A couple of observations. First off, as it has been mentioned, winter fuel will cut your mileage by about 1 mpg. My older CTD averaged around 18 city and highway when I wasn't towing, and 13 when towing an 8500# trailer. The new one is much better so far, and will get even better when broken in. I get around 16 in the city with a lot of stop and go - our traffic lights take two minutes to change, and that doesn't help. I did average 21.5 going over the Sierras and back, from 4800 feet where I live, up to over 8500 feet, down to sea level and back - 300 miles - all at the speed limit. As to how long you can run after the fuel light comes on, that depends on your driving style and whether you are towing or not. I try to refuel before the light comes on. The reason for that is two-fold. One is that Diesel fuel doesn't like water, and the more the tank is kept full - especially in the winter - the less water you will find in the fuel. Secondly, there are many places in the country where you can go a long way without finding Diesel fuel - that's when being able to go 60 miles or so after the fuel light comes on really helps. Last summer I was towing the race car to Denver. I passed a town in Nevada on route 80 and was going to stop, but remembered a service station about 20 miles ahead so I kept going. On the next hill the fuel light came on, but I didn't sweat it. BUT - when I got to that lonely service station it was out of business and I chewed a lot of doughnuts out of the seat cushion before I got to Wendover and arrived on fumes, with my wife nagging every mile. NEVER AGAIN. Lots of luck

 

I guess I'll give her time and see what happens. Today is a good example of the stuff i'm experiencing, no load and getting 13.4 MPG city driving. If you guys are saying this will go up, well your the guys who would know best, after all this is my first diesel. Thanks a bunch for the input.

 

[quote author=Jonesey link=board=17;threadid=9510;start=0#91893 date=1042557246]<br>LinearX,<br>Don't give in to the temptation and run your truck dry. That is a no no on a diesel. You risk possible damage to the pumps and could have one heck of a time getting it refired after it loses it's prime.<br>[/quote]<br><br>Yeah. It's just morbid curiosity at this point. I'll try not to give in and let it go dry. I just want to see if I really can put 34 gallons in this thing.

 

I can suport that. I ran one dry and had to replace the pump before it worked properly again. Also I now have a 2500 V-10 and drove with 45 MPH cross winds this summer with no problem. My rear axel has a sway bar on it. I am not sure if this made the difference. If I get the new HO and the wind blow's me all over the place I will know for sure.

 

Jonesey,<br><br>The 2003 Cummins is self priming but you are right, I wouldn't run the tank dry either.<br><br>Casey

 

LinearX, I can guarantee you that you will not get 34 gallons of fuel into the tank. Not all if that 34 gallons is usable. Some remains in the tank. My 97 had a 34 gallon tank and through my own stupidity :'( I ran it out of fuel. I could only get a little over 28 gallons into the tank. Part of the problem was the truck sagged down a bit in the back because of the weight of the fiver but it came nowhere near to taking what the book said. ???<br><br>Casey

 

[quote author=balvert link=board=17;threadid=9510;start=15#96366 date=1043496066]<br>LinearX, I can guarantee you that you will not get 34 gallons of fuel into the tank. Not all if that 34 gallons is usable. Some remains in the tank. My 97 had a 34 gallon tank and through my own stupidity :'( I ran it out of fuel. I could only get a little over 28 gallons into the tank. Part of the problem was the truck sagged down a bit in the back because of the weight of the fiver but it came nowhere near to taking what the book said. ???<br><br>Casey<br>[/quote]<br><br>Kind of makes me wonder, then, how close I was to running out when I actually got 27.xx gallons in the tank. I've only done that one time. I guess I'll just have to just live with the fact that there will always be fuel in the tank that I can't get to.

 

last week I filled it up with 33.697 gallons and I didn't top it off. I did go about 30 miles after the DTE said 0, the wife wasn't happy about it either. You have to remember that when the DTE says 0 you still have 10% of a tank of fuel left.
seems diesel at my normal station is super foamy, a couple weeks ago it auto shut off at 18.xx gallons I topped off and topped off and again and again. Well the wife had enough before it filled into the filler neck and I stopped at 27.xx.
I don't fill it up at full pressure either.

You guys that are only getting 27 gallons into an empty tank are you topping off until you can see fuel in the filler neck? or just foam?

 

[quote author=robsobx link=board=17;threadid=9510;start=15#97072 date=1043695869]<br>last week I filled it up with 33.697 gallons and I didn't top it off. I did go about 30 miles after the DTE said 0, the wife wasn't happy about it either. You have to remember that when the DTE says 0 you still have 10% of a tank of fuel left.<br>seems diesel at my normal station is super foamy, a couple weeks ago it auto shut off at 18.xx gallons I topped off and topped off and again and again. Well the wife had enough before it filled into the filler neck and I stopped at 27.xx.<br>I don't fill it up at full pressure either.<br><br>You guys that are only getting 27 gallons into an empty tank are you topping off until you can see fuel in the filler neck? or just foam?<br>[/quote]<br><br>I fill up on the lowest pressure the pump has. I also fill until I can see fuel in the neck, and not just foam. On a side note, I haven't even made it the DTE hit 0 yet, so I'm sure there is plent of fuel left in the tank.

 

[quote author=balvert link=board=17;threadid=9510;start=0#91444 date=1042468037]<br>It is not your duals and it is not the 4.10 axle. I just got 19.4 on the last tankful. And it is COLD here. I ran 65 and some around town.<br><br>Casey<br>[/quote]<br><br>56 around town! Jeez.