Gas Tank - How low can you go?

[busydaddy]

I just filled up my 2018’s tank. The low fuel light came on today, it said something like 50ish miles until empty, and the tank average was 19mpg on the trip odometer. The tank took about 23 gallons to fill. If I were to use the last 3 gallons in the tank, the numbers would be close to accurate and the computer might have successfully predicted where I’d run out.

 

What got me thinking was my previous truck, a 2011 F150, had the same size tank (26 gallons) but would frequently suck up 24-26 gallons at the pump and a few times more than the 26 gallon capacity. I’ve never had my 2018 take more than 23 at the pump. So it looks like I’m being more cautious with my newer truck. Maybe I’m just older and wiser and less willing to make the walk of shame down the highway with a red can(;

 

How low have you allowed the tank to get without running out of gas? Anyone had the miles to empty screen say zero and been fine for a few more miles?

 

 

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[MountainBound118]

I've only seen my fuel light once, and it made me so uncomfortable that I turned off my a/c compressor and poked along to the gas station right away. 

 

The most I ever see is 19 gallons on a fill up. Average is 16-18.

 

I think the trip remaining thing said "low" or something to that effect when I had the light come on. We had parked the truck on a forward incline and I guess it just let the sump run dry. 

[Nanotech Environmental]

C'mon, live a bit more on the edge!

 

J/K........

[newdude]

How do you fill your tank?  Do you stop when the pump shuts off?  One click after that? 

[busydaddy]

How do you fill your tank?  Do you stop when the pump shuts off?  One click after that? 

Usually I’ll do a click after. There are times that my brain asks me to keep going until some sort of rounded number but I try to resist so that I don’t make the mistake of over filling and getting fuel on the paint.


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[busydaddy]

C'mon, live a bit more on the edge! [emoji4]

 
J/K........ [emoji4]

Ha! I might try to live a little at a time when the wife and kids aren’t riding along. I ran out once a long time ago with them in the last truck and STILL hear about it.


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[Ravenkeeper]

I've had the light come on a few times.  One time, I rolled up to the pump with 0 miles remaining, for about 10 miles (base gate to gas station).  Not saying to push it to the limit, but sometimes, you can get lucky stretching it to the pump.  I knew it was going to be close, so I had my lawnmower can with me, with some fuel in it, in case I heard it start to sputter.  I normally gas up around 1/4-1/8 tank left, but definitely every Sunday, on the way home from church. 

[Ravenkeeper]

40 minutes ago, newdude said:

How do you fill your tank?  Do you stop when the pump shuts off?  One click after that? 

I can usually get another $2 into it, but I usually squeeze another $1 and change, up to the next whole dollar, into it.  If you're not consistent with first click, or next click, then things like Fuelly will be "off."  Truck computer (Trip B) shows AMPG as 19.3, since I bought it.  I reset Trip A at every refuel, and the computer varies 0.2-0.9 against Fuelly, per fill-up, because of the way I fill it up.

[Mike GMC]

I always fill until it stops then add more until the $ is at an even 0.25 increment.  I never let mine go below about1/4 tank.  I live out in the sticks, so it can be quite a drive to get fuel sometimes.  Running out can mean far more than an inconvenient walk to the gas station. The fuel pumps are cooled by the fuel they pump.  Run out and you can over heat and destroy your pumps.  There are two on the 5.3 and 6.2, the low pressure in the tank and the high pressure under the intake manifold.

[SirenRed16]

Would these truck gas gauge on the cluster go bad if you constantly overfill?

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[texasaggies16]

Only have gotten the low fuel light 4 times in 2 years.. Normally fill before half to avoid big hits on the wallet.. Just filled from nearly empty and she drank 22 gallons 

[Mike GMC]

No. The gauge will not be damaged by overfilling.  The sending unit in the tank might not like it though.

[Eddie 70]

My last receipt says I put 25.4 gallons in the tank. I almost got 600 miles out of the tank. I always let the pump shut itself off and then run it up till it stops again then make it an even dollar amount.

[ChristopherDB]

I usually start looking for a gas station when this comes on the dash:

[SirenRed16]

No. The gauge will not be damaged by overfilling.  The sending unit in the tank might not like it though.

Yeah that's what I meant, the sending unit. I just had a brain fart and couldn't think of the name lol. I was asking because my mom had a 06 GMC Envoy that she always over filled and the gas gauge starting reading empty, we even changed fuel pump thinking it'll fix it but it didn't.

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