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How Far Can I Go?

amtg4u

amtg4u

Full Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2002
Messages
62
Location
Georgetown, Canada
When the Low Fuel light comes on, How much fuel is left in the tank?
The owners manual does not tell but I am sure someone has calculated how far you can go before running out of gas...
 
The only time that I have had the low fuel light come on I ended up putting in 26 gallons. I refueld about 10 miles after the light came on and have been getting around 13-14 MPG. Hope that this helps.

Big_Country
 
I believe that in another thread many months ago, someone claimed 30 - 45 miles. It is not very much. Essentially, when the light comes on, look for a gas station ASAP. :)
 
I guess it depends on your driving...but I tend to push it...lol. I'll drive until my info stops saying mileage left and just says "LOW FUEL". I think it begins to say that around 30mi. left. By then, i'll look for a gas station.
 
My experience is that there are still 5 gallons left. That is, if you fill up immediately, you'll only buy 26 gallons. But that doesn't necessarily mean the fuel pump can suck out all 5 gallons. And it has also been mentioned here that not all of the last gallon is actually gasoline....

Thus, you should only figure 3 gallons of usable fuel, so that will get you 40-50 miles depending on your fuel economy and how you're driving.

Needless to say, there was the time I bought 30.5 gallons!!!

Brendan
 
These answers are correct, as there is about 7 gallons when the low-fuel light comes on and about 5 gallons when you red-line on E. I would caution driving below low-fuel because the fuel pumps are gasoline cooled. If you go past low-fuel for very long, the farther you go the hotter your pump will get....thus potentially burning up. That approach is fine if it is under warranty and you like doing without your AV for a day....
 
I drove about 50 miles after my light came on and still had 3 1/2 gallons left in the tank when I filled up.
 
Thanks; now I know what the peramaters are before I run out of fuel. 7 (US Gallons) = 28 Litres and from this I can caluclate my fuel millage
 
Hi All.

GM is notarious for the 5 gallon reserve on "E". I would caution you though......not only are the pumps cooled by the fuel but if there is any residue in the tank from a batch or several batches of tainted gas..the pump will suck it right up and put it in your fuel injectors.
My .02 is always fill up at 1/4 tank if you can. It keeps the pump cool and all of that crud from getting sucked in by the pump.

Later.
CThunder
 
What perfect timing for a topic. Today is the first time I have let my fuel go so low as to activate the orange "LOW FUEL" warning in the messsage center. I was also curious to determine how much gas is actually left as soon as that light comes on. Here is what I found out:

My AV: ? ? ?02 Z66 w/ 3.73
Total Mileage: ? 2982 miles
Trip Odometer: ? 441 miles
Gallons filled today before pump clicked off: ?26.71 gal
Fuel needle position: right on "E"
Computed mpg: about 16 mpg combined C/H driving :eek:

So if the AV tank has a 31 gal capacity, then you can argue that maybe it has 3-4 gals left.

Like I said, this is the first time I let it go down so far. I normally fill tank back up at 1/4 level. I heard that the less "space" there is in your tank for condensation to take place, the better for your gasoline quality and your engine health overall. But carrying around a full tank all the time with all that weight around is also detrimental to mpg and performance.

This was a great topic and great question to ask. I am reading ALL the replies for sure....(plus I need a post to attach my next sig ?>:D ?)


Oh wow, I just noticed that I have now 501 posts ?:eek:
How can anyone have that much useless stuff to share?
My apologies to the board... :)
 

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Didn't I also hear that you will have problems with the fuel pump if you let it run real far under 1/4 tank?

One time we were in the middle of nowhere when the light went off :eek:. Luckily a station wasn't too far away and the Av took 26.5 gallons of fuel (16 MPG).
 
Yes ...the gasoline is what actually cools the fuel pump...letting your tank..get too low....may run the risk of burning out the pump...so be aware of this....

Dave
 
Here's my question...pardon my stupidity.

Everyone one is cautioning running the tank to low to keep the fuel pump from sucking up some "unusable" gas.

Where exactly is the fuel outlet for the tank? Isn't it at the bottom near the front of the tank? Does the "unusable" gas sink to the bottom because of its inpurities or does it float on top? Either way, wouldn't it get mixed with good fuel throughly by getting jostlled around by normal driving?

How about using the additives that claim they can evaporate water out of fuel. Any good or just a hoax?
 
I have a 2002 2500 and My Fuel light came on last week and I filled it up with 32 Gallons.
The tank capacity is 37.5 Gallons meaning the warning came on with approx 5.5 gallons in the tank. ?that would get me about 55 miles in the city.
 
I recently ran to butt-clenching levels after the light came on. I have the full DIC info. At 40 miles range, the Trip Computer goes into what I call 'sulk mode' and will only display 'Fuel Range Low'. I had (from over 100 miles range) consistently estimated I had 6 to 8 spare miles to get to Exit 2 on I65 in KY (spectacularly low gas prices). So I went for it.... :eek:
I made it. ;D First shut off on the pump was at 30.86 gallons. Second, slower, top-up went to 31.6 gallons. The manual says approx 31 gallon tank, and I believe the filler neck might allow another half gallon. I do believe the pump was accurate.

