my fault?

[hamorhead]

So this last tank i got 39 MPG which is 1 above combined epa but sucks i didn't have my cardboard grill block on the whole time because of all the rain but still had my air dam on and still used Hypermiling techniques (not P&G) except for 25 mi where i was following a friend (but they went slower for me) also at the gas station the pump gave me 5.226 gal of gas and my gas gauge said i only needed 3-4 gal the gas slightly overflowed and i think the pump was messed up
so was it my fault or the pump's fault or does a grill block give me 6-8mpg's(doubt it) since i live and FL so its normally hot

[Ford Man]

Originally Posted by hamorhead

So this last tank i got 39 MPG which is 1 above combined epa but sucks i didn't have my cardboard grill block on the whole time because of all the rain but still had my air dam on and still used Hypermiling techniques (not P&G) except for 25 mi where i was following a friend (but they went slower for me) also at the gas station the pump gave me 5.226 gal of gas and my gas gauge said i only needed 3-4 gal the gas slightly overflowed and i think the pump was messed up
so was it my fault or the pump's fault or does a grill block give me 6-8mpg's(doubt it) since i live and FL so its normally hot

It may be that the pump filled the tank to a higher level than normal if it wasn't operating properly. The next fill should show a large increase if that's the case. I live in NC which also has a warm climate and I have my grill about 2/3 blocked, but I didn't see any significant rise in FE when I put the grill block on.

[BBsGarage]

was it the same pump/station that you normally go to?
I wouldnt rely on the accuracy of the fuel guage.
did you get a short fill on the previous tank?
lots of different variables that could throw off a one tank difference.
I would see what happens with the next one.

[trebuchet03]

1. Punctuation It makes communication fluent for the rest of us
2. As far as fault with fuel pumps... Can't say. For something closer to consistency, fill up at the same gas station and the same pump every time.
3. I agree with the above posts, you really can't estimate how many gallons of fuel you need based on the fuel gauge in your car.
4. Why the short fill up? Fuel prices are going down, wait it out until prices start rising again or until you're on empty
5. Pump meter errors level off over a series of tanks - so if the pump cut off early showing unusually high FE numbers, it will likely level off in the next fuel ups. And visa versa.

Yes, Florida is normally hot.... But we also get rain And rain is just as effective as winter at killing FE numbers - at least that's what I get off the SG

[wagonman76]

A short fillup, and a skewed one at that from a bad pump, is not something you can trust. And gas gauges are usually even less trustworthy. The rain does hurt mileage. But since the tank overfilled, you KNOW you got better than 39. How much better is hard telling right now, your numbers should average out at the next fillup. Also try for longer fillups if you can, that will make less variation in your numbers between tanks.