Driving on empty: How far your car can go with the gas light on

[RayTheRat]

Originally Posted by mikeyg36

I'm pretty sure this isn't good for the fuel pump.

+2 (maybe 3)

I don't run below 1/2 tank in any of my cars...unless I can't avoid it.

[skibik]

Originally Posted by jd10013

2 dozen is actually 24, not 12 Einstein. I work for a company that provides products and services to business's, with about 50% of the customers being automotive related. I probably know 200 hundred mechanics or more, and deal with them on a weekly basis. I deal with private shops, national chains, and dealerships. even a Nissan training facility and Ferrari dealership for a while. I frequently in the course of small talk ask them these kinds of questions. the reason I've asked about fuel pumps is I all the time see them being replaced, yet in the course of putting close to a million miles on 8 personal vehicles have never had to replace one myself. I couldn't help but to be currious as to why one would go bad, and was always given the same answer...........................probably run on empty all the time. when I'd ask if it's bad for them, I would likewise always get the same answer...................it isn't good for them. doesn't necessarily mean it will damage it, but it doesn't help.

believe what you want, but I've never had a mechanic tell me it's good for the car.

You got me on that technicality there super genius! But 12 of them still probably had the head up their ass though!

Now seriously. The next time you talk to any of those 200 mechanics that you deal with on a regular can you ask them why the low fuel indicator is where it is at and not at a 1/4 tank if it is that hard on them?

First sentence is the smart ass in me, but I would like to know the answer to the latter question. I have heard that, in the past, from a few people "that heard it from another" that is it hard on the fuel pump to run it low never saying how low. It is always someone who knows someone that says this and when I hear it it reminds me of gossip or hearing an old wives tale. In all the vehicles I have owned that have used an electric fuel pump I have only had to replace one which was on the last car I owned and it actually didn't need to be replaced. The car wasn't starting properly and the mechanic I used put a fuel pressure gauge on it and said it was bleeding the fuel pressure after it pressurized the system and could be the reason whey it is not firing up right away, I would have to crank it a while to get it to start, this would only be once in a while and not all the time. So I listened to him and replaced it. It never fixed my starting issue and in my book it never needed replacing and was a waste of my money.

Now my understanding that running it to an 1/8 tank, BEFORE the low fuel light comes on, in no way can be hard on the fuel pump since there is ample amount of fuel in the tank to keep it from sucking air, over heating and burning out. In the summer I ran all my vehicles to just shy of the 1/8 tank, once in a great while I would hit the low fuel indicator. Winter months I always try and fill at 1/4 tank, the idea of that was if I become stranded I had a better cushion of fuel in the vehicle. I honestly don't remember if I have ever seen a low fuel light on this car in the 8 to 9 months I have owned it.

[RTRO 2SS]

Ask Kramer

[kostnkost]

I think every car is different(2LT), but mine hits the low sensor at 45 miles left. I try not to do that to often as you can damage the ummm... Whats that word......?

[Cheveey57]

Originally Posted by firestone_ss

why would you have sludge in your tank?Ive replace hundreds of fuel pumps in the tanks and only 1 had sludge and that was do to vandalism.Usually what you have in the bottem of your tank are small metallic flakes,but the sock on the pump prevents that from going into the pump,you people are really clueless

You replaced hundreds of fuel pumps and never saw sludge? What were they all new cars? Because if you ever restore or rebuild a classic, you always boil out the tank to get all the crapout of it. you may even have to replace it because it is so bad.

I've also had to drop the tank just to change to $2.00 sock filter, and what a pain in the ass that is. So I guess knowing all that I never try to run the car low.

[Couture78]

Well I was really busy last week and by Friday I figured out I was nearly on empty but the light didn't come on. It actually never has for me so far. But from what I could see I get more mpg than our Durango (2012) to a full tank. If you go into the menu it tells you how many miles you have left before you run out of gas. Js and this one is. 2011 lt

[Warpaint69]

Originally Posted by skibik

You got me on that technicality there super genius! But 12 of them still probably had the head up their ass though!

Now seriously. The next time you talk to any of those 200 mechanics that you deal with on a regular can you ask them why the low fuel indicator is where it is at and not at a 1/4 tank if it is that hard on them?

