How close have you been to running out of gas?

I was on vacation this week towing our 23' trailer with a 2007EB 4.6L. I had just under half a tank left and it was only 60km to the next town. Well towing at 8.5mpg quickly moved that fuel gauge! The gauge was on E and I was watching the driving computer in the dash telling me the distance to empty. 10 miles (Okay, should be close), 5 miles (hmm, where is that station?), 3 miles (how am I going to explain this to the wife?), we crest a hill and there is the station!! As I am slowing to make the turn the computer switches to 0 miles left. I make it the pumps and start pumping.

The manual states the capacity is 85.2 Liters. I pumped in 83.9 Liters!!! I must have been seconds away from stalling. After that I filled up at 1/2 tank on the guage for the rest of the trip!

 

[dothedeww]

I was driving about a week ago and had "0 miles to empty" on the computer....for about 3 miles. When I filled up my 22 gallon tank...it took 21.79 gallons...so I was pretty close to just sputterin out.

 

[dansnyder22]

well lets just say i got so close to running out of gas that i had to get out and push it to a gas station

 

[Rofocowboy84]

well lets just say i got so close to running out of gas that i had to get out and push it to a gas station

Lol, that's pretty damn close! In fact, I think it's so close, that you actually crossed the threshold into Actually-Did-Run-Out-Of-Gas Land..

I'm always into the habit of letting my '04 needle go below E. I think the day I got the X, I read in the manual that once the "Check Gauge" light comes on, you have about 30 miles left. So what do I end up doing ALL OF THE TIME? That's right, I check the mileage when the light comes on, and then go for 20 or so odd miles after that. It's something in my head that doesn't want to spend money on gas until I absolutely have to. Which is also why I hardly ever get a full tank, that just hurts too much.

Never had a problem until about a month ago. I had ended up doing some more running around than expected, eventually ending at my buddy's house, with maybe 25 miles after E, and the nearest gas station about 4 miles away. Leaving, I thought nothing of it, I'll just hit the gas station on the way back to my house. I get about a mile from his house and the first thing I notice is the X bogging down when I hit the gas. However, when I let my foot off the gas, it still runs. That goes on for maybe another 1/2 mile, and then it died. Luckily I was able to coast into the parking lot of a corporate center. I thought I was screwed, because it was main roads with no sidewalks the whole way to the gas station. Amazingly, I guess once the gas stopped sloshing around, the engine started up and made it out to the intersection of the 4-lane road that the gas station was on, still 2 miles down of course. Once again, luck was on my side, because after maybe 200 yards, the rest of the way was all downhill. I made it to the crest, the engine bogging down one more time along the way, and then the second gravity started to take over, I switched the transmission into Neutral and coasted.

Did I learn my lesson? Nope, I still stare at that "Check Gage" light for a little bit after it lights up, lol. Of course, I'll never let myself that THAT close, for a while at least.

 

[inh]

I was headed up a small hill in the San Fernando valley one night, and it started sputtering as I got to the top. Right as I crested the hill it died, so I coasted down to the bottom and called AAA to bring me a gallon of gas. The tow truck driver showed up and commented how I was 100 ft from a gas station, etc etc. I calmly reminded him that I didn't feel like pushing, and that's why I have AAA service.

Started up the truck, drove to the station, and got gas =]

The nose down parking thing sucks too, so much so that I'm contemplating a second gas tank where the spare tire was, with the feed lines at the front

 

[Axial32]

I've gone more than 20 miles with the check gauge light on made to the gas station on fumes. Once i accually ran out of gax in my x leaving one of my high school dances.

 

[mixellmaster]

Several years ago, driving my 88 Bronco II. My buddy and I were hanging out in the basement of this chicks parents, not by permission. When we heard noises up stairs we bolted out the sliding door, around to the street, hopped in my truck and took off as we saw every upstairs light come on! We made it about 2 houses away when...putt..varoom..putt..spud..varoo..putt..putt..OH ****!!! Her dad was nice enough to call my father to come get us. I guess he thought I would get in trouble. Just a baratting for being dumb enough to run out of gas, but then an adaboy, of course for where I was. We didn't see that girl or her friend for 2 months!

 

[dkchrist]

17.7 in a 19 gallon tank is as close as I have been. Used to commute 15 miles to work and low fuel came on while I was on my way to work. Forgot to fill up after and somehow made it back through the hills eyeballing the gas gauge the whole way.

 

[briwayjones]

I've been so low a few times when I filled up I put 24 gallons in a 21 gallon tank.

 

[Rofocowboy84]

The tow truck driver showed up and commented how I was 100 ft from a gas station, etc etc. I calmly reminded him that I didn't feel like pushing, and that's why I have AAA service.

Lol, that's awesome. "Seriously, you're getting paid for bringing me a gallon of gas, why are you *****ing?"

 

[greyphox]

One night a year or so back, I was driving down the interstate doin about 75 or so, and the check gauge light comes on cause I'm sittin on E. Well, I figure I have about 20 miles left, so I let it go for a little while. I see an exit with a gas station so I take it. Luckily for me, it was one of those gas stations thats in the middle of BFE off of a side road. I drive for about 5 miles looking for this gas station that I never find, so I whip a U-turn and head back to the interstate.

Well once I get back on the interstate I start looking for the next exit cause I know I'm on fumes. Just when I see the "Next exit - 1 mile" sign, she just loses all power and dies. So I throw it in neutral real quick and try to restart it. No go. So I coast a few hundred feet to a stop at the shoulder of the road.

Now I'm thinkin to myself, oh ****, this aint good, I'm about 45 minutes from anyone I know, a few miles from the closest gas pump, and I'm alone. So I sit there for a few minutes and make a few calls tellin some friends of my predicament.

After sitting there for about 10 minutes, I decide, what the hell, I'll try to start her up. And what happens? She fires right up like nothing happened! So I hurry up throw her in drive and head to the next exit. I make it to this gas station about 3 miles from where she stalled at and filled up. 21.5 gallons in a 21 gallon tank

 

[rayford2]

Just a reminder, guys,,,That fuel pump in the gas tank relies on the gasoline surrounding it to keep it cool. Running much below 1/4 tank takes away cooling for that fuel pump.
Ray S. in PA

 

[blueka]

I deliberately ran out of gas to see how many MPG I was getting when my o2 sensors were bad... but in a UK gallon and drove till it ran out again... 13.5.... I've not run out since then...


Si

 

[briwayjones]

Just a reminder, guys,,,That fuel pump in the gas tank relies on the gasoline surrounding it to keep it cool. Running much below 1/4 tank takes away cooling for that fuel pump.
Ray S. in PA

There has been debate about that on here about whether that even matters. My experience though, I have owned 5 Explorers, there is almost never a time I fill up before I get the check gauge light because of low fuel. And most of the time I run it at least 2 gallons down after the light comes on. And I've never had any fuel pump or fuel system problems.

 

[C5 Pewter Coupe]

well, filled up my 03 Cobra till it couldn't get any more fuel in it, and drove till the engine started to sputter.. made it 349 miles, from Elko Nevada to the outskirts of Burns Oregon (had a 5 gallon can of fuel with me, wanted to see how far I could go)

I havn't tried that in the Explorer yet, but will some day..

 

[mechjames]

69.7 litres in a 1st gen 70 litre tank.

and it was still running.

when I first got it without the gas gauge working, i ran out a couple times, and even coasted into a gas station once.

 

[Mr. Steel]

Before I sold my BII to my friend, the fuel gauge didn't read past half a tank. But the low fuel light would come on when I had a gallon left. After buying the truck back from him, I learned that the low fuel light doesn't come on anymore while driving on the freeway to work in a construction zone. I couldn't pull off the road because there was K-rail blocking the shoulder, and a CHP officer pushed me off the highway. Fortunately, I work two buildings down from the old gas station (that doesn't have gas pumps anymore) he decided to push me into. I tried to ask if he could just push me to work because we have a fuel pump there, but he had already made plans to drive off.

 

[smurfxlt]

it finally happened the other day, i was on the way to a friends house (a member of this forum) and about 3 blocks from my house i ran out of gas. i called my friend to come bring me some and he takes over an hour to get there. he lives 2 minutes away...

 

[Paraphoe]

Very close. The worst was when I was WAY below E, the light had been on for a while, and I didn't think I was going to make it to the next station if I just sat in traffic and waited to stumble on one. I put a gas station search into my GPS and went. I got the "You have arrived" message in the middle of a residential neighborhood with no gas station in sight. I tried again, same result. In the middle of nowhere. I knew I couldn't afford anymore mistakes, so I knocked on the nearest door and asked for directions to the closest station. Now sure how close I was to not making it, but it was bad..

 

[mchilese]

In my '00 Kia Sportage (yeah I know) I ran completely out of gas on the top of this mile long down hill. I literally coasted down this hill for about a mile. The closest gas station was at the bottom of the hill on the other side of an intersection. I was just praying that I'd catch it on a green light. No joking, I caught the green light, and was able to coast all the way up to a pump. I used to let it run down on the gauge a whole lot, but not so much anymore. I'm not a "read 1/4 as E" kinda guy but I'm more aware now.

 

[HahnsB2]

One time in my old Sport I put in 17.8 gallons in a 17.5 gallon tank