Gas gauge light, how many more miles?

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James Kerr

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Once the check gauge light comes on because of low fuel, about how many more miles are you able to drive after that before you run out of gas?



Thanks
 
Once the check gauge light comes on because of low fuel, about how many more miles are you able to drive after that before you run out of gas?
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Run it dry and let us know. I've always wondered that myself. :lol::lol:
 
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Do not run it past the warning lgt for long, that pump is cooled by the gas, run the tank dry and you will toast the pump.
 
Generally, the light should come on at about 50 miles to empty. BUT, as Chris T said, that all depends on your driving habits and how lead footed you are. Also the warning by Bill Barber should be considered too, although my own opinion is that the cooling is supplied by the gas flow through the pump, not by its submersion in the gas itself.

 
Run it dry and let us know. I've always wondered that myself
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Heh, I thought I was going to have to call the road rangers the other day to give me a gallon of gas. I made it to a gas station after driving about 14 miles after the light came on. If I had have known I could drive further I would have because getting off the expressway to get gas only 5 miles from my home added 30 mins to my drive cause it was rush hour.
 
My 03 has about 2 gallons left.... The 05 about 1.5....



AND with the light on, I can not park it forward facing on my driveway..... It will not start !!!



Todd Z
 
Usually for me, facing forward downhill will cause the gauge to drop quite a bit.
 
I get ripped off then, if I fill up about 5 miles after the light comes...the pump shows that I filled up 22.4 gallons. Im not even lead footed. I hate gas stations...sometimes they even go to like 22.8 on me...i never fill up there again!
 
In my experience, I can go at least 40 miles (never tried further) after the low light illuminates. As far as gallons left, I don't know. But, I figure around (2) since I average 20 mpg in mixed driving and when I re-fill when that low, I usually equal or exceed by maybe 1/2 gallon the supposed 22 gallon capacity.



 
The light comes on when I have about 2 gallons left in my '08. which will usually get me another 25 to 30 miles. The most I ever had to put in shortly after the light come on was about 20.5 gallons.
 
I call that the "chicken $h!t" light. It's just a matter of intestinal fortitude to figure out when you'll fill up after the light comes on.



I estimate in my '01 that there are about 4 gallons left based on my 20.9 gallon tank, and if I fill up soon after the light comes on, I usually get about 17.5 gallons in.



I just did a road trip from NJ to FL and was able to get a bit over 350 miles on a non-ethanol tank from fill to vapors, mixed city and mostly highway driving. I almost ran out of gas as I went about 30 miles with the light on, and cheeks puckered. A second supposedly "non-ethanol" tank went about 320 with all highway @ 65-70MPH, so its pretty clear that many factors go into what kind of mileage you'll get on a given tank.



While I think I could get up to 80 miles with the light on, I'd recommend filling up ASAP when the light comes on. Generally I don't run less than 1/4 tank and usually fill up at 1/2. Trac rides better with a full tank of gas anyway.



Edit: Also should mention that the "up to 10% ethanol" tanks did about the same mileage as the non-ethanol tanks. I was just curious about it, and whether there was any difference.



The first non-ethanol tank in 8 years felt great though. :cool:
 
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I'm glad no one chimed in warning against running the tank near dry because doing so puts undo sediment at the bottom of the tank through your fuel line. That one is an urban myth.



I personally think the fuel pump cooling thing is urban myth too, but that's just me.



TJR
 
i have an 05 and the light comes on when it hits the 20 gallons, tracked it a couple of times and seems to be consistent with 2 gallons when the low fuel light comes on.
 
Wait, where are you getting gasoline that isn't 10% ethanol by volume?
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In the FL keys, you can get 90 Octane "E-0" for your boat or recreational use. I used it for recreational purposes. Marathon was a big advertiser of that.



I found a Shell in SC that claimed "E-0" but I'm skeptical.
 
they get rid of the 10% here in Washington during the summer, and then bring it back during the winter. You want to see where Ethanol added helps? Look at my wifes Hybrid Camry. She can average 33+ MPG during the summer, with AC. During the winter, when the ethanol comes back. She cant get past 30 MPG without the heater. All the guys talk that Ethanol does nothing but reduce gas mileage. Just a way to charge more for less.
 
We have "real" gas available here at a few stations. That's all I will use in any of my vehicles.



In the Trac:



Real gas = 360 miles per tank.

Gasohol = Less than 300 miles per tank. Usually about 280.



That's why I quit using it.
 

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