Before you allow yourself to drive on an empty tank, it is worth knowing how many kilometers you can actually drive after the low fuel indicator lights up and the remaining mileage on the current tank of the on-board computer begins to show dashes.
But let's first find out how dangerous it is to drive with the low fuel warning light on!
The main problem when driving with an almost empty tank is, of course, the likelihood of stalling and getting stuck on the road. Moreover, this will not only bring a lot of hassle with delivering fuel to the car from the nearest gas station or towing the car to this gas station, but also a potentially dangerous situation. You may stall on the freeway, where surrounding cars will be driving at 100 km/h, or even faster. In addition, stopping the engine while running on an automatic transmission has a very bad effect on the latter, since the engine takes an active part in transporting oil and creating its pressure in the box.
But there is another disadvantage of driving on an empty tank - the risk of damaging the fuel pump or clogging the fuel filter. The fact is that the gas pump constantly takes fuel from above, floating like a float in the fuel tank. At the same time, most of the contaminants in the fuel tend to settle to the bottom of the tank. And when the fuel level in it is low, the fuel pump begins to suck fuel from the bottom along with this debris, as a result of which it can become severely clogged and break.
If you are not going to ruin your car, try not to bring the fuel level to critically low levels, and even more so it is a bad practice to do so regularly.
Most modern cars, for greater information, have, in addition to the low fuel level warning lamp, a special indication from the on-board computer about how many kilometers the car can travel before the fuel runs out completely. Many drivers prefer to use this function instead of the low fuel indicator, believing that if the gauge says that there are 20 kilometers left, then this is the truth.
However, this is a dangerous practice since the distance to an empty tank offers a very rough approximation. In addition, you can’t even imagine how much and often on-board computers make mistakes in their readings. We will not explain the operation of the on-board computer and fuel sensors within the framework of this article. Just know that most often the mileage readings on your current tank are quite erroneous.
But let's talk about the main thing: how long can you drive on an empty tank?
This depends on the make and model of your car, driving conditions and your driving habits. However, you may be surprised at how far a car can go on an empty tank after the low fuel light comes on.
Here's a quick table of some common car makes and models and how long each car can go on an empty tank.
| Car make and model | How much fuel remains in the tank when the warning light comes on? | Approximately how many kilometers can you drive when the warning light comes on, km |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry | 9.7 liters | 100-145 |
| Toyota Corolla | 7.5 liters | 95-135 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 9 liters | 90-120 |
| Toyota Highlander | 11 liters | 90-115 |
| Honda Accord | 9.5 liters | 110-150 |
| Honda CR-V | 8.7 liters | 100-125 |
| Honda Civic | 7.2 liters | 95-125 |
| Ford Fusion | 1/16 tank | 55-80 |
| Ford Focus | 1/16 tank | 50-80 |
| Hyundai Elantra | No data | 50 |
| Hyundai Solaris | 7 liters | 60 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | 7.5 liters | 85-130 |
| Nissan Sentra | 7.5 liters | 95-125 |
| Subaru Forester | 9.8 liters | 100-130 |
| Kia Optima | No data | 50 |
| Kia Soul | No data | 55 |
| Kia Sorento | No data | 65 |
| Kia Rio | 7 liters | 60 |
| VW Jetta | 7 liters | 90-135 |
| Mazda 3 | 8.7 liters | 110-130 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 9.8 liters | 100-125 |
This is an important component that is most likely relevant for every driver. It not only helps to keep your wallet full, but also helps out in extreme situations. This article will help you learn a lot of new things, including the secrets of experienced drivers. They will tell you how you can get to the nearest gas station on an empty tank.
Add water instead of gasoline
Let's imagine a situation when we are on the road and run out of gas. There is not a single gas station around, and we are careless and forgot to take cans with us, naively relying on standard consumption indicators. ? And all this could have been avoided if we had paid more attention to the car.
Still, this happens, probably, to everyone. And in this case, if you know some secrets, then you don’t have to panic and don’t beg passing motorists for help.
