Who else has almost ran out of gas ⛽?

[CentralFLBronco]

On the way home from work? You had to use Nav to get there? Just messing with you!! I use it when I am on the way home from most places (anything more than a half hour drive) so I will have a rough idea what time I will get there. Also, I like to beat the original time it puts up just so I can be smarter than the computer. BTW, my commute is 7/10 mile.

Hahaha didn’t even notice that when I posted! I usually map my drive home from work because traffic is awful. Plus I do the same thing of trying to beat the original time the gps says when I leave work

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[Kickit]

Maybe an old wives tail, but isn’t this bad for your engine?

 

[Tex]

Maybe an old wives tail, but isn’t this bad for your engine?

It's not really bad for the engine itself, modern fuel injection runs lean of peak in cruise conditions so you won't necessarily be cooking pistons when you get inconsistently leaner due to air bubbles in the fuel. The fuel pump could see a reduced life if you run it without fuel long enough for it to overheat (if it's pumping fuel, it's cooling itself). Direct injection offers a few more places of potentially reduced life, such as the high pressure fuel pump and injectors...just like a modern diesel engine, these components don't much care to have air bubbles in the fuel either. They're tough components but the cavitation in a HPFP and hydrostatic shock on the injectors isn't good for them in the long run. If you don't go past empty in normal road conditions, there's enough fuel volume left to cool the pump and prevent air bubbles in the line. That's essentially why the gauge reads empty when it does...not because the tank is physically empty, but because that's the minimum fuel level to make sure everything stays happy.

TL;DR you may or may not see shortened component life, it just depends on whether you make a habit of running it low enough to suck air or not.

As far as old wives' tales go, don't believe the "if you run it below 1/4, you pick up all the dirt and water in the tank"....if there was any of that in the tank, you'd be pushing it through the fuel pump at any fuel level, because that stuff settles to the bottom of the sump where the fuel pickup is at. How much fuel you have above it is entirely irrelevant, because you're pumping fuel from the bottom of the tank all the time.

 

[Kickit]

It's not really bad for the engine itself, modern fuel injection runs lean of peak in cruise conditions so you won't necessarily be cooking pistons when you get inconsistently leaner due to air bubbles in the fuel. The fuel pump could see a reduced life if you run it without fuel long enough for it to overheat (if it's pumping fuel, it's cooling itself). Direct injection offers a few more places of potentially reduced life, such as the high pressure fuel pump and injectors...just like a modern diesel engine, these components don't much care to have air bubbles in the fuel either. They're tough components but the cavitation in a HPFP and hydrostatic shock on the injectors isn't good for them in the long run. If you don't go past empty in normal road conditions, there's enough fuel volume left to cool the pump and prevent air bubbles in the line. That's essentially why the gauge reads empty when it does...not because the tank is physically empty, but because that's the minimum fuel level to make sure everything stays happy.

TL;DR you may or may not see shortened component life, it just depends on whether you make a habit of running it low enough to suck air or not.

As far as old wives' tales go, don't believe the "if you run it below 1/4, you pick up all the dirt and water in the tank"....if there was any of that in the tank, you'd be pushing it through the fuel pump at any fuel level, because that stuff settles to the bottom of the sump where the fuel pickup is at. How much fuel you have above it is entirely irrelevant, because you're pumping fuel from the bottom of the tank all the time.

Oh wow, this was super informative! Thank you!

 

[SROC3]

I've been at 0 in my 2007 335i BMW.....hahaha!!! that was hilarious trying to find a gas station before it died. But in Bronco.....I've gone as low as 6 miles.

 

[PartyMarty]

I got down to 14 miles left today and filled up 20.3 gallons (gotta maximize those $1 off per gallon Kroeger fuel rewards!!).... so yeah, given my trip was averaging about 18 mpg, and the tank not including the funnel is 20.8 gallons, I definitely had less than a gallon left, and that miles left was surprisingly accurate for me.

 

[JT58Bronc]

Never- I have never run out of gas. Even when I had my 1970 Bronco with broken gas gauge back in the late 70's- modified 302, 3 speed, Edlebrock manifold, Holley 4 barrel and headers- I 4 wheeled all weekend in the rural mountains and never knew how much gas I had. Never run out. I gassed up whenever I could.

I won't run out in this Bronco either- it burns gas so fast I have to gas it up every other day when I drive it to work LOL. Unfortunately I won't drive it much while I work another 2 years. Commute is too long and buying gas every other day is a PIA. So it's waiting for me in 2 years when I retire and don't have to drive so much. It will be a 2022 with only 6K miles by then, LOL.

 

[Butzy]

Did it last month in my truck.
I had about a mile and a half to go when I took the pic but didn't stress. I have gone 20 with 0 to go.

 

[Stick in the Mud]

Nope.

 

[Bdisco]

 

[TXBronco1313]

Idk how you guys do that, I start stressing out once I see my gauge go below the last quarter lol

 

[Freebird32]

The last time I ran out of gas, it was 1975.
I pulled to the shoulder and hoofed it 1 mile to my house to get a gas can. By the time I got back the police had my car towed (it passed by me on the wrecker) as I was too close to a rail crossing. $50 for the tow. I have not run out of gas since….

 

[HotdogThud]

this thread needs this:

 

[Tex]

The last time I ran out of gas, it was 1975.
I pulled to the shoulder and hoofed it 1 mile to my house to get a gas can. By the time I got back the police had my car towed (it passed by me on the wrecker) as I was too close to a rail crossing. $50 for the tow. I have not run out of gas since….

Good lord were you living in North Korea or California or something

 

[Freebird32]

Good lord were you living in North Korea or California or something

Ha, no last time i checked North Korea was a communist dictatorship. I’ve done a lot of driving in Cali, but with plenty of fuel. I was in Illinois between Cahokia and Dupo. The police were bored at 2 in the morning or they weren’t feeling too charitable. I was only gone about 20 minutes.
Most cars then didn’t have buzzers or red lights or nanny beepers to remind you of a near empty tank, (my el cheapo Gremlin sure didn’t) you had to check the gauge occasionally.

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