Hi fellow freaks,

I was just wondering, how far have some of you driven with the gas light on? I recently pushed mine to about 28 miles with the light on, and wasn't really ready to push it too much farther. When I fueled up, I expected to see the pump go over 10 gallons (9.99 is the most I've ever put in). However, it stopped at 9.82.

This made me wonder, how long can you go with the gas light on? My '13 fit is listed at 10.6 gallons, but as I stated I have never seen the 10 gallon mark quite yet.

Has anyone experimented with this? Has anyone run out of gas before? I was just curious, but let me know your thoughts and experiences.

 

if you're super curious, super easy. Just get like a 2Gal gas can as backup and then run your car until empty. Then use the gas can to get you back running and to a station.

The problem with running close to empty besides making your fuel pump work harder, is something as slight as when you are close to empty, things like a slight slope cause the stumbling and roughness until shutdown. It is not a instant on/off deal.

 

I wouldn't recommend running on empty let alone running out of gas completely. It's a sure way to kill your fuel pump. I learned my lesson few times on different cars already. In fact, it's not even good to drive with less than quarter tank level.
As far as amount of gas you put in, it's probably more about the shut off mechanism on that particular nozzle than the idea that your tank was full to the neck. But again, topping off after the nozzle shuts off is bad for the evap system.

 

zensah: the answer to your question is that on average, your fuel light comes on with 1.5 gallons left in the tank. At 30 miles per gallon, you would have about 45 miles left until empty.

 

Not running less than 1/4 tank is an old wives' tale. Back when the wives drove Fords and Dodges I'll wager. But not too old as electric in-tank pumps didn't become all the rage until the 80s. They've since improved.

It's fine to run it low; there's a reservoir around the fuel pump that keeps it immersed so that you're not sucking air on hills or around corners, or when the fuel is low.

That said, the car can run rough damaging components if you let it run out (read the freakin manual).

And yes, when I fill right after the low fuel light has come on, it typically takes 9 gallons implying a reserve of 1.5 gallons.

 

Do you mind pointing out to the source of this information?

 

I've driven 5 km once the gas light comes on. There's about 65-70 km worth of fuel left, depending on driving conditions/habits but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. LOL!

 

Never get it that low without filing up! LOL!

 

Have a look at this PDF there is a blow up of the fuel unit including the filter, pump and reservoir

 

Here is a service bulletin about MID (Multi Information Display) Remaining Range Calculation and fuel level, it is in Liters, not Gallons

 

I have a bad habit of running with the gas light for a while and waiting til the last minute to fill up. Knock on wood, never had a problem.

Smaller Honda cars in my experience can easily go 50 miles with the light on. Experienced with Civic, Integra, Fit, etc.

 

I told my UltraGauge that I have a 10.1 gallon tank, giving myself a half gallon reserve. I've got alarms set so that tt beeps at me when I have 1 gallon left and when it calculates that I have 20 miles left. I've got lots of hills in my area and if I pass one gas station I can be 15 miles to the next one, so I watch my numbers carefully.

 

Rarely if ever let my tank go less than 1/4... I don't like being unprepared like that. For what you say? I have no idea, but i'd be pissed if something happened and my car was in the driveway on E.

I did drive from the Carquinez bridge to Hayward with the light on once because I just wanted to get home, it was a long trip.

That is ~36 miles fwiw

 

Appreciate the reference but nowhere in the picture does it show or imply that the fuel pump is submerged below the tank or holds any separate fuel in the reservoir.
Here is my diagram.


As you can see, when the fuel level goes to red, the pump is no longer cooled by the fuel, and will overheat, thereby reducing its lifespan. Fuel also serves as a lubricant. When the pump spins in the air without fuel, it wears itself out very quickly or burns the electric motor. This is something that has been known about electric fuel pumps for a long time. I've been taught this correlate of fuel pump failures with persistent driving with low remaining fuel back in college when I majored in automotive technology in 1999. The internet contains a lot of references to this known issue.
You of course feel free to drive however you prefer but to say that the fit's pump is not affected and it's ok to drive on empty is simply an unsupported claim and is contrary to empirical evidence.

 

What does the term reservoir mean to you? Obviously not what I think it means.

To me, it should fit the definition:
It takes only a small amount of thought to imagine the pump filling the reservoir, maintaining its level above that of the tank. And drawing on this reservoir when the regular inlet is above the level of fuel. This is how the car manages to deliver fuel at constant pressure regardless of the amount of fuel or position of the fuel in the tank due to movement of the car.

It takes a lot of thought to imagine engineers designing a pump that can't run when the tank is less than a quarter full.

No one said it's ok to run it out of gas (except Ray). It is ok to run it less than 1/4 tank or even when the low fuel indicator lights at about 1.5 gallons of fuel remaining. This is normal for any car.

 

Please read this AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - What Causes Fuel Pumps to Fail

 

That's nice. Their article doesn't consider the effects of a reservoir around the pump. I imagine all cars have them now. Hondas do anyway.

 

I see you've already discussed this exact topic in 2013 https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...uge-empty.html

Please explain what makes you think that the reservoir serves to keep the pump submerged and have the fuel level in it higher than the fuel level in the entire tank. It may as well just serve to provide mechanical structure for holding the entire fuel pump assembly together.

Also if you don't mind, could you draw a diagram that shows how the level of fuel can be different from the tank's level keeping in mind the principle of communicating vessels. Thanks.

 

The reservoir's purpose is to hold fuel, otherwise it would be called something else. Placing one way valves in the bottom of your diagram will provide that function in spite of the fuel level in the tank.

Did someone traumatize you letting their car run out of gas? It's ok: manufacturers don't recommend letting the car run out of gas. But neither do any recommend filling when it gets to 1/4.

 

Actually let's stay on the subject and not make personal remarks.

Would you provide a reference to the source of the information that explains the purpose of that reservoir and the fact that it has a "one way valve"? Sounds like a self-made unsupported assumption.

The article explains why it is harmful to drive with low fuel level. It is similarly harmful for the tires when the driver takes a corner at high speed. There are many things that can be done to increase the wear and tear of the vehicle and driving with less than a 1/4 tank of fuel in the tank is one of these ways. I think the internet is full of references to that and it makes perfect logical and technical sense. The "reservoir's" purpose though seems like an unsupported assumption.

In fact, I will offer some alternative potential purposes of that reservoir:

-container for the fuel filter (just like the oil filter shell)
- container to house the fuel pump assembly and provide structural rigidity
It is a reservoir because it "CONTAINS" the fuel pump, not that it has its own fuel level in it.
Thoughts?