How low on the factory fuel gauage can I go?

[Rickter Spatz]

Old thread I know. I recently ran my 4.0 EB down to vapors (I thought). The 'information center' said 4 mile range left. The needle was below 'E'. I got photos. Could be my imagination but my highway cruise was ending up a hill to the fuel stop and might have felt a shudder or hesitation - or imagined it. I've definitely noticed the hill phenomenon when starting on a hill.

I've always thought the gauge worked well but I rarely run around on E either. I installed fuel pump and sending unit and had the float arm on there backwards - the gauge would only read 1/2 full when it was full. I've dropped that tank 2 or 3 times now - oh well getting good at it.

Still throws an emissions code: P0455 Large Leak Evap or similar. Paid a local shop an ungodly amount to do a 'smoke test' - still throws the code from every couple months or might go 8 months or more without it. May be associated with hard accelerations. Thought I might have accidentally fixed it once when had the spare tire down and removed and cleaned and painted the plastic evap box up there nearby but no joy, it came back eventually.

 

[lobo411]

Still throws an emissions code: P0455 Large Leak Evap or similar. Paid a local shop an ungodly amount to do a 'smoke test' - still throws the code from every couple months or might go 8 months or more without it. May be associated with hard accelerations. Thought I might have accidentally fixed it once when had the spare tire down and removed and cleaned and painted the plastic evap box up there nearby but no joy, it came back eventually.

Same thing happened to me, re: the P0455 code after replacing the fuel pump. In my case, though...I didn't understand that the evap connector was a duck-bill fitting and I was working blind, so I broke it by leveraging it apart with a screwdriver. Never dropped the tank a second time to figure out if that was an issue or if it's just a coincidence. Half of the duck-bill was still functional and I heard a positive lock when I connected things, so it's entirely possible that it was a coincidence in my case.

Could be a coincidence in yours too, since there are lots of places where a vacuum line could leak.

 

[koda2000]

I broke one side of the duck-bill clip on the evap line during my first fuel pump replacement (because I couldn't figure out how it worked). I found as long as you make sure you don't get any dirt in the end of the line and firmly get it pushed back on during reassembly it should be fine. I also cleaned and coated the plastic fitting it goes onto with a little grease to help it seal. It's never thrown any codes.

 

[bigred4x4]

With my 96 I had it on gas light once drove out to a shop, for a problem I was having they test drove it ,ran out of gas when I came to pick it up they lended me a gas can I put 5 gallons in it and it was still on gas light the 97 I had gas light came on I drove it 20+ miles home and to the gas station the next day. Back When I was in high school ( had hardly any money) I would drive it back and forth for two days on gas light. As of now I don't let it get much lower than a quarter tank but I know how much reserve is left once the light comes on. But mine is similar it stays on full for awhile then rapidly drops in quarter tank increments but holds full, 3/4 ,just above half and just above empty for awhile and drops quick in between.

 

[lobo411]

I broke one side of the duck-bill clip on the evap line during my first fuel pump replacement (because I couldn't figure out how it worked). I found as long as you make sure you don't get any dirt in the end of the line and firmly get it pushed back on during reassembly it should be fine. I also cleaned and coated the plastic fitting it goes onto with a little grease to help it seal. It's never thrown any codes.

Mine threw codes for the first week or two, but then it mysteriously settled down for no apparent reason. I thought maybe the ring seal between the tank and the fuel pump assembly needed to seat itself. The code stayed away for almost a year, but then it came back once in the last few weeks. Hard to say if it's actually the gas cap, the ring seal, or a vacuum leak somewhere else. I guess it won't hurt to lower the tank and re-torque the ring seal bolts...kinda worried it's going to fail smog because my gas mileage has dropped precipitously (from about 16-17 mpg to around 10 around town.).