First sentence is the smart ass in me, but I would like to know the answer to the latter question. I have heard that, in the past, from a few people "that heard it from another" that is it hard on the fuel pump to run it low never saying how low. It is always someone who knows someone that says this and when I hear it it reminds me of gossip or hearing an old wives tale. In all the vehicles I have owned that have used an electric fuel pump I have only had to replace one which was on the last car I owned and it actually didn't need to be replaced. The car wasn't starting properly and the mechanic I used put a fuel pressure gauge on it and said it was bleeding the fuel pressure after it pressurized the system and could be the reason whey it is not firing up right away, I would have to crank it a while to get it to start, this would only be once in a while and not all the time. So I listened to him and replaced it. It never fixed my starting issue and in my book it never needed replacing and was a waste of my money.

Now my understanding that running it to an 1/8 tank, BEFORE the low fuel light comes on, in no way can be hard on the fuel pump since there is ample amount of fuel in the tank to keep it from sucking air, over heating and burning out. In the summer I ran all my vehicles to just shy of the 1/8 tank, once in a great while I would hit the low fuel indicator. Winter months I always try and fill at 1/4 tank, the idea of that was if I become stranded I had a better cushion of fuel in the vehicle. I honestly don't remember if I have ever seen a low fuel light on this car in the 8 to 9 months I have owned it.

Cool story.

[jd10013]

Originally Posted by skibik

You got me on that technicality there super genius! But 12 of them still probably had the head up their ass though!

Now seriously. The next time you talk to any of those 200 mechanics that you deal with on a regular can you ask them why the low fuel indicator is where it is at and not at a 1/4 tank if it is that hard on them?

First sentence is the smart ass in me, but I would like to know the answer to the latter question. I have heard that, in the past, from a few people "that heard it from another" that is it hard on the fuel pump to run it low never saying how low. It is always someone who knows someone that says this and when I hear it it reminds me of gossip or hearing an old wives tale. In all the vehicles I have owned that have used an electric fuel pump I have only had to replace one which was on the last car I owned and it actually didn't need to be replaced. The car wasn't starting properly and the mechanic I used put a fuel pressure gauge on it and said it was bleeding the fuel pressure after it pressurized the system and could be the reason whey it is not firing up right away, I would have to crank it a while to get it to start, this would only be once in a while and not all the time. So I listened to him and replaced it. It never fixed my starting issue and in my book it never needed replacing and was a waste of my money.

Now my understanding that running it to an 1/8 tank, BEFORE the low fuel light comes on, in no way can be hard on the fuel pump since there is ample amount of fuel in the tank to keep it from sucking air, over heating and burning out. In the summer I ran all my vehicles to just shy of the 1/8 tank, once in a great while I would hit the low fuel indicator. Winter months I always try and fill at 1/4 tank, the idea of that was if I become stranded I had a better cushion of fuel in the vehicle. I honestly don't remember if I have ever seen a low fuel light on this car in the 8 to 9 months I have owned it.

being as mechanics aren't involved in the engineering of a car, I don't see how they would know why any given manufacturer would set the low fuel light where they do. they just fix them, they don't design them.

I don't' think you understand what I'm saying and are trying to argue for the sake of arguing. as I have said twice now I believe, no one has ever told me that it will ruin the fuel pump, just that it isn't good for it. not sure why your having so much trouble with that. and to repeat another part of a post of mine, there is no way to definitively tell what caused the fuel pump to fail.

again, believe what you want, I'm just telling you what the general consensus is among mechanics that I know professionally. that it isn't good for the fuel pump to repeatedly run the tank on empty.

[Warpaint69]

Originally Posted by jd10013

being as mechanics aren't involved in the engineering of a car, I don't see how they would know why any given manufacturer would set the low fuel light where they do. they just fix them, they don't design them.

I don't' think you understand what I'm saying and are trying to argue for the sake of arguing. as I have said twice now I believe, no one has ever told me that it will ruin the fuel pump, just that it isn't good for it. not sure why your having so much trouble with that. and to repeat another part of a post of mine, there is no way to definitively tell what caused the fuel pump to fail.

again, believe what you want, I'm just telling you what the general consensus is among mechanics that I know professionally. that it isn't good for the fuel pump to repeatedly run the tank on empty.

