Lexus: How many miles left when gas meter says 0?

Why not run it dry and let us know ?

Douglas Bolt wrote: 

Keep in mind that the electric fuel pump in the fuel tank DEPENDS on
the gasoline passing thru it for LUBRICATION. As the pump starts
sucking air along with the gasoline, the pump's lubrications supply
is also compromised. Keep doing what you're doing and somewhere down
the road ... perhaps 70-100k miles, you'll have a repair bill for an
expensive fuel pump. Completely avoidable.
--

- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM

"Douglas Bolt" <com> wrote in message
news:tX_Cc.13257$news.atl.earthlink.net... 
range 
past 
accurate 

most people wouldn't recommmend going much below a quarter tank anyway.

mrcheerful

> 

Tom Ridge says we should always have at least a half tank. I agree.

In article <hcHDc.21280$gnilink.net> "Cliff Chinaski"
<net> writes:

 
 

One of the most common problems with habitually running your tank down to
the point that you're literally "running on fumes" is that you suck up all
the crud from the bottom of the tank into your filter and combustion
system, potentially clogging or reducing the efficiency of either or both.
Any mechanic will tell you this is an extremely bad practice and needs to
be avoided.

Except when on long road trips we always keep the guage up to at least 1/2
tank or more. On road trips we'll start looking for a convenient station
at the 1/4 tank point unless someone needs a restroom break before that
point. Once we get below 1/8 tank we'll get gas from anyone, irregardles
of brand.

Although both in our late 50s we are both "straight-through" drivers
regardless of distance. In the wee hours of the morning those gas stations
become few and far between. Driving after midnight we stop to top off (and
stretch our legs & change drivers) at the 1/2 tank point. That's approx
every 200 miles.

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On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:42:49 -0500, wdg@[206.180.145.133] (New Owner)
wrote:
 

<snip>

Hi Cliff,

Would you please explain your statement about sucking up crud from the
bottom. I don't understand how having more gas in the tank will
prevent the fuel pickup from getting the crud. Everyone seems to agree
with you, including "any mechanic". I have seen this warning over and
over about keeping your tank 1/4 full. I have never asked nor had
explained to me why having more fuel in the tank prevents the pickup
from sucking up the crud and water. I'm not trying to be antagonistic,
I really don't understand how the amount of fuel in the tank affects
the fuel pickup's propensity for ingesting crud and water.

Here is my understanding of the fuel pickup in the fuel tank. There is
a pickup tube with a some sort of filter over the opening. The pickup
is located near the bottom of the tank. It is not flush with the
bottom of the tank, just near the bottom. It is firmly fastened there.
It does not float at or near the top of the fuel. The pickup feeds the
fuel pump which is usually located in the fuel tank too.

The CRUD in the tank is heavier than the gas, so it will form a layer
on the bottom of the tank.

Water is certainly heavier than gasoline, so the water will accumulate
at the bottom of the tank. (I'll leave it for another discussion about
how the water gets in there, and how to get it out.)

If my understanding is correct, and I'm sure you (the Usenet
community) will correct me if I'm wrong. The bottom of the tank should
have the crud and the water.

When you have a little gasoline in the tank, it covers the crud and
water at the bottom and then immerses the fuel pickup. Assuming you
don't have too much crud and water in the tank, the fuel pickup will
be in gasoline. At this point, the more gasoline you put in the tank
the more head room you will have over the fuel pickup.

Now start driving down the street. The fuel and crud and water in the
tank will be agitated, causing all three things to be mixed together
into a suspension (not a solution). The fuel pickup will pull in the
suspension, which includes mostly gasoline, but some suspended crud
and water. The water should make it through the pickup screen, the
pump and the inline fuel filter. Small (really small) percentages of
water will not affect the fuel system or your engine. Really small
crud will probably pass through without harm too. Larger crud should
get stopped by the pickup screen and the inline fuel filter. Large
amounts of crud will eventually plug the inline filter. I might guess
the pickup screen might be somewhat self cleaning by the agitation of
the fuel/crud/water solution.

So how does running the gasoline low in the tank affect the fuel
pickup?

Ken - West Union, SC Population 270 + 2 (counting dogs and chickens)
"If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
- Abraham H. Maslow

"RunnerBiker" <net> wrote in message
news:com... 
anyway. 
all 
both. 

As I understand it the small amount of fuel sloshes about and agitates the
junk more than a deeper amount of fuel will.

Imagine some junk in the bottom of a bucket full of water, give it a shake
about and the junk on the bottom will hardly move, if you have a small
amount of water in the bucket and shake it, then the junk will get mixed up
into a solution quite easily.

mrcheerful

RunnerBiker wrote: 

RunnerBiker: Your reasoning agrees with my own. Water and anything
that will remain dissolved in water will sink to the bottom and stay
there. The fuel pump inlet is also very close to the tank bottom.
The gallonage above the water level isn't relevant. There was a time
.... YEARS ago ... where some cars had a floating fuel pickup screen.
IF you occasionally ran the tank low then ... yes ... you risked
sucking up whatever water soluble crud was on the bottom. But *no*
cars that I know of since the late 1950's have a floating fuel
pickup.

--

- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM