freestarve
Nov 28, 2010, 12:37 AM
I keep a spreadsheet log of fuel added and mileage readings to help spot problems as they arise. I keep gas receipts and write the odometer reading on them ready to log after I return home.
I also use a GPS which automatically stores a log of trip distances, times, locations etc.
The vehicle is a Ford Freestar SE, and has covered around 126100 miles total. I trust that reading as I am second owner and have full service history of the whole time before I bought the van a couple years ago.
But when I look at my odometer readings and trip logs between November 19 and 24, 2010, things began to get weird. The odometer reading has jumped from 126k to over 203k over a period when I know I only traveled around 200 miles.
It looks like I traveled more than 77500 miles in my van in five days, and can get nearly 7700 mpg. Hah! I wish I could drive so quickly and so economically.
First, 11/19/2010 pm: odometer reading 125481 at a gas fillup. I cover around 200 miles before I fill it up again on 11/24/2010. That reading makes sense based on all the previous readings I recorded.
Next, 11/21/2010, I have a rear tire puncture repaired. Vehicle is out of my sight for 45 minutes max. The receipt - which I didn't read until 11/27/2010, shows an odometer reading of 12248. That's obviously wrong. Maybe the tire tech misread it? Looking back I think it should have been no more than around 125580, but I didn't check it at the time...
On the 11/24/2010, at 7.44am, the odometer reading at gas fillup was 202280. I didn't think, but just recorded the reading on the receipt ready for when I return home. That day we will have a round trip of about 460 miles between fillups.
I read the odometer three more times that day. Each time, it is way out for the distance traveled on that leg.
Finally, on 11/24/2010 late PM at the end of the journey, the odometer reading is 203073.
The odometer is telling me that I covered 793 miles that day.
The GPS tells me, correctly, that I covered 464 miles. The odometer is out by about 329 miles or 71%
I don't have any warning lights showing.
I don't think any of the tire work would have caused a problem. I did have to do a tire reset on the odometer display, but that is normal when wheels are taken off and put back on.
If anybody can help, I would like to know if it is possible that there's a simple and inexpensive way to find out a way to resolve the problem, or if it's most likely a costly repair involving the computer.
Thank you for reading this.
I also use a GPS which automatically stores a log of trip distances, times, locations etc.
The vehicle is a Ford Freestar SE, and has covered around 126100 miles total. I trust that reading as I am second owner and have full service history of the whole time before I bought the van a couple years ago.
But when I look at my odometer readings and trip logs between November 19 and 24, 2010, things began to get weird. The odometer reading has jumped from 126k to over 203k over a period when I know I only traveled around 200 miles.
It looks like I traveled more than 77500 miles in my van in five days, and can get nearly 7700 mpg. Hah! I wish I could drive so quickly and so economically.
First, 11/19/2010 pm: odometer reading 125481 at a gas fillup. I cover around 200 miles before I fill it up again on 11/24/2010. That reading makes sense based on all the previous readings I recorded.
Next, 11/21/2010, I have a rear tire puncture repaired. Vehicle is out of my sight for 45 minutes max. The receipt - which I didn't read until 11/27/2010, shows an odometer reading of 12248. That's obviously wrong. Maybe the tire tech misread it? Looking back I think it should have been no more than around 125580, but I didn't check it at the time...
On the 11/24/2010, at 7.44am, the odometer reading at gas fillup was 202280. I didn't think, but just recorded the reading on the receipt ready for when I return home. That day we will have a round trip of about 460 miles between fillups.
I read the odometer three more times that day. Each time, it is way out for the distance traveled on that leg.
Finally, on 11/24/2010 late PM at the end of the journey, the odometer reading is 203073.
The odometer is telling me that I covered 793 miles that day.
The GPS tells me, correctly, that I covered 464 miles. The odometer is out by about 329 miles or 71%
I don't have any warning lights showing.
I don't think any of the tire work would have caused a problem. I did have to do a tire reset on the odometer display, but that is normal when wheels are taken off and put back on.
If anybody can help, I would like to know if it is possible that there's a simple and inexpensive way to find out a way to resolve the problem, or if it's most likely a costly repair involving the computer.
Thank you for reading this.