| slash007 |
| I recently fillel up my tank when the screen showed 0 miles till empty. and it only took 18.1 gallons. I checked the offset in the calibration menu, and it was set to 0! Should I make it + or - to make it more accurate with how much gas is actually left, or should I just leave it at 0? Thanks:confused: |
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| MDXNole |
| I would leave it alone. This way it gives you a little time to get gas. What good is it if you see it go to zero driving along, then you are stuck on the side of the road. |
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| cotmc |
| Is that calibration menu only available on NAV units? I have a base model, and I don't recall having the capability to calibrate this feature... |
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| slash007 |
| If you do a search, you will find a thread that tells you how to calibrate a non-navi. |
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| John |
Slash,
I searched for the note on callibrating your miles to empty computer, but I couldn't find the note you referred to. Could you please specifiy where I can find it.
Thanks. |
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| AtlantaMDX |
slash007,
I'd put in an offset. I think most come with 20 as the offset. If you don't refer to the "range" of the trip computer, it doesn't really matter (you can always watch the gas gauage). But if you do refer to the "range", then I think it would be worthwhile to add the offset. |
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| mystMDX |
quote:
Originally posted by John
Slash,
I searched for the note on callibrating your miles to empty computer, but I couldn't find the note you referred to. Could you please specifiy where I can find it.
Thanks.
Here's a copy for both Nav and nonNav calibrations from prior posts, just consolidated for future reference:
OK, here is what you can do. This applies only to the vehicles with Nav Systems.
Start the car and Press OK on the disclaimer screen. Press and hold the keys in this
order: Menu, Map/guide, and Cancel. Continue to hold all three for 5 seconds.
Press Trip Calibrate. You can now change the temperature reading offset and the
miles to empty offset. (An interesting note: Mine came with the miles to empty
offset set to -20 miles. Thus, it showed 0 when there was actually 20 miles or so
left. I suspect that Acura did this to insure that people do not run out of gas. I
changed mine.)
Tom
ardvarkus
Senior Member
Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Sierra Foothills near
Sacramento
Posts: 240
Tom- Good work.
It is NOT in the service manual.
here is how to calibrate a non-nav:
Non-Nav:
1. Turn on display
2. Press CLOCK plus RESET together for 5 seconds. It will enter a calibration mode
3. The value which will be changed will blink. First the temp offest will blink,
pressing TRIP will toggleto the Range Offset. Press TRIP again and you are out of
the calibration mode.
4. There are two values which can be adjusted: a RANGE Offset and a TEMP offset.
The MODE and A/C button will adjust down and up (- and +) respectively.
Like the NAV, the car comes with a -20 mile range offset. This is why when you fill
up you always have plenty of gas in the tank. It can be adjusted in 10 mile
increments.
For the temp offset, be careful. Static measurements can be affected by the
engine/radiator. Don't use the weatherman's temp. Be especially careful if you use
the temp to detect road icing. better to err on the low side.
Ard
PS Credit to Tom (mogur). Once you found the Nav's mode, it was logical that the
non-Nav would have one. |
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| Crem de la SUV |
quote:
Originally posted by MDXNole I would leave it alone. This way it gives you a little time to get gas. What good is it if you see it go to zero driving along, then you are stuck on the side of the road.
I bet you set your alarm clock 10 minutes ahead so you're not late in the morning, don't you? :p |
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| AtlantaMDX |
| Um, No comment. :D |
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| MDXNole |
Crem,
How did you guess? |
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| slash007 |
| the reason i posted in the first place is because i noticed that most people said that thier offset was set to 20. Mine was set to zero, but when i filled up, it only took 18.2 gallons even though the range said that I had zero miles to empty. I even drove about 7 miles after it said 0. |
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| srpbep |
Just found this thread ... Thanks for the info ... how the heck did you guys figure out:
(a) That configuration options were there?
(b) How to change the settings?
:confused: |
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| MDXLuvr |
quote:
Originally posted by srpbep
Just found this thread ... Thanks for the info ... how the heck did you guys figure out:
(a) That configuration options were there?
(b) How to change the settings?
:confused:
we figured it out be lurking on this great site.:D |
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| vip9 |
I knew this topic was discussed before. I was just too lazy to search for it. However, now that you found it, I want to report some interesting thing which happened a few days ago.
For the 1st time in 16 months!, my "range" display went crazy. It showed 1o miles left with fuel gauge being at 1/2 full. It gradually went to 0 miles and stayed there with at least 1/3 of a tank still there (according to the same gauge) After about 20 miles more of city driving (about 2 galons with my mpg :(), and with a 20-mile highway trip ahead (I hate to get off the highway to fill up if I can avoid it), while the gauge was still close to 1/3 of tankfull, I put 5 gallons in. After the highway trip (about 22 mpg), I filled her up full (took about 11 gallons)
So, I am inclined to think that the fuel gauge was correct and the computer just went crazy for no apparent reason...
Up until now that range indicator was quite reliable and computer-calculated mpg was very close to my manual calculations.
Seems OK now.
Weird...:confused: |
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| msu79gt82 |
| ... rather than a miles to empty calculation. I also think the dashboards fuel warning light can be trusted. I have had the miles to empty read zero and the fuel light is not yet on and I have an 1/8 tank of gas:confused: |
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| jj_mdx |
interesting thread.....
i'm just wondering how many galons are left in the tank when the 'low-fuel' warning light comes up? any thoughts on that?
on my first fill-up, my MDX only took about 16.5 galons, and the warning light had been on for a while and there was about 10 miles left in the 'range' window.... |
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| srpbep |
My experience [generalized] with most vehicles [domestic and import] is that the warning light typically comes on with 2-3 gallons left in the tank.
(1) Will have to test our X and report back to you [sorry, haven't gone this far and usually don't but it is worth a test].
(2) Many owner's manuals address this topic. Now that you brought it up, I don't remember seeing it. Will have to go look it up and see what it says [if anything]. |
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| jj_mdx |
quote:
Originally posted by srpbep
My experience [generalized] with most vehicles [domestic and import] is that the warning light typically comes on with 2-3 gallons left in the tank.
i agree.... my low fuel light came up when the trip computer indicated that the range was 50 miles, which corresponded to about 2.6 galons given the mpg at about 19mpg...
i will have my second fill-up tonight and i will update how many galons i pump in ... |
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| jj_mdx |
all right, i just did my second fill-up.... and here are some details:
- according to my trip computer, i've run 330 miles, with 19 miles left till empty
- the computer said 19.4 mpg
- i pumped in 17.5 galons, which translates to about 18.9 mpg
- the 'low fuel' warning went on way before my fill-up, i ran another 40+ miles before the fill-up, so theoretically, if the trip computer was correct, i should be able to run another 19 miles, that's a whopping 60 miles after the warning light came up...
hope this helps... |
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| srpbep |
Using figures provided by jj-mdx, his [her?] MDX lit the low fuel dash warning light with approx. 3.8 gallons left in the tank [approx. 20% of gas tank capacity]. I derived this as follows:
At fillup, there was 1.7 gals of gas left in the tank [19.2 gal capacity less 17.5 gals added = 1.7 gals in tank before fillup].
Used approximately 2.1 gals of gas between time warning light lit and when actually put in gas. jj-mdx drove an additional 40 miles at 18.9 mpg. Yes I used jj-mdx's mpg calc, not the trip computer!! I have always found that the trip computer reads a little high [manual calc is ALWAYS a little lower than trip computer calc in our MDX].
1.7 + 2.1 ==> 3.8 gallons |
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| srpbep |
jj-mdx,
Do you happen to remember the gas guage readings when:
(1) The fuel low warning light first came on [approx. 3.8 gals remaining in tank].
(2) You pulled into the gas station [approx. 1.7 gals remaining in tank].
I would really appreciate this info ... Steven |
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| srpbep |
jj-mdx,
At fill-up [when trip computer indicated 19 miles to empty], you could have actually driven 32.13 miles [1.7 gals @ 18.9 mpg]. That assumes that you continued to get 18.9 mpg [maybe yes, maybe no, depends].
At the time the warning light came on, you actually had 71.82 miles remaining [3.7 gals @ 18.9 mpg]. That assumes that you continued to get 18.9 mpg [maybe yes, maybe no, depends].
;) |
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| jj_mdx |
quote:
Originally posted by srpbep
jj-mdx,
Do you happen to remember the gas guage readings when:
(1) The fuel low warning light first came on [approx. 3.8 gals remaining in tank].
(2) You pulled into the gas station [approx. 1.7 gals remaining in tank].
I would really appreciate this info ... Steven
Steven-
when the fuel low warning light first came on, the tip of the gas gauge was pointing at about 10% full (about 2 grids above the big red empty line)... it certainly didn't look like that i still had 20% of the gas left...
when i pulled into the gas station, right before the fill-up, the tip of the gauge was way below the red line(empty line), maybe by a half grid... i was really kind of worried, because of the long waiting line at sam's club's gas station....
i think your calculation is correct, my other car's low fuel warning light also comes up at about 20% left ....
james (i guess this answers the his/her part...:D ) |
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| srpbep |
jj-mdx [James],
Thanks for the feedback. We haven't experimented with the behavior of the gas guage yet. Since it is likely that our MDX will respond as yours has, you have probably saved me from having to run this test.
Good to know that guage red line is still not empty [e.g. needle will drop below red].
Thanks again ... Steven |
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| mdmdxny |
My recent experience with the gas gauge was troubling. I was running low from the computer readout and the gas light also was went on. The gauge was slightly below the red line and since the light was bright for about 15/20 miles I conceded and got gas.
It only took 16.2 gals. That means I had another 3 gals or approx 50 mi.
Can the gas gauge be off that much? Is it adjustable? It does have the tendancy to fall faster on the 2nd half of tank than the 1st half.
I wondered if anyone else had a similar issue. |
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| jj_mdx |
according to steven's calculation, and my experience, your calculation is probably right... i only did fill-up twice, the first time i pumped in 16.5 galons, 17.5 for the second time... and when i pull into the gas station, my gas gauge needle was way below the red empty line (by at least half a grid).... so, no sweat there....
yeap, the gas gauge falls off faster in the second half, acturally, it falls off very fast in all ranges....:p |
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| srpbep |
quote:
originally posted by jj-mdx:
yeap, the gas gauge falls off faster in the second half, acturally, it falls off very fast in all ranges....
What is faster:
(1) The MDX
(2) The gas gauge
:confused: ;) :D |
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