Bloody Range Counter T180

[amr1981]

Anyone else experienced range counter problems in a T180!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Filled up the other day took 55.65ltrs or 12.2413 uk gallons from pretty much empty!!!!!!!! Thought I'd try my luck!! The range counter read 380 miles?? I'm averaging 47mpg and by my maths (even if it is engineers maths!!!!) the range counter should read at least 575????

Help!!!!!

Or is this one of the Auris's little querks?? Im pretty sure it 'ssuposed to work the range out by average MPG at fill up??

[Speed_Chaser]

Anyone else experienced range counter problems in a T180!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Filled up the other day took 55.65ltrs or 12.2413 uk gallons from pretty much empty!!!!!!!! Thought I'd try my luck!! The range counter read 380 miles?? I'm averaging 47mpg and by my maths (even if it is engineers maths!!!!) the range counter should read at least 575????

Help!!!!!

Or is this one of the Auris's little querks?? Im pretty sure it 'ssuposed to work the range out by average MPG at fill up??

Hello amr1981!

It's not only T180, it's the same thing in all models. I asked my Toyota dealer about that and he told me something like this: "The range counter isn't exact, it's only to give you a clue about the facts. And it's made to work so because Toyota wants to ensure that no-one will run out of fuel." I was like woohoo that's so nice to hear, I think that like this much more people will run out of gas. If it would show "0 kilometers/miles" when the tank is REALLY empty, everyone would know to tank before that. Now when everybody will notice that the car is still able to make lots of kilometers/miles after the range counter shows that the tank is empty, they will go for it and drive and drive and drive thinking "it's still moving, it will move a little bit more". And one moment there will be no fuel at all.

I THINK THAT THIS KIND OF SYSTEM DOESN'T GIVE ANY CLUE ABOUT WHEN YOU REALLY ARE RUNNING OUT OF FUEL! IT'S JUST SHOWING SOME ALMOST RANDOM NUMBERS! This is really ****** me off, really! :censor:

Best regards, Alex

[amr1981]

Cheers for the reply

Its proper p :censor: g me off too!!!

Has the big mr T any ways of addressing this??

[Toscane]

Filled her up today, range counter says 420 kilometers... Which is impossible because I make approximately 800 kilometers with 50 litres of fuel.

My previous fill up was showing 290 kilometers, and I made 730 kilometers with ~48 litres, HAH!

It's annoying because let alone "Accurate" it's not even CLOSE!

I wonder if they can fix it somehow... Hmm..

[Speed_Chaser]

Filled her up today, range counter says 420 kilometers... Which is impossible because I make approximately 800 kilometers with 50 litres of fuel.

My previous fill up was showing 290 kilometers, and I made 730 kilometers with ~48 litres, HAH!

It's annoying because let alone "Accurate" it's not even CLOSE!

I wonder if they can fix it somehow... Hmm..

Yes, I think that the fixing is possible by making some re-programmings,

but when I asked my dealer to get that thing fixed he just told me that the

whole thing isn't a fault, it's a correctly working option. I was like "OK, cool.

It's very helpful to know that this is SUPPOSED to be like this and nothing will

be done".

[cabcurtains]

Typically the range is based on the fuel usage of the current journey, so if you were driving quickly or the journey is really short you will get to the petrol station the range would be low, or if you were driving slow the because you thought you were going to run out of fuel the range will be huge. In my Passat the range has shown up to 950 miles, when i have been going steady becuase i thought i might breakdown :)

[amr1981]

A quick phone call to Mr T today has enlightened me a little??

Auris T180 Sr180 tank capacity is 54.8 littres which is 12.05431 UK Gallons this is the resin tank only (no primed lines, filler lines or full filters) dealer estimates full capacity is closer to 58 littres?? Mr T has taken a bad urban economy figure as recorded during vehicle testing, figure they gave me was 31mpg some crap rounding up and down and hey presto the magic 380 miles!!!!!! (goes like this I think, 55 littres = 12.09831 which to 1dp is 12.1 uk gallons multiply that by the 31mpg and you get 375.1 miles, or work it the other way 380 / 12.09831 gives 31.409346 mpg or 31mpg to nearest whole figure!!!!!!!!!!!!)

