How much gas is really left?

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Jim

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I have a 2008 chevy silverado 1500. According to the manual this beast has a 26 gallon tank? My question is every time the gas light goes on and the line goes to E or just below E, i fill up. It only takes about 20-21 gallons to fill up. Is there really 3-5 gallons of gas still in the tank? When the trip computer says i have 35 miles left is that them being safe?
 
I would bet so...but there's only one way to find out. Put a spare tank of gas in the back and keep driving. :mrgreen:
 
MY cousin drives me nuts with this, shell run her tank down till their is only a few miles left :shock: I'd say them things are pretty accurate, only one way to find out tho, just be sure to carry a extra tank of gas in the bed :LOL2:
 
26 gallons X $3.89 per gallon = $101.14
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:


Take my man card away, I'm buying one of these..............

razor-scooters.jpg



:LOL2:
 
Saw one of those on the way home from work yesterday. Wasn't pink, but it was carrying 2, yes 2 guys down the road! We couldn't stop laughing. The back tire was half flat from the weight and that little engine was pushing for all it was worth!

My truck sits in my driveway until I need to pull the boat while I'm still driving my 2000 Dodge Neon and getting 27-30 mpg. Has over 150 thousand miles on it and running strong. I'll drive this until it doesn't go any further.
 
Heard a good discussion about this topic on Car Talk not long ago. Click and Clack do not recommend driving your vehicle until it completely runs out of fuel. The reason for the empty tank with several gallons remaining is to avoid putting too much stress on the fuel pump, which in some vehicles can be very expensive to replace.
 
Jim said:
26 gallons X $3.89 per gallon = $101.14
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:


My 01 Dodge diesel has a 35 gallon tank and diesels running $4.19 a gallon out here right now.
35 gallons X $4.19 per gallon = $146.65

A couple of years ago it hit $5.25 a gallon.
 
Ictalurus said:
Heard a good discussion about this topic on Car Talk not long ago. Click and Clack do not recommend driving your vehicle until it completely runs out of fuel. The reason for the empty tank with several gallons remaining is to avoid putting too much stress on the fuel pump, which in some vehicles can be very expensive to replace.

That is true. Most of the newer vehicles have an electric fuel pump in the tank itself. If they run out of fuel the pump will be running dry and may get hot to the point of catching on fire. That is one reason the warning lights are installed in the vehicle.
 
I know for a fact that my Nissan Titan would go close to 30 miles AFTER it said 0 miles left to go(almost 60 miles past the gas light coming on). It may have went further, but I made it to a gas station. There really is a whole bunch of nothing in the New Mexico/Arizona part of the country. Gas stations are few and far between, and the arent the 24/7 Texaco's Im used to.
 
nathanielrthomas said:
I know for a fact that my Nissan Titan would go close to 30 miles AFTER it said 0 miles left to go(almost 60 miles past the gas light coming on). It may have went further, but I made it to a gas station. There really is a whole bunch of nothing in the New Mexico/Arizona part of the country. Gas stations are few and far between, and the arent the 24/7 Texaco's Im used to.

Same here with my Frontier. Reads zero miles left, but when I gas up, only takes about 17gal to top off (21gal tank).
 
Ictalurus said:
Heard a good discussion about this topic on Car Talk not long ago. Click and Clack do not recommend driving your vehicle until it completely runs out of fuel. The reason for the empty tank with several gallons remaining is to avoid putting too much stress on the fuel pump, which in some vehicles can be very expensive to replace.

Also, if there is any trash in the tank it will settle in the bottom. So if you get down to the "E" you are taking a chance of clogging up your fuel system with gunk. I read several years ago that it is best not to let your tank get below "1/2", for this same reason.
 
lswoody said:
Ictalurus said:
Heard a good discussion about this topic on Car Talk not long ago. Click and Clack do not recommend driving your vehicle until it completely runs out of fuel. The reason for the empty tank with several gallons remaining is to avoid putting too much stress on the fuel pump, which in some vehicles can be very expensive to replace.

Also, if there is any trash in the tank it will settle in the bottom. So if you get down to the "E" you are taking a chance of clogging up your fuel system with gunk. I read several years ago that it is best not to let your tank get below "1/2", for this same reason.

On one vehicle type I worked on it had a mesh screen in the tank on the pickup tube that would catch debris before it entered the fuel pump. It worked too well. The debris inside the tank would clog the screen causing insufficient fuel flow to the engine. You then had to drain the tank and remove the screen. What a pain.
 
The fuel pickup is near the bottom and any sediment is gonna get sucked in regardless as to how much fuel you have left. Not sure about newer pumps, but I was told that with my 2002 Trailblazer, if I ran out of fuel, a relay would trip and had to be reset by a dealer before you get restart it. Not sure if this is/was true or just an urban myth.
 
When my dakotas low fuel comes on it takes 30 miles to hit the red (about two gallons) I have never been able to put more than 18 in 21 gallon tank. My e250 has a 35 gallon tank, When it gets into the red it will take 33-34 gallons.
My friend always drove his blazer down into the red, his fuel pump failed right after the first time he ran out, he put gas in it, drove home and it didnt start.
 
Modern fuel pumps are cooled by the gas.
Modern fuel systems are closed looped systems.
Fuel is continuously pumped to teh engine, more fuel than the engine can possible use, the excess is returned to teh tank.
Running low on fuel repeatedly WILL shorten the life of your fuel pump. Low fuel will get hotter than a full tank, especially in teh summer. That heat hardens the seals in the pump, which casuses tehm to leak, and eventually fail. Heat is also the number one reasons transmisions fail. In hte case of the transmission the heat is generated by shifting gears, hence the recommendation to downshift a gear if your transmission is hunting for gears. Yes your gas mileage will reduce, however your transmission will last longer.


As to the original question. How much is left all depends on your fuel sensor, which is part of your fuel pump. Each one reports fuel level differently. My truck holds 17.5 gallons. My Low Fuel light comes on when I have about 3 gallons of gas left. If Im city driving I have about 45 miles before I need gas.
 
GOT AN 04 GMC HERE AND I KNOW THAT THE FUEL PUMP IS NOT CHEAP AT ALL, ALL THE CHEVY,GMC, AND CADILLAC'S USE THE SAME FUEL PUMP IN THEM, IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE PUT IT IN GET READY FOR A HEFTY BILL, THE PUMP ALONE IS EXPENSIVE.
 
I think it's a built in safety thing because so many people run their cars right til the empty light goes on.

Think of people who run out of gas, you're going 30-40 miles past empty on your car.... you would think you could find a gas station by then
 

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