D4 Fuel Range Problem

[CraigA]

Hi
I have no idea if this is a problem or a "feature". I can drive my D4 SDv6 for 100km after the "Distance to Empty" says 0. At most, I have then put 75L of diesel into the tank. My understanding was that the tank holds 90L+ meaning I could drive at least another 100km before I actually run out of diesel. A 200km "reserve" seems a little excessive.

(Shame too that the Distance to Empty doesn't display negative numbers!)

Does anybody know anything about this?
Thanks!
Craig

[Ferret]

My understanding was that the tank holds 90L+ meaning ....

Fuel tank is closer to ~82l in size I thought. So I don't think you will be driving 200km after it shows empty.

[nat_89]

Sheesh thats crazy I'm always filling up to early and dont seem to put as much in as i thought should be left, odd keen to know?

[Graeme]

How many kms DTE when just filled? It should be around 700.

[WhiteD3]

Its a "feature". My D3 was and the D4 is exactly the same. I play a game at the pumps called "guess the litres". When the carputer says 30k remaining and can usually squeeze 72 litres into the D4. I have never put more than 80 in.

[PaulGOz]

I have on several occasions whilst touring put in between 72 and 74l with read out showing 20 to 40kms to go. I had read somewhere you need 12l in the tank for car to work this may be more prevalent in something like a 4wd due to steep climbs and side slopes. I think you are also more likely to pick up crud if sucking it dry.

[Bytemrk]

In the owners manual it says the following about running out of fuel. Think I'll just avoid getting in that situation:

Vehicles with diesel engines are equipped with
a system to prevent the fuel tank from
emptying completely. When the fuel reaches a
minimum level, the system will activate a
reduced power mode (i.e. the engine will not
run properly). This will be followed by the
engine stopping in approximately 1.6 km
(1 mile).
This feature prevents the fuel system from
running dry, which could cause damage to the
vehicle. If the gauge indicates low fuel or the
warning indicator illuminates, the fuel tank
should be refuelled as soon as possible at the
next filling station, with at least 4 litres (0.9
gallons) of fuel.
If the system protection function has activated,
the vehicle must firstly be refuelled, then
restarted using the following procedure:
1. With the brake pedal pressed, press and
hold the engine START/STOP button and
crank the engine for five seconds.
2. Release the START/STOP button.
3. With the brake pedal pressed, press and
release the START/STOP button to crank
the engine. The engine should start within
approximately five seconds.
Note: If the engine does not start, pause
for ten seconds with the ignition in
convenience mode, before repeating the
procedure from the beginning.
Do not crank the engine for longer than
30 seconds continuously.

[Owen]

Hi, I have just been through the exercise and it was a learning experience for me as well as MLR. Essentially as there are a lot of drivers now enjoying the benifits of a Diesel engine without the understanding of the ramifications of running it dry.....combined with the "landrover care" if you screw up, LR have engineered a fuel system for dummies.
It's set so you can run it "out", re start and drive to use a further 5l, run it out again and do it once more before it's dry. This is how MLR explained it to me.
Essentially we now all run around with an extra 10l we will never use because there are so many people with limited mehanical buying this style of vehicle.

[TerryO]

My D3 has a faulty fuel gauge (not uncommon) and I have run it dry three times over two years after miscalculating the mileage driven.

Anyway my point is this low fueling protection system as explained from the D4 manual doesn't quite work the same in the D3. When its out its out and its a pain to get fuel through to restart it and the first couple of times I ended up with a flat battery trying to get the fuel through, even after using the bleed fitting.

There is a trick to it though and it basically means repeatedly turning the key on and off for about ten seconds at a time without cranking it over so the fuel pump keeps pressurising the system until it pumps most the air via the return line back into the tank.

When I get a chance I will check the manual to see if they have the same procedure in it as the D4, because if they do then I wouldn't 100% rely upon it. If not then maybe they changed it after drama's for D3 owners.

[LandyAndy]

Terry,how much fuel do you put in when run dry before trying to restart????
On delivery I was told that I need to put 40lt back in if I was silly enough to run it out the second time.
Needs the volume to prime correctly was told.

Andrew

[LandyAndy]

Hi
I have no idea if this is a problem or a "feature". I can drive my D4 SDv6 for 100km after the "Distance to Empty" says 0. At most, I have then put 75L of diesel into the tank. My understanding was that the tank holds 90L+ meaning I could drive at least another 100km before I actually run out of diesel. A 200km "reserve" seems a little excessive.

(Shame too that the Distance to Empty doesn't display negative numbers!)

Does anybody know anything about this?
Thanks!
Craig

Not just Landrover.Our Territory does similar,I think you will find MOST trip computers too.
They dont seem to use your current fuel consumption when you fill up and when you get to the last part of the tank.
BOTH the Territory and the D4 distance to empty figure gets bigger from a fill(must have a set fuel useage figure) I can drive to Perth(160km) and gain that 160km in range without adding fuel.Not yet tested on the D4,the Territory seems to "gobble" the last 1/4 according to distance to empty despite the instant and average remaining normal for the computer.
I think its to stop dump blondes saying computer said I can go 80km,it only did 70km;);););)
Andrew

[JonW]

Spec says 90 Litre tank, most I've squeezed into my D4 is 76 litres with 2km to empty.

My old NS Pajero had a 90 Lt tank that was bone dry on 85 litres. Throw 4 litres in it, turn the ignition on and pump hell out of the manual pump for 20 seconds and away it goes.

[Mungus]

Spec says 90 Litre tank, most I've squeezed into my D4 is 76 litres with 2km to empty.
.



MY14 Owner Handbook reads 'Fuel Tank (usable) - 82 litres' for diesel.

[JonW]

MY14 Owner Handbook reads 'Fuel Tank (usable) - 82 litres' for diesel.

My mistake, sure I have seen 90 lts listed somewhere...

[Eric SDV6SE]

Hi, just picked up our MY11 SDV6SE last week, and in reading the owners manual, the D4 has a total fuel tank capacity of 83l, with the last 4l or so kept in reserve to prevent the system from being accidentally run dry. I filled it today with the trip computer telling me 45km to go to empty, and squeezed in 75l of fuel, so having 4 l in reserve, I would have had 4l of usable fuel left in the system. Running at ~10l/100k (City cycle) this is about correct. The relatively small fuel tank is an annoyance in another wise excellent car.

[nat_89]

Hi, just picked up our MY11 SDV6SE last week, and in reading the owners manual, the D4 has a total fuel tank capacity of 83l, with the last 4l or so kept in reserve to prevent the system from being accidentally run dry. I filled it today with the trip computer telling me 45km to go to empty, and squeezed in 75l of fuel, so having 4 l in reserve, I would have had 4l of usable fuel left in the system. Running at ~10l/100k (City cycle) this is about correct. The relatively small fuel tank is an annoyance in another wise excellent car.

I'm of the same opinion love the car but living out west I would love a bigger tank if they could get it to 100L that would be better!

[BMKal]

Hmmmm ................... most I have been able to squeeze in mine has been a bit under 180 litres.

Driving Perth - Kalgoorlie - Perth (1,200km round trip) on a regular basis is not a problem. :p

Best run I've had without stopping for fuel was Norseman to Port Augusta (I did have 20 litres in a gerry can on the roof just in case though). :angel:

[TerryO]

Terry,how much fuel do you put in when run dry before trying to restart????
On delivery I was told that I need to put 40lt back in if I was silly enough to run it out the second time.
Needs the volume to prime correctly was told.

Andrew


Andy the first time I ran out I put 10 litres in and it was really hard to start, the second time it was 10 litres and after ten minutes of dicking around I went and got another 10 litres, it started a lot easier after that, but I wasn't sure if it was the extra fuel that helped.
The last time I put 20 litres in and it started way easier, but by then I was also doing the ignition cycling as well.