Of course, instructions on how to safely get out of situations when you run out of fuel may also contain stories. For example, legends that involve adding ordinary water to a tank. Is it really possible to deceive the engine, and on a subconscious level, thinking that it is gasoline, it will continue to move further? Funny, by God!
Still, we wanted to check this version. No, we are not from the “MythBusters” program and we don’t do anything like that. So, the driving instructors, the most famous and venerable ones, told us that, for example, it’s quite possible to fill a Moskvich with water and drive on! According to them, you need to fill only one and a half liters of water. Just enough to get to the nearest station. Our eyes widened at such information conveyed by experts. However, this method will not work on an imported car. This can result in costly repairs. But the most interesting thing was yet to come!
Fuel tank
Let's move on. It turned out that, according to theory, water has even greater density than gasoline. And fuel (in the sense of gasoline, not water) will flow into the gas line if there is not enough fuel. Ah, well then everything is clear! Indeed, it often happens that there is gasoline at the bottom of the tank, but there is very little of it for it to flow into the carburetor.
And some fans of old domestic cars, for example the same “Moskvich” or “Zaporozhets”, in order to save fuel, ran the hose not into the tank, but into the bottle. They placed a plastic container next to the carburetor, secured it securely and ran a hose into it that connected to the fuel pump. Thus, the gasoline was completely pumped out and not a drop remained. But the tank is another story.
Let's look at the design of the fuel tank. An empty tank is a container that is spherical, rectangular or cubic in shape. There will always be fuel in such a tank, no matter how mechanical or electronic components try to pull it out of there. Do you know how some motorists try? They lift one side of the car and pull out gasoline using a hose and suction, a la “inflating the lungs and cheeks.”
There is another way that will help you get to the nearest gas station if you feel that you are running out of fuel. It involves turning off all electrical appliances, of course, except those that are responsible for driving safety.
After this, you need to try to drive at the same speed and not change gears, because...
In addition, if the driver goes on a trip to areas where gas stations are rare, then he must take care to fill in a higher grade of fuel. For example, if he always filled in AI-92, then he can fill in AI-95. This will reduce fuel consumption and help you get to the gas station.
Video on how to save fuel:
Another method involves lowering a plastic bag of water into the tank. This will prevent water from mixing with gasoline, but the bag can push gasoline out. This method is just not very common, since it is difficult to remove the bag from the tank. It can get caught on something and tear easily.
Where does the fuel go?
Now let's look at where the fuel is actually spent? It turns out that the lion's share of the fuel is spent on overcoming various obstacles, changing energy and heating. In addition, some of the gasoline evaporates altogether, without even doing any useful work.
So, in fact, it has a rather low efficiency. Where does all the gasoline go then?
Did you know that cars with a manual transmission need to be driven correctly? No, well, we know that having basic driving skills is very important. It's about something else. If you drive for a long time in low gears, you will use twice as much gas. And this does not mean that you need to engage in high gears. No. So, on domestic Zhiguli cars, the ideal gear, which consumes the least fuel, is third, and not fourth, as some people think.
In addition, fuel consumption also depends on speed. At low or low speed it takes a lot more gas than at average speed. Again, it is recommended to drive a Zhiguli at 60–80 km/h. And at low speeds, energy is spent on overcoming the friction of tires on asphalt or other road surfaces. At high speeds, energy is used to overcome air resistance. So much for pure physics.
Numerous ways to save fuel would be useless if the driver did not know that air resistance occurs on the body of his car. That is why designers are trying to improve the car body, making it more streamlined. Why are sports cars lower than regular cars and different in their design? Yes, they don’t look very aesthetically pleasing, but air resistance has minimal impact on them.
In addition, air resistance is affected by the quality of the body coating. Yes, don't be surprised. The better your car, the less air resistance will affect it. Hatches, windows, and even an antenna that are open while driving also increase resistance. In addition, it is recommended not to place anything on the roof, and the car’s mirrors should only provide normal visibility, and not be too huge, since they too can provide unnecessary resistance.