And I believe the 'crud at the bottom of the tank' and the 'condensation theory of keep-it-full' are persistent myths from the dark ages of motoring. The uptake point for the tank is in the same place no matter how full your tank is! And modern vehicle have pressurised fuel recovery systems so your tank is filled with re-cycled fuel vapor, NOT humid outside air!
 
I've filled my tank twice now, both times the needle was right at E, neither time did the light come on. Approx. 26-27 gals to fill up each time. I not a livin-on-the-edge type of guy and thus didn't push it. I guess I'll just have to trust that the light works :cautious:
 
On trips where I am fueling at least once aday,I run it till lights comes on then start looking for a good price.If I run down to the 500 mile mark I stop a any gas station and still have 2 gallons left.As said before,you can go appox. 40 miles without worry but with a bright light staring you in the face the AV could win a game of chicken.
 
With running through sometimes 4 tanks a week, I have found when the light comes on and have driven about 30 miles the pump will stop at about 26 gallons.
Let it settle and put another half gallon. Go inside and get a coke, while watching to make sure no one gets the hose and puts in their car go back out side and put another half gallon in.
Put the cap back on and lean up against the bumper and push it back and forth lightly and put another gallon.
After the pump shuts off i can usually get another 2.5 to 3.5 gallons in. Not always, but if i work with it you can actually get it full and hit the highway again for another 520 miles or so.
Yeah i get funny looks sometimes, but i hate stopping in New Orleans at 2 or 3 in the morning and hoping i don't get shot at. Mudbug should like that.
zeeya
 
I drove approx 35 miles with my fuel light on. When I gased up I put in 30 Gallons. I asked the manager of the service station when he last got the pump checked as I have never put this much in before but after reading this post I see the tank holds 31 gallons....ouch cost me $90 Canadian.
 
Using the DIC, my low fuel light tends to come on at 27-27.5 gallons used.

Now, you can indeed stretch things after that, but realize one VERY important item.....

Your fuel pump resides in the bottom of your gas tank.  The fuel in the tank keeps it cool and happy.  Exposing said pump by running the tank extremely low leads to fuel pump failure.  Post-warranty, that leads to lots of fun for you to replace ;)

There's also the age-old adage of sediments and other crap in the fuel resting at the bottom of the tank.  In our case, that would clog the pickup filter rather than flow through the fuel lines up to the carb ;)

(young folks are now reading this going "Carb?  Whassat?  Wierd word!")
 
Seen it happen in airplanes...

One of the first things that they tell you about airplanes (those machines that you can't exactly pull over to a gas station when the gauge reads "E") is that condensation builds up in the tanks that are left overnight with the temperature changes and builds up over time.  Aviation Fuel is a LOT more refined/purified than the stuff that we put in our trucks and I have drained water out of the wing tanks and from a collector under the engine (part of the preflight checklist) PLENTY of times.

I also went looking for a guy who had crashed  :-[ (no injuries - thank God)  :) because of this very thing (water in the fuel system).  Engines don't burn water very well.  So all of this would lead me to believe that the "myth" of condensation/water in the fuel is more fact than fiction and happens with not only water that comes from seepage in the ground tanks, but also from the condensation (humidity) in the air.
 
dukeofearl said:
Seen it happen in airplanes...

One of the first things that they tell you about airplanes (those machines that you can't exactly pull over to a gas station when the gauge reads "E") is that condensation builds up in the tanks that are left overnight with the temperature changes and builds up over time.  Aviation Fuel is a LOT more refined/purified than the stuff that we put in our trucks and I have drained water out of the wing tanks and from a collector under the engine (part of the preflight checklist) PLENTY of times.

I also went looking for a guy who had crashed  :-[ (no injuries - thank God)  :) because of this very thing (water in the fuel system).  Engines don't burn water very well.  So all of this would lead me to believe that the "myth" of condensation/water in the fuel is more fact than fiction and happens with not only water that comes from seepage in the ground tanks, but also from the condensation (humidity) in the air.
Click to expand...

Yes you are right the majority of the water in gas comes from condensation. It used to be a big problem here in Minnesota. People that drive around with an empty tank have all that air in the gas tank the problem gets worse because many people have heated garages. With the heated humid garages and then driving out into the cold with an empty tank it would form ice in the fuel lines. I said we used to have a problem with this because a few years back all the gas stations in the Twin Cities switched over to an ethanol blended fuel. The ?ol at the end of ethanol means it?s a form of alcohol. Before they blended the gas we had to add Heat or another form of isopropyl alcohol to a tank of gas to remove the water. Now the gas stations hardly sell it. The people that still by it are just wasting their money as it does no good. I got in the habit of keeping a full tank of gas from back when I started driving. I found out once you get past the initial investment it cost the same to keep it full as it did to keep 5 gal in the tank. I also start looking for a gas station when I get to a quarter tank. Mainly now because of the fact that the fuel pump is cooled by the gas. Also my light comes on when I park in my driveway when I get down to a quarter tank. I usually back in my driveway and it?s kind of steep. 
 
well from my experiace when the light comes on i know 2 things

1: i got about 5 gallons in the tanks

2: it is going to hurt the wallet when i get to the gas station :C:
 
Who seen the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer takes the salesman out for a test ride and they see how far then can go on E :love:
 
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