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How Far Can You Go?

46K views 44 replies 31 participants last post by  Twilight 
#1 ·
Does anyone know how far you can safely go when the fuel guage registers zero and the filling station light comes on?

The reason I ask is that when I'm driving and I have less than a quarter tank, the fuel gauge starts to fluctuate and sometimes tells me I'm empty. Then if I stop the needle moves up and tells me I have fuel. All this makes me panic, so I'd just like to know how far I can actually go in the event of the filling light actually coming on.

Many thanks.
 
#3 ·
Originally posted by sabledale@Feb 1 2005, 03:36 AM
I know I have gotten up to 40 miles on E before, but I don't like to push it. If you let it go to low and drive in hills you could be in some trouble because of the side of the tank the gas comes out of. I usually make sure to fill mine by a quarter or 1/8 tank.
Thanks for that. I usually start panicking even before the empty light comes on because of the way the needle fluctuates up and down, below the 1/4 mark.

In future I'll offset my panic attacks until the empty light does actually appear.
 
#5 ·
I tend to avoid letting my gauge go below 1/4. Most fuel pumps use the fuel as a sort of coolant. Running it too low could cause it to over heat and eventually fail.
 
#8 ·
When I am on a road trip I never go below 1/4. I ran out of gas in one of my Contours one time, I made it 421 miles. I cost me over an hour of my driving time to get some gas.
 
#10 ·
Originally posted by dagr8tim@Feb 1 2005, 06:12 AM
I tend to avoid letting my gauge go below 1/4. Most fuel pumps use the fuel as a sort of coolant. Running it too low could cause it to over heat and eventually fail.
BINGO!!! The fuel DOES indeed keep the pump cool, letting the fuel tank go below 1/4 is foolish and problematic at best.
 
#11 ·
Originally posted by Robert L+Feb 1 2005, 10:07 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Robert L @ Feb 1 2005, 10:07 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-dagr8tim@Feb 1 2005, 06:12 AM
I tend to avoid letting my gauge go below 1/4.  Most fuel pumps use the fuel as a sort of coolant.  Running it too low could cause it to over heat and eventually fail.
BINGO!!! The fuel DOES indeed keep the pump cool, letting the fuel tank go below 1/4 is foolish and problematic at best. [/b][/quote]
:withstupid: I fill up when it hits 1/4... which usually nets me about 300 miles :)
 
#12 ·
I have that Digital Speedometer, with Distance To Empty. The lowest I got it before getting gas is 12 miles to empty. It drove fine at that, but very bad to go that low. I agree on the fact, to low of fuel can overheat a fuel pump. That would be bad. But on a full tank, I get around 300 miles before it hit a little below 1/4, or around 30 miles to empty when I fill it. When I am hauling major ass on the autobaun, i get far less.
 
#13 ·
Really no need to restate this but oh well...

The more you let the gas get below 1/4 of a tank the more your fuel pump breaks down over time. the harder the pump has to work the more liikely it will break down on you.

My rule of thumb with aftermarket and oem fuel pumps has always been fill her up at a 1/4 and no less. no matter how old or new the car is. we hav an 04 neon and I get on Michele all the time about letting it get below 1/4.

just adding in my 2 cents

Robert :ph34r:
 
#14 ·
Once I was driving the Expedition and the little display said like "14 Miles to E" so I was like, okay, Ill be fine, I'm just going down the street. So merging into traffic made it go from 14 to 12. then I slammed on the gas to pass someone, not even thinking. I figured 12 miles is still a long time. Well it goes "12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4" So by then I am like holy shooot! "4 Miles to E" is kinda scary to see. So then I decide, well duh, I better really baby it....next time I looked up it said "0 miles to E" and I swear I drove it over a mile with it like that, scared the crap outta me.
 