So the Mr T is apparently doing us a favour by letting us know the minimum miles are cars will do?? Apparently the T180 Sr180 show 380 the 2.0 d4d shows 370 and the petrols show 320 please could anyone confirm or deny this so i have more ammo to hit Mr T with!!!!!!!!

Why can't it be like an audi or fiat or any other car company, average mpg multiplied by the calibratesd gallons in the tank?? or at least average mpg at fill up multiplied by capacity of resin tank??

It is really p :censor: g me off as im an aircraft engineer by trade and know how these systems work on 40 y old aircraft so Mr T should be able to get it right 40 years on!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Juler]

So the Mr T is apparently doing us a favour by letting us know the minimum miles are cars will do?? Apparently the T180 Sr180 show 380 the 2.0 d4d shows 370 and the petrols show 320 please could anyone confirm or deny this so i have more ammo to hit Mr T with!!!!!!!!

I've got a 1.6 petrol, and on fully filling the tank the range is in the region of 310-320, so that would make sense. When I last filled up, I put in as much as physically possible and that came to around 47 litres. At this point the range indicator was on 10 miles, so assuming the tank is the same size (reported to be 55l in the handbook), there was still a lot of petrol left in the tank.

[Grippen]

If this was the only issue I would be happy. Something as simple as a display also has a weird working. Up here in portugal they forgot to make the difference between a benzine and a diesel car so diesel cars when out of fuel would display low benzine instead of low diesel this because the word fuel in portuguese is too long. Anyway a normal system would require a reprogramming. Well that is what made sense and I thought it would work. WRONG!! they had to change the all display system for a new one. Apparently the ECU only transmits bits thats all the messages and infos are then interpreted by the display system and that can't be programmed. Result I had to change my display system and my kms went back to 0.

[OldSkoO1]

Its a toyota thing they have started doing.

You are not mean't to run low on diesel to protect the engine so it prompts you to fill up with a decent reserve left.

You'll get a good 500-530 miles if you run it down fully but its too risky.

[DominicPriestley]

Just filled my T180 up tonight. 50.45 litres added, so i'm working on 55 full. Range computer says 338miles to empty!

[hertsnminds]

Why can't it be like an audi or fiat or any other car company, average mpg multiplied by the calibratesd gallons in the tank?? or at least average mpg at fill up multiplied by capacity of resin tank??

Watch last weeks Top Gear a Jag, a Subaru and a Polo (Blue Motion) all on a 750 mile journey Basel to Blackpool. The trip had to be done on 1 tank of fuel, all of the trip computers were at least 100 miles out, the Jags was 250 miles out.

If the amount of fuel in the tank is read by a (sloshing about dampened) potentiometer it will never be accurate. F1 cars all calculate fuel by weight, I believe aircraft do as well. As it makes a big difference if these run out of fuel I suspect they calculate things very accurately.

[amr1981]

Unfortunately F1 cars don't have or tend not to have a fuel gauge, the pit lane crew have the data based on sg (specific gravity) of the fuel and oat (outside air temp) and calculate through the onboard engine computer the amount of laps the car has left in it and radio the driver in at an appropriate stage, this leaves the driver to concentrate on the driving and not worry about other things. Most aircraft (or at least the ones I've worked on so far) work on two potensiometers per tank situated at the high and low points of the tanks and a give a reading in the cockpit, the maintenance engineers (me) work out the quantity of fuel put into the jet by the sg and a calibrated fuel source (bowser or from the ground refuel point) and amend the appropriate documentation so the flight crew know the exact amount of fuel in the jet and the % error between the two!! Usually if it is greater than 3.5 % maintenance is required to recall the system!!!!

But a little common sense from Mr T, it isn't hard to link in the last known average mpg and a rough fuel level to give a better indication!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Juler]

Filled up my 1.6SR this morning, I'd been on 0 miles range for about 10 miles, and managed to get 47 litres into the tank (it was totally full as could see the petrol right up to the cap). The range counter then reset at 275 miles, the least it has ever shown on a full tank I believe.

