good dealer, I would mention it - or just add it to a "Punch List" of things to look at when you take it in for the 1st service/inspection at 3k miles.

If I find out anything further, I will PM you and let you know. Or if you think of anything you want me to investigate/observe, let me know.

Tom

 

[daveinva]

Do what I did with my RS-- I bought a plastic gas can and carried it with me on the bike, and rode the bike until I ran out of gas. That told me a in a jiffy how much mileage I can get. :doorag:

 

[SpyderGTL]

When I get the automatic shut-off when filling up, the gas in the tank usually doesn't seem to be quite to the bottom of the fill tube. I'll add additional gas to get it to the bottom of the fill tube (which is when the gas will quickly fill the tube and splash out if you're not careful). A few times, I've slowly added gas to get the fuel part way up the fuel tube. I think I've always gotten the little triangle to show up in the fuel gauge. It would be interesting to know where the advertised tank capacity is measured - fuel level with the bottom of the tube or some point higher. I've thought about whether I should punch the fill tube to make it easier to fill that last half gallon or more, but probably won't since I am getting more than 200 miles before the low fuel light comes on.

I've put in more than 6 gallons on a couple different fill-ups. I'm pretty sure the low fuel light was on both times. The highest amount was just under 6.4 gallons, though I do believe I filled it more (part way up the fill tube) than I had done on the previous fill-up (to the bottom of the fill tube), so I know the mpg's for that tank wouldn't have been accurate. I'll try to pay more attention on this tank full and fill up when I get down to a couple of bars, just to see how much it takes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wiredux]

Here is what I have been getting on the F3.

 

[vondalyn]

seems like your gauge is off

I do see the "little half-marks at the top" when I fill up. I haven't seen a gas light yet, but I've been scared to see what happens once I get to the single mark on the gauge, so I usually fill up shortly after getting there. One of these days I'll carry a 1 gallon gas can with me and let it run dry to see just how far I can get.

I've only gotten down the the single mark twice -- first time was on 2/13 which had some time going fast on the super-slab. I noticed with my RT and now the F3 that my gas mileage drops when I'm going 75+ mph on the highway. On 2/13 I was at 217.7 miles on the trip meter and put in just over 6 gallons, and yesterday I was at 233.3 on the trip meter and didn't even put in 6 gallons. My driving on this last tank was more my "typical" driving -- mostly mountains and twisties.

Here is my "Fuelly" information (you might be able to go to fuelly.com and look up my user name there to see these same stats -- same user name as here on SL). I'm seriously considering deleting the first fill-up since the mpg for that fill-up is so drastically different from everything after that and the dealership hadn't topped it off all the way to the very top.

[TABLE="class: datatable dataTable"]
[TR]
[TH="class: col-edit sorting_disabled"][/TH]
[TH="class: col-number sorting"]#[/TH]
[TH="class: col-date sorting_desc"]Date[/TH]
[TH="class: col-miles sorting"]Miles[/TH]
[TH="class: col-gallons sorting"]Gallons[/TH]
[TH="class: col-mpg sorting"]MPG[/TH]
[TH="class: col-price sorting"]Price[/TH]
[TH="class: col-city nobreak sorting"]City %[/TH]
[TH="class: col-note sorting"]Note[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]3/15/15[/TD]
[TD]233.30[/TD]
[TD]5.949[/TD]
[TD]39.22[/TD]
[TD]2.999[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]3/12/15[/TD]
[TD]209.60[/TD]
[TD]5.486[/TD]
[TD]38.21[/TD]
[TD]2.439[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]3/10/15[/TD]
[TD]199.10[/TD]
[TD]5.285[/TD]
[TD]37.67[/TD]
[TD]2.619[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]3/8/15[/TD]
[TD]162.90[/TD]
[TD]4.574[/TD]
[TD]35.61[/TD]
[TD]2.449[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]3/6/15[/TD]
[TD]193.10[/TD]
[TD]5.552[/TD]
[TD]34.78[/TD]
[TD]2.449[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]2/18/15[/TD]
[TD]211.40[/TD]
[TD]5.618[/TD]
[TD]37.63[/TD]
[TD]2.319[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]2/13/15[/TD]
[TD]217.70[/TD]
[TD]6.067[/TD]
[TD]35.88[/TD]
[TD]2.269[/TD]
[TD]50%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]2/9/15[/TD]
[TD]211.00[/TD]
[TD]5.492[/TD]
[TD]38.42[/TD]
[TD]2.209[/TD]
[TD]75%[/TD]
[TD]

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]2/8/15[/TD]
[TD]209.90[/TD]
[TD]5.089[/TD]
[TD]41.25[/TD]
[TD]2.909[/TD]
[TD]90%[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD="class: sorting_1"]2/6/15[/TD]
[TD]148.50[/TD]
[TD]5.284[/TD]
[TD]28.10[/TD]
[TD]2.209[/TD]
[TD]100%[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[vondalyn]

averaging 37.6

I did just delete the very first fill-up on Fuelly since it wasn't accurate. Now across about 2000 miles I'm averaging 37.6 mpg for all 9 fill-ups.

 

[BikerDoc]

. . . . but I don't have an exact answer for you.

To me, the fuel gauge on my Spyders is more an art than a science. ( my BMW too )

On my F3 ( 6 fillups so far) I fill it when it is showing 2 bars usually. After filling up, all bars are showing.

Here are my miles traveled & gallons to full.
183. 5.65
166. 5.39
156. 5.07
164. 4.84
152. 5.22
182. 5.36

I am over 1k miles and the last MPG was 33.92. Mostly city driving with a few 60 mile cruises.

Hope this helps. While there are some big stretches out here in NM without gas stations, I just make sure I am full before I tackle them. Worrying about gas is something I try to avoid - it is hard to smile when you are grinding your teeth.

Tom

If this is like my 2010, 2012 and 2014 Spyders, the mileage is irrelevant until you get about 3000 miles on the machine. That is when I will start taking serious mileage tests. Right now my heavy hand couldn't possibly lead to good mileage