Tank on Empty

How far can you go after the gas light in your car comes on? At Tank on Empty you can check your car model’s performance, add information, or submit a story. My car says it's empty all the time, but I haven’t run dry yet (knock wood)! Link -via the Presurfer

Newest 5
Newest 5 Comments

Thanks for the clarification there Sid. Yes, my (ex-)mechanic is indeed a crook. As are most mechanics, in my experience. Not a problem for me any more as I've ditched the car and it's ever-increasing running costs.
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@Slippy-
When you ran the diesel system dry you entrained air in the fuel system. That is the problem from which you are apparently still suffering, not crud in the system or anything that needs "cleaning" or "treating". System cleanings and the like indicate your mechanic is either a quack or a crook -- you need to have the system properly bled.

@everybody else-
The trait the blog post refers to is in industry typically called "reserve" or "empty reserve". Essentially, they purposely miscalibrate the fuel level senders to protect stupid people from running out of gas. How much a miscalibration depends upon the manufacturer, but it's all very intentional and all based on buyers like #5, who rate a car higher if it goes a long way when it is supposedly out of fuel.

The same tricks are pulled for a full tank (except it's called "full reserve" there). A lot of buyers like that they can fill the tank and then drive around for a week with the gauge still above "F". Of course, suddenly it starts dropping really fast, but a lot of people don't get the connection, that it is a purposely miscalibrated gauge. My mother-in-law is *convinced* her car gets better fuel economy when the tank is full. Ugh...

In a perfect world (for me), when the tank is truly full (usable volume) it would read "F" and when the gauge reads "E" it's about to sputter. It'll never happen because cars are now designed for idiots.
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Little tip, if your car runs on diesel oil, don't let it run out of fuel.

I let mine run out of fuel once, and it's never run right since, even after having the fuel system cleaned out and repressurised.
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I get about 45 or 50 miles after the light comes on. First thing I do when I buy a used car is give it a quarter tank, drive until the light comes on, and clock how many miles it has until it craps out. I carry a spare 5 gallons of gas of course. Luckily I've never had a car that has to have the computer reset if it runs out of gas.
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My 04 Montero Sport will go for about 60 miles after the low fuel light comes on before it runs out of gas. But then of course, the light only means it has 4 gallons of fuel left. That's a little less than 1/5 of the tank...lol Apparently Mitsubishi makes cars for people who don't like to fill their tanks or something.

According to that site, it is only supposed to go about 30 miles after the light comes on. The previous votes must have been for an older model. Heh, if I could only go 30 miles on 4 gallons...I'd be getting myself another car! Talk about crappy MPG!
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