#15 ·
Our van displays the DTE, and my mom thinks its cute to drive when it says 0.. Im always nervous when its that low, good thing for a warranty. :rolleyes: The Regal just says LOW after it gets below 40miles left.. I then go off the gauge, it seems to be pretty "safe" it gives you some run off after E for safety I imagine, and goes past Full when you have a REALLY full tank. Oh and did I say good thing for a warranty? :lol2:
 
#16 ·
Originally posted by kjw86ca@Feb 1 2005, 04:04 PM
Once I was driving the Expedition and the little display said like "14 Miles to E" so I was like, okay, Ill be fine, I'm just going down the street. So merging into traffic made it go from 14 to 12. then I slammed on the gas to pass someone, not even thinking. I figured 12 miles is still a long time. Well it goes "12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4" So by then I am like holy shooot! "4 Miles to E" is kinda scary to see. So then I decide, well duh, I better really baby it....next time I looked up it said "0 miles to E" and I swear I drove it over a mile with it like that, scared the crap outta me.
LOL my display used to do that. It would read 100 and then just start dropping every 10 seconds. The first time it happened I thought I busted a fuel line. I think that was the first sign of the sending unit going bad. Now it reads full all the time.
 
G
#17 ·
Originally posted by kjw86ca@Feb 1 2005, 05:04 PM
Once I was driving the Expedition and the little display said like "14 Miles to E" so I was like, okay, Ill be fine, I'm just going down the street. So merging into traffic made it go from 14 to 12. then I slammed on the gas to pass someone, not even thinking. I figured 12 miles is still a long time. Well it goes "12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4" So by then I am like holy shooot! "4 Miles to E" is kinda scary to see. So then I decide, well duh, I better really baby it....next time I looked up it said "0 miles to E" and I swear I drove it over a mile with it like that, scared the crap outta me.
The 5.4 is really a hog when you lay into it as you may have noticed, lol. I find that out everytime I borrow my dad's F-250 and drive it like a car. :lol: Burning out with it is just soooo easy and tempting, too, but you will definitely pay for it. :D $$$

I, like a lot of the others, try not to let my tank get below 1/4 tank before filling it. Although today, I had to run to a suburb of Cleveland to pickup some computer parts for a job I was doing, and after I picked up what I went for, I hopped on the highway forgetting I meant to get gas before heading home. I didn't want to get off the highway to get gas and try to get back on (if you've ever seen Cleveland rush hour, or any major city for that matter, you know why!) Anywaysl, I made it the whole 70 miles home and the low fuel light never even came on. :shrugs:
 
#18 ·
Funny Story actrully, I rolled into quick trip the other day. The car died on me due to no fuel as I made the U turn from the light. And I rolled up the pump in neutral. Sadly enough I forgot my gas tank was on the other side. So I had to push the car into the other space, quite embarring actrully.
 
#20 ·
Im guilty of pushing the limits. If Im cruising on the highway and the light comes on, I get an average of 25 miles more before I pull off to get gas. You usually have a gallon or two in reserve fuel for times just like those.

Ive never had a problem in either car, my taurus or the 91 t-bird I had before the bull.

-DC
 
#23 ·
Originally posted by mjolley@Feb 2 2005, 03:54 AM
Heh, check my sig for my take on the issue.

When I got gas, I still had over a gallon in the tank. The computer plays it very safe, which is good I guess.
My computer says 18.9 AVE MPG when my calculation says 25 MPG........

The fuel gauges in all three Tauruses I have owned have been pessimistic, which is a good thing. In ten years of owning these things (with a year off driving a Focus), I have seen the low fuel light maybe twice. I usually get nervous and fill when the gauge shows 1/4 tank.
 
#25 ·
I have a 14.3gal tank. My light came on today do to the fact i thought i had 1/8 but nope it was on E. Drive 10miles home due to the fact i did not have any money on me, then went to the gas station that was a mile away. It took 13.9gal to fill up my car. It's not cool when the needle goes below E and you are in stop and go traffic.
 
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