I just bought an 09 F-350 4x4, ext cab 8' box with the V-10. The sticker says that it has a 38 gallon fuel tank. I have ran the truck down to the point where the computer says 3 miles to go until empty. Gone to the gas station and the most fuel I have been able to get in it has been 32.8 gallons. Do they have that much cushion programmed into the little computer? Even if you ran it to 0 there is still approximatley 5 gallons left in the tank? My old truck was a 97 with the dual tanks. Never worried about it then, there was always enough in the other tank to get me to a gas station. Anybody got any experience with how much fuel these things actually take?

Tom

 

I don't have any experience with this model truck, however you will find that the computer calculations for MPG and how far you can travel on the remaining fuel in the tank are fairly inaccurate. Most people refer to them as lie-o-meter.

 

Hi! Your tank has exactly 38 gallons capacity Even if computer says its 0 miles, you still have about 4-5 gallons in it thats right. I have 2008 F250 with 38 and once after computer said 0 miles i got almost 100 miles more Mine is 6.5 diesel and i have approximately 17miles per gallon.
Richard,Europe
(You can get the 60 gal main tank and 40 auxiliary if you want from one Cal company only not sure about what the law says about it at the place you live

 

Wow, I would have to take out a bank loan to fuel up with 100 gallons on board.

 

Don't blame everything bad in this life on computers
The fuel sensor float usually is about 3/4" thick. Meaning it will lay flat at the bottom even with 1/2" of fuel still in the tank.
Now 1/2" is still lot of fuel in big tank. Other issue is fuel pick up. Just because you have some fuel in the tank -doesn't mean you can pick it up when the vehicle tilts.
I used to have a motorhome with 120 gallons, 8 feet wide tank and when I pulled over on tilted shoulder -it took 15 gallons just to reach fuel pick up.
Just something to consider when you are running low on fuel

 

I read on here that the fuel pump is cooled by the fuel left in the tank (missing gallons) don't know whether it's true or not.

 

I supposedly have a 31gal tank in my f-250. I had to have my tank removed, so I ran it down to where it said 3 miles to empty. We got just shy of 2 gallons out of the tank when we dropped it. When it was reinstalled, I drove less than a mile to a station. I could only put in 28.7 gallons! I think that sometimes they put in any tank that they can get at a good price. I actually think that I got a leftover 29 gal tank from a previous model year. It only becomes a big deal when I am towing my camper and getting 7 MPG!

 

part of teh reason it tells you the tank is empty when it isnt, is to prevent owners from driving with such a low fuel amount the fuel pump becomes exposed for to long...

the fuel pump is in fact cooled by the gas in the tank, so try not to make regular habits of driving the truck till empty.

 

I replaced the fuel pump on my 2008 250 and the motor itself for the pump is about 6 inches from the bottom of the tank, if the fuel cools it it would have to have at least 10 gals of fuel in it to cover the motor. the tank holds exactly 38 gallons, there is no reserve. If you would like to add a larger or second tank you are going to run into problems with the gas motor, they only make them for diesel in your year because of emissions and the fact that the fuel tank system is pressurized on gas engines on the new fords. A loose gas cap or leak will trip the cel.