I keep being told that fitting a new fuel tank gauge doesn't work all the time and the only way to fix it properly is to fit a new tank! ... :eek:

[Bytemrk]

Hmmmm ................... most I have been able to squeeze in mine has been a bit under 180 litres.

:D Same here.... most I have squeezed so far is 179L.... loving the extra capacity...not so much watching the pump tick past $250 and not slow down :eek::eek:

(It did last me 3 1/2 weeks around town :angel:)


Norseman to Port Augusta is an impressive effort.....:cool:

[LandyAndy]

Im off to Geraldton early friday so I just filled Snow White up to the brim.
553km on the trip meter,only could squeeze 47L in:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:,got to love the economy:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:.Computer says 9.5l/100km so its reasonably accurate.
Andrew

[Epic pooh]

That's impressive fuel economy for a such a new motor !

I could get that if I spent 15%-20% of the time coasting down hills with my motor switched off. :angel::eek:

[LandyAndy]

Dealer told me not to expect any decent fuel economy until 5or 6 thousand km.
If it stays like this I will be more than happy.
Aprox 300km of that trip was with the cruise control set on 110kmh:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[JamesH]

Well done Andrew. I've logged every litre and kilometre I've driven since fill 1 and I've got 10.4. My computer consistently reads 1.3 to 1.4 under actual consumption.

It looks like economy and computer accuracy have improved.

[LandyAndy]

I wonder in the final gearing in the 8 speed is taller than the 6 speeds.
Andrew

[simmo1]

Folks,

I have a new RRS 2014 TDV6. On the drive home after zeroing the trip computer it read an average of 6.5 l/100km. 42mpg in the old money. The book says 6.6 l/100 I think extra urban. I don't know the actual figure but if it is anything close to accurate it is amazing. Same fuel guage thingy happened at my first fill, indicated I think 75km till empty and I put in 63 litres. Maybe 17 litres left. My gut feeling is that the trip computer might not be far off but the distance to empty when at the final few litres is not at all reliable. I need to get a few km under the belt and record actual use and distance. So far very impressive though.

Cheers, Simmo

[Meken]

:D Same here.... most I have squeezed so far is 179L.... loving the extra capacity...not so much watching the pump tick past $250 and not slow down :eek::eek:



(It did last me 3 1/2 weeks around town :angel:)





Norseman to Port Augusta is an impressive effort.....:cool:


Why carry around an extra 100kg or so around town when there is easy access to fuel?

[Bytemrk]

Why carry around an extra 100kg or so around town when there is easy access to fuel?

I don't normally.... long story, but there was a reason I wanted to fill to capacity...and unfortunately was stuck in town at the time.

Only time I carry more than 20-30 litres in the second tank is on trips normally.

[mowog]

Why carry around an extra 100kg or so around town when there is easy access to fuel?

We always fill both tanks.

We generally do it at places with a good price. Our D4 isn't used for everyday around town driving it mostly comes out for trips.

[Bytemrk]

Besides, 100 litres of diesel is around 85Kg..... no worse than many passengers...;)

[TerryO]

The petrol D4 might be the same as the diesel regarding carrying a spare 4 litres, I have now run it down several times where the warning says 20 kilometres of fuel or less left and each time I have only been able to put in around 70 litres, so it would seem that the available fuel warning countdown is very light on in its measurements in both powered models.

One day I will read the manual to actually find out rather than just assuming. ... :angel:

[nat_89]

Besides, 100 litres of diesel is around 85Kg..... no worse than many passengers...;)

Yeah I agree who cares fill it up.

[Tombie]

Why carry around an extra 100kg or so around town when there is easy access to fuel?

I do because I fuel in the City and then use the fuel back around my town...

Price difference between Adelaide and Whyalla has been around $0.15 a litre...

So I get a decent saving, even lugging it around... :cool: