Actual fuel left in tank

joeb427

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"The fuel pump in this video was removed from a 2001 Toyota Corolla." -Youtube description of the video Jalopik is referencing.


And from the article itself:

"In addition to overheating and prematurely wearing out the pump, running a car low on fuel tends to pull up the sediment that normally sits at the bottom of the tank. (This is a bigger issue with older metal gas tanks that tend to corrode, especially when empty and thus exposed to moisture in air.)"
True.
The members of the forum will decide whether they feel comfortable running gas amounts to 5,10 ,20 miles left in the tank. I will fill way before those numbers appear.
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AzScorpion

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True.
The members of the forum will decide whether they feel comfortable running gas amounts to 5,10 ,20 miles left in the tank. I will fill way before those numbers appear.
Same here. I try to never let it get that low and usually to fill up between 1/4 tank and the 50 mile warning. It's just something I've always done and I hate being low on fuel because you never know when you're going to get stuck sitting in some kind of traffic jamb.

On a side note I have a friend who never puts more than $10.00 in his tank. He says he can't bring himself to spend $45.00+ each fill up but I tell him he's just a cheap SOB and is afraid he's going to total his car and be out the extra gas left in his tank. :LOL:
 

joeb427

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Same here. I try to never let it get that low and usually to fill up between 1/4 tank and the 50 mile warning. It's just something I've always done and I hate being low on fuel because you never know when you're going to get stuck sitting in some kind of traffic jamb.

On a side note I have a friend who never puts more than $10.00 in his tank. He says he can't bring himself to spend $45.00+ each fill up but I tell him he's just a cheap SOB and is afraid he's going to total his car and be out the extra gas left in his tank. :LOL:
Funny thing is he is spending the same money and making more stops.
 

beetlespin

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I'll let my gf borrow my truck and report back, we'll know pretty quickly how far it will go on empty.
I can't let my girlfriend borrow my truck........my wife would want to know where it was :LOL:
 


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Same here. I try to never let it get that low and usually to fill up between 1/4 tank and the 50 mile warning. It's just something I've always done and I hate being low on fuel because you never know when you're going to get stuck sitting in some kind of traffic jamb.
Always a good thing to consider in the winter too. I try to have at least half a tank in case you get stranded somewhere and need to run the engine for warmth until you get rescued, which could be who knows how long.
 

AzScorpion

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Funny thing is he is spending the same money and making more stops.
I know and have told him this over and over. He spends more time going to fuel up but thats how cheap he is. :facepalm:
 

Gizmokid2005

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I had inadvertently run low on the Ranger the other day, I was down to 4 MTE, and I put in 17.7 gallons, and the economy was currently showing 20.6mpg on the dash, and that tank calculated at 19.2mpg. I always have found historically that from a 0 MTE rating, there's typically ~1 gallon remaining in the tank, which has held true for both the mustang and F-150 (no actual mte, but an "empty" gauge) I had, as well, it seems, this ranger.
 

THLONE

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Here are other situations that will change the spot where you will run out gas. Hills up or down, truck loaded, road slanted.
 

egilbe

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I would think, that if the fuel pump was in danger of getting warm unless it was covered in fuel, it probably wouldn't be in the fuel tank? I cant think of a worse spot for something in danger of overheating :crackup:

I'm sure smarter people than me have already thought that part through.
 

Floyd

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I would think, that if the fuel pump was in danger of getting warm unless it was covered in fuel, it probably wouldn't be in the fuel tank? I cant think of a worse spot for something in danger of overheating :crackup:

I'm sure smarter people than me have already thought that part through.
I think it is better to on average keep the pump submerged.
I don't think it is a huge difference, but I do believe that running chronically low on fuel is detrimental over time for pump life.
 

Floyd

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The fuel pump is also cooled by pumping fuel though it. Running low on the tank is not nearly as bad as running out of fuel completely.
Actually no fuel goes through the pump motor which is what could run a little warmer, running out is tough on the engine for several reasons, one big one is the DI pump,
 

PNW_Ranger87

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Actually no fuel goes through the pump motor which is what could run a little warmer,
It doesn't got through the motor but the fuel lines pass through the module next to the motor which cools the module including the motor.
 

Floyd

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It doesn't got through the motor but it the fuel lines pass through the module next to the motor which cools the module including the motor.
Not really,
It is not a big deal under normal conditions, but if you constantly run your tank low and buy $5 at a time, you might shorten the life of the pump somewhat.
Its just as cheap to keep'em full as it is empty.:like:
 

PNW_Ranger87

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Not really,
It is not a big deal under normal conditions, but if you constantly run your tank low and buy $5 at a time, you might shorten the life of the pump somewhat.
Its just as cheap to keep'em full as it is empty.:like:
Hmmm, well in that case the motor becomes fully exposed to heat in the tank after about half a tank down. I wonder at what point the sloshing fuel doesn't cool the motor at all.
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