Those drivers whose car is equipped with air conditioning can be advised to turn it off unless there is an urgent need. The stove can also take a lot of fuel. Therefore, the driver is recommended to pay attention to all this if he is interested in saving fuel.
Lack of fuel at the station
Okay, you say. This seems to have been sorted out. What should you do if the gas station doesn’t have enough filling, huh? How to be in this case? We will do everything to save money, snatch more and more from the components of our comfort, and they will fool us?
Unfortunately, underfilling of fuel at gas stations is a reality of modern life in Russia. Almost every motorist faces this problem. It is very relevant today and it is quite difficult for a person who is not technically savvy to deal with it.
But you can determine the underfilling immediately. Based on two main characteristics. If we fill a full tank and know that it holds only 50 liters of gasoline, then the tanker’s information that he filled 55 liters of fuel will be false.
The second method involves the presence of a canister. In practice, it has been proven that many gas stations deceive, perhaps not on purpose, drivers by filling up with little gasoline. But it will be impossible to pour a smaller amount of fuel into a canister, especially into a container with a scale on it.
What are gas station owners doing to ensure they pour fuel fairly? Do they even do this? Of course, not everyone is so unscrupulous. There are many ways to check a gas station. Services specially created for this purpose carry out verification. They use 10-liter canisters to collect fuel. And therefore, often at many gas stations, gasoline dispensing is correctly set to only the first ten liters. Then the underfilling begins.
Cunning gas station owners can also deceive the intelligence services. For example, by developing a special gas station management program. When the inspection arrives, they turn on normal mode, where underfilling is impossible. After this, once everything is checked, another mode is switched on, which does not add enough fuel.
Therefore, I would like to advise the driver the following:
- refuel yourself, and do not entrust this matter to the station staff;
- carefully check the plastic inspection window when refueling (if it is faulty, air will enter your tank along with the fuel).
Look like that's it. All of the above tips can be applied in practice, as they have been tested by experienced drivers with experience.
Have you ever wondered how long your car can go after the low fuel light comes on on your dashboard? Indeed, sometimes it can be fun to experiment to see how far you can go on the last liters of fuel.
But you shouldn't do this if you don't want the fuel pump to fail. In the video provided, where its author completely disassembled the fuel pump, he explained how it works. Having understood the structure and principle of operation of the fuel pump, it will become clear to you that a low fuel level in the tank does not contribute to the long service life of the fuel pump.
The fuel pump pumps fuel from the gas tank to the engine. It is a key and necessary component for the operation of the car. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for this part to fail, and most often without any warning. As a result, many drivers have more than once become hostage to situations where the fuel pump failed at the most inopportune time and in the wrong place.
For example, it is not uncommon for a pump to fly on the highway. Naturally, after a pump breakdown, you cannot continue driving. The most interesting thing is that most often the fuel pump fails at the moment when there is little fuel left in the tank. Why is this happening?
Don't forget to turn on subtitles and their translation if you don't know English.
The main causes of fuel pump failures are usually associated with low fuel levels in the tank. In this case, the fuel pump experiences increased load. First of all, the mesh in the pump and the electric motor suffer.
As you can see in the video above, the fuel pump electric motor is cooled by fuel.
So, to cool the pump motor, fuel enters through a strainer and then passes through the round pump impeller (as in the photo below). The fuel then passes through the fuel pump motor to cool the copper winding that powers the pump motor.
Starting a car with a low fuel level means that various gases (oxygen, etc.) will predominantly accumulate in the fuel tank. Accordingly, they will also enter the electric motor of the fuel pump along with the remaining fuel.
Unfortunately, gases accumulated in the fuel tank and passing through the pump motor have low heat transfer coefficients compared to convective fluids. As a result, the gases are not able to remove heat from the pump motor windings as effectively as gasoline or diesel fuel does.
As a result of a low fuel level in the tank, the electric motor of the fuel pump can overheat and melt the winding, which of course will lead to failure of the pump.
In addition, the fuel also acts as a lubricant for the fuel pump. Therefore, starting the car on an empty gas tank will cause excess gases to pass through the fuel pump. This can lead to premature wear of the pump's rotating parts.
In addition to the problem of overheating and premature wear of the pump when the car engine is running on an empty tank, a fuel pump running when the fuel level in the tank is low can suck up sediment that is located at the bottom of the gas tank.
This is especially true in older cars, which typically used a metal tank that was susceptible to corrosion over time, which could result in rust particles appearing at the bottom of the tank.
Sediment at the bottom of the fuel tank can also appear from low-quality gasoline or diesel fuel. As a result, if you start the engine with a minimum level of fuel in the tank, you risk that various sediment particles will enter the fuel pump.
These deposits in the fuel tank can clog the fuel pump. Once the fuel filter becomes clogged, the engine will not be able to get enough fuel, causing your car to not run.
Please note that the filter may not become clogged immediately, but over time. In this case, the fuel flow rate along the fuel line will gradually slow down until the fuel pump filter is completely clogged.
Let's start with the fact that such a technique actually existed in practice. Moreover, it even ended up on the pages of books. This is what O. Yaremenko wrote, for example, in the book “Your Friend the Car” back in 1988: “By the way, if the gasoline runs out 10...15 km before the gas station, you can fill up to one and a half liters of water into the tank of a Moskvich or Izha and reach the gas station. Water has a higher density than gasoline, and therefore, as long as there is residual gasoline in the tank, gasoline will flow into the gas line.”
Yes, Russians have always managed to get out of the most hopeless situations, which is why real advice from experienced people read no worse than a detective story. But would anyone today pour water into the tank if there is a gas station at every turn, and an alarm indicator will flash in front of their nose long before the gas pump takes its last sip of fuel? However, here is a quote from a modern forum of car owners:
“Following the advice of this forum, I decided to add water to the tank to raise the gas level and get to the gas station. I filled it with 0.5 liters and it won't start. There is nothing to do, I went for gasoline with a canister. The problem is this: I managed to dry out in the middle of Nevsky, not reaching a couple of kilometers before refueling. As advised, I added half a liter of water to the tank. Still won’t start..."
Overfilling and underfilling
The physics of the process is clear: not a single gas pump sucks out the fuel to the last drop; something will remain at the bottom. And when you add water to such a gas tank, the liquid will immediately separate and the lighter gasoline will end up on top. For those who doubt, here is the first frame from the photographic recording of our experiments. Instead of a fuel tank, we took a transparent aquarium, filled it with gasoline and water tinted “in the color of the ocean.” Everything was fine in the aquarium: excess fuel was returned through the “return”, and the blue water remained at the bottom, not getting into the main line.
But it’s not like that in the tank! At least because in a transparent vessel we can see how much water to add in order to lift the remaining gasoline from the bottom. Special precision is required here: if you don’t fill it enough, you’ll be gasping for air again, if you overfill it, you’ll get water instead of gasoline! How can this be done on a real car, if the fuel tanks of different models differ in architecture, like the buildings of Rastrelli and Zholtovsky?
But there is nothing to do, you will have to practice on tanks, for example, on the ancient Zhiguli and the modern one from Hyundai Getz. Let's cut it and see...
Let's start with the vertical VAZ. Everything here is simple and obvious: gasoline stops touching the gas receiver tube when there is approximately 400 ml of it left.
But in the Korean tank everything is completely different. Even experienced Zarulev engineers looked with interest at the nooks and crannies of its interior: labyrinths, bulkheads - a complex structure. But any flat tank is a capricious thing. The slightest distortion, and his inner life will change dramatically.
With a tambourine...
Well, let's start doing magic. We determine how much fuel remains in each of the tanks after the “gasoline runs out”, add some water and see if it gets better.
As it turned out, lifting gasoline with water is not a problem, but it is almost impossible to reap the fruits of your efforts in a real situation. Firstly, it is useless to act blindly. Secondly, the remaining fuel in the flat tank turns into the thinnest puddle, from which no pump will be able to drink without swallowing water at the same time. Thirdly, the slightest misalignment of the machine will nullify all the work: such “catching fleas” can only work in laboratory conditions.
However, why not dream? Let's say, the clairvoyant owner of a VAZ "classic" will perfectly accurately guess the required level of adding water, then manually carefully pump fuel into the carburetor, then start the engine... In this situation, we can assume that he will travel a couple of kilometers.
More cunning techniques are also known. For example, lower a plastic bag of water into the tank: the fuel level will rise, but water will not get into it. On the same “Zhiguli” and other ancient cars with a tank without bulkheads and a wide straight neck, this may work, but the driver of a modern car shouldn’t even try: the bag is guaranteed to get stuck somewhere halfway, and it won’t be easy to pull it back out ...
For those who still want to try to “top up” with water, we advise you to first make sure there is a drain plug in the gas tank. Because they went out of fashion with the advent of the Lada.
You should not panic when, on the road, a light comes on on your car’s dashboard, signaling that the fuel in the tank is low. The main thing is to remember the six rules that will be given below, and then such situations will no longer make you worry.
1. No way without stock
The arrow fell hopelessly...
For some, this will be a revelation, but a zero fuel level on the dashboard does not mean that the tank is completely empty. In fact, there are still about 5-6 liters of fuel, which will be enough for another few tens of kilometers, and this, as a rule, is enough to get to the nearest gas station. However, owners of diesel vehicles should not forget what driving with an empty tank means for their cars - if air gets into the fuel system, it will be very difficult to start the car again, even if the tank is filled to the very neck.
2. Do not overdo the gas and brake pedals
Aggressive driving is not economical.
What you definitely shouldn’t do when you’re running low on fuel is sharply accelerating and also braking. When accelerating, you need to press the pedal as smoothly as possible, and once the desired speed is achieved, experts do not recommend braking. It is better to watch the operation of a traffic light from afar and calculate the switching of signal colors in advance. It is better to drive slower so that you can approach the green one and pass it without stopping. Any braking is fraught with subsequent acceleration and, accordingly, additional consumption of precious fuel. But if you’re stuck in a traffic jam, it’s better to turn off the ignition completely for a while to save fuel.
3. Shift into higher gear
High gear is the way out if you run out of gas.
If the road situation allows it, then it is better and more profitable to continue the trip in the highest gear. It is advisable to be in the region of 1,500 - 3,000 rpm, but specific indicators depend on the machine itself.
4. Avoid headlights and air conditioning
Turn off the air conditioner!
To save on fuel consumption, you need to minimize energy consumption. Most of the fuel is spent on air conditioning and lighting. By turning off the headlights, of course, if weather conditions allow it, the stove, air conditioning, and the option of heating windows and seats, you can save 1-2 liters of fuel for every 100 km. However, after turning off the air conditioner, do not rush to open the windows - the aerodynamics impaired due to this will negate all efforts and fuel consumption will increase again.
5. Dilute the fuel
Alcohol can be used as a diluent for gasoline.
You shouldn’t dilute gasoline with anything, but if you suddenly have pure alcohol on hand, you can pour in a little of it. Stick to a level of 5-10% of the remainder if the car is carburetor, and no more than 20% in the case of injection ones. Diesel fuel can be diluted with 5-10% kerosene. Diesel engines can also run on sunflower oil and waste motor oil. If you do not indulge in diluting the fuel often, then a one-time manipulation will not negatively affect the operation of the car. But you should never, under any circumstances, pour water into the tank.
6. Drive at neutral speed and coast
And you also need to be able to move downhill.
Experienced drivers advise coasting in a car in order to save fuel. If there is a long descent ahead, you can turn off the engine and simply roll down the road according to the law of inertia. This method works especially well on older cars with a carburetor. But the method should not be used on modern cars, because If the engine is turned off, the power steering and brakes stop functioning, which can lead to an accident.