[Djw John]

How far have people managed to go when the range counter says 0 before chickening out and filling up? Sounds like over 100miles would be do-able but dont fancy that risk!

[mountain_mania]

How far have people managed to go when the range counter says 0 before chickening out and filling up? Sounds like over 100miles would be do-able but dont fancy that risk!

In the manual I read, when the fuel level reach the last square (when it starts to flash and the BC shows LOW FUEL) there are 8,3 liters in the tank, approximately.

[OldSkoO1]

How far have people managed to go when the range counter says 0 before chickening out and filling up? Sounds like over 100miles would be do-able but dont fancy that risk!

i use this rule of thumb

when the low fuel light comes on you have 2 gallons left.

If you average about 38mpg, round that down, thats 70 miles MAX left in tank. Take 10 miles off this incase you do a lot of hill or town driving on your last bit of fuel. Or for any computer inaccuracies. And if its not bang on 2 gallons.

So based on 38mpg avg. you have 60 miles left.

I very recently did a test to see how long it would go.

I did the 60 miles after the light came on and filled up with just 2 litres in the tank.

The range is way off because the want to get you to fill up early. Your not meant to keep running on barely empty each time. Dont forget, toyota are the cautious car company. The build cars for minimal mechanical failures.

[Djw John]

Ah 2 gallons, thats useful to know, Renault use 1 gallon so thats what Im used to. Filled up last night having done about 40 miles on the light and it was either 46 or 47 litres iirc.

[Yoga]

How far have people managed to go when the range counter says 0 before chickening out and filling up? Sounds like over 100miles would be do-able but dont fancy that risk!

i use this rule of thumb

when the low fuel light comes on you have 2 gallons left.

If you average about 38mpg, round that down, thats 70 miles MAX left in tank. Take 10 miles off this incase you do a lot of hill or town driving on your last bit of fuel. Or for any computer inaccuracies. And if its not bang on 2 gallons.

So based on 38mpg avg. you have 60 miles left.

I very recently did a test to see how long it would go.

I did the 60 miles after the light came on and filled up with just 2 litres in the tank.

The range is way off because the want to get you to fill up early. Your not meant to keep running on barely empty each time. Dont forget, toyota are the cautious car company. The build cars for minimal mechanical failures.

Really bizarre! I've just switched from my BMW 330d to a T180. The range on the 330d was accurate to (pretty much) 2 miles. If you were down to less than 5 miles showing you really DID have to look for fuel urgently. Most of us will refill way before that time at (say) 20-25 miles, that's still leaving about 1/2 gallon in the tank. Shame (and frustrating) that Toyota have to treat us all like children.

[OldSkoO1]

I know! I hate the range counter - i know i get about 450 miles so i have to reset the trip!

330d is a beautiful engine and great chasis! I bet the move to a t180 was hard.

[boozehound]

come on old skool. no point dangling in the past, we have spoken about this! oh and djw john, were is the vid and graph of the thumping t183 :) torque!?

[caveman_si]

Really bizarre! I've just switched from my BMW 330d to a T180. The range on the 330d was accurate to (pretty much) 2 miles. If you were down to less than 5 miles showing you really DID have to look for fuel urgently. Most of us will refill way before that time at (say) 20-25 miles, that's still leaving about 1/2 gallon in the tank. Shame (and frustrating) that Toyota have to treat us all like children.

It might be frustrating but there might be a very good reason for it. Not to hot on the fuel pump set up on the diesels but on Peugeot HDIs the low pressure fuel pump in the fuel tanks are cooled by the fuel in the tank, run them too low and they over heat and started to generate swarf and then self destruct. The solution touted by dealers after changing the broken pump was not to run the tanks empty. Which is worse a range counter that under reads or a 1-2K bill for a new pump?

Which leads me to ask is there a fuel pump in the tank?

[boozehound]

you would have to speak to parts king about tht one methinks

[aur1s]

Or is this one of the Auris's little querks?? Im pretty sure it 'ssuposed to work the range out by average MPG at fill up??

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=85638

In the manual it shows how to cope with running out of fuel - so is a little experimenting (and a can in the boot) really so bad?

Kind regards

Aur1s