Pretty obvious he has an ax to grind because of his failed experiences with mechanics. Because of those experiences now all mechanics know nothing and are just fleecing us because again of his less than satisfactory experiences. He's also made it rather obvious that if you don't agree with his views your an idiot. It's also obvious that he cannot stand to be wrong because he keeps repeating his views over and over trying to prove that our opinion is wrong and inferior. Yeah, he has a right to his opinion. Sure as hell doesn't make his view anymore correct than anyone else when it comes to fuel pumps. This topic is highly subjective because its never been proven one way or the other. I trust the guys at my GM dealership because I know the guys personally and have for quite awhile. They could be just be repeating a wise tale, but I will trust their opinion and treat my vehicles how I damn well please. Sure as hell don't need to come on a Camaro website and be talked down on by some pretentious thinks he knows it all prick.

[ToolFan66]

Worthless!!!

If my tank hits a 1/4 it gets a fill up.. If your tank hits E you are just a lazy %#*€

[Stex]

Originally Posted by bkscott

When I have had mine come on and drove to the nearest station I will do business with It will take aboutn16 gallons. So there are 3 left. Now depending on how you drive that could mean you have anywhere from 30 miles to 60 miles.

Four pages an this is the only, only meaninful answer. OP, next time the light comes on, just mark milage, fill up, figure gallons left at fill up, figure how far you could have gone on that and add miles driven to fill up after light on. No big deal. Yes it is a slow around here this AM.

Oh and you can get junk in the tank by using off brand or bargin gas. Your higher tier gas is filtered better than the discount gas. My truck has a large fule filter on the gas line. Was running low end gas. First couple of filter changes and dark gas/gunk poured out of it. Switch to top teir gas, Chev or shell and the filter always poured clear gas after that. Also have a good friend that is a gas distributor and says yes top tier gas better filtered and yes better additives.

[Bobaloo]

Stex: That's exactly what I did last summer: filled-up after the light went on within a mile driving. Figured on my 2012 SS that I have a little over two galons of reserve fuel after low fuel light goes on. On the highway that would give me aproximately 50 miles to re-fuel.

[skibik]

Not an argument. I am looking for an answer to the question why everyone seems to think it is voodoo. I have no axe to grind. Yes, it did tick me off that the mechanic I brought my car to, who according to my friend is a diehard GM man and knows the inside and out of them, cost me well over $300 that I didn't need to spend on a fuel pump.

The OP asked a question and he gets jumped about the fuel pump thing. Then I get jumped on because I was just trying to say that running it empty once, I repeat once, and not low is not going to harm the pump. Then I get jumped because there is the rumor out there that "oh, if you run the tank low it is hard on the pump" and no one has any solid proof that running a tank low is in any way hard on the pump. It is all hearsay. I think the GM engineers and every other manufacturer out there would have moved the low fuel sensor to a higher position in the tank if it was damaging to the pump. I also believe that it would be stated in the owners manual. I don't have proof, other than the manufacturers word where they put the sensor that it doesn't harm the pump, just like everyone here has no hard proof, other than "my mechanic said", that it is bad or harmful to the pump. I assume, yes that is an assumption and no proof, that the fuel pumps that are failing is due to the fact they they were probably run empty a number of times, and not low, due to neglecting the fuel gauge.

Whether you agree with me or not doesn't make me think that everyone that doesn't agree is an idiot. Just your way of thinking I guess. The reason why it sounds that way is I get pissed when a thread turns into a witch hunt. It is just my opinion but it seems like there are some posters out there that seem to have to contradict everything that is wrote.

If you find hard evidence that running a tank low is harmful to the fuel pump please feel free to post it, probably in its own thread and maybe this should get back to the OP.

[firestone_ss]

ask yourself how would sludge get in the tank?Whats most entertaining here is hearing all the "experts"tell how it is yet they dont service vehicles for a living.Its like telling the docotor you know more than he does because you read it on the internet,and for the record anyone who uses the term mechanic to describe the person who sevices vehicles is very ignorant, as to what it takes to service and repair your own damn car most of you have no clue,to all the morons who put catch cans ,160f t-stats and all the other crap from 40 years ago into your 21 century car all your doing is wearing a big flag on your head that says your a dumbass,this guy asked a pretty straight foward question and some of you took your supposed knowledge of automotive systems and act like he murdered someone,screw you guys sorry for the attitude but i deal with morons like some of you everyday and somebody needs to tell you your an idiot.Mods should just pull this thread