johnr9q

I posted a few days ago regarding fuel economy runs I made to determine how efficient the Diesel Dynamics Module was. My overhead fuel economy gauge isn't very accurate (other people say the same) so I was wondering if anyone is aware of an aftermarket fuel economy gauge that would be able to give you "real time" fuel economy as well as accumulated. If I had one I could quickly tell if enhancements I made to my engine actually resulted in improved economy. (by the way, does anyone know that mechanics behind how these stock MPG gauges work) Years ago my my brother and I purchased one of these gauges for dad's 78 Ford PU as he was obsessed with economy (which I guess I inherited) it had a sensor in the gas line that constantly gave info on the amount of fuel going thru the line and a magnet on one wheel with a pickup sensor that sent elapsed distance to a central desplay that gave the kind of info I am looking for.

infidel

This is the only one I know of.
Love to have one but pricey, about a grand.
It measures your total fuel feed, subtracts the return fuel and uses a gps to measure the distance traveled. If you can live with gallons per hour rather than mpgs it is much cheaper.
http://www.floscan.com/html/index.asp

johnr9q

Thanks Infidel. I checked floscan out. Looks like they make quality meters. They are more into Nautical meters and the readout is in Nautical miles. I have an email inquiry into them but I don't know if they have realtime and also accumulated time. Also they use GPS for distance which is appropriate for Marine use but not necessary for automotive as it would probably be much cheaper to get distance from how far a wheel goes also GPS may not be much good in mountainous areas. Maybe they don't make the meter I am looking for.

infidel

John, if you ever find one please let me know. I searched the net for a couple hours once and the Floscan is the only one I came up with that would work on diesels. That was a few years ago though.
If you just use gallons per hour burned it will be good enough to give an acurate indication how different mods effect economy, but if you're going to pay that much it seems like you should get one that is more applicable to a land vehicle.

Good article on driving habits for the best mpgs
http://www.highwaystarmagazine.com/y...ure.cfm?ID=144

jrs_dodge_diesel

A fuel flow guage is a dandy idea. I have seen this used on BMW's and Mercedes. It senses fuel flow and the guage moves accordingly. I think you would have to plumb it in to the return line to the tank though since there is a constant flow on the supply line.

CruisingRam

Gallons per hour would be way more accurate anyway- especially if you live in a cold climate and have to let your diesel idle for long periods of time like I do.