Low Fuel... serious questions...

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Okay... So, I drove my truck to college without looking at the gas gauge (65 miles)... And when I got there and parked my truck - '01 F-150 5.4L (see sig) - the low fuel light was on. The gauge is just right on E (not past it).

So, 3 questions:

1. Once the truck goes into auto reserve (low fuel light), how much gas is left?
2. The distance from my college to Thorton's (only [closest] station in which I will use the gas in this area [other's have bad gas]) is ~3 to ~4 miles away... should I risk it?
3. I have a can of Seafoam... (yeah, this is gonna sound like a bad/dumb question)... but, if I put it in now and went directly to Thorton's to fill up my gas tank, would that hurt my truck?

---

I was planning on putting Seamfoam in my tank anyway since (at home [in a very rural small town]) all we have is Casey's gas (eeyup, ik, it's bad quality, hence the Seafoam)... but, I just don't know what to do. I don't know how long I ran on reserve... I've heard rumors that there's still a gallon or 2 left once the light comes on. So, besides the fact that I don't want to run out of gas on the way to the station, I also just don't know if I'd hurt anything by putting it in now...

Sooo... what do I do?
 
3-4 miles you should be Ok. Most vehicles I have owned have at least 1.5 to 2 gallons as a reserve. OR get a friend to take you to the station and get a gas can. OR go to the local station and only buy $5 worth of gas and then go to your preferred station.
 
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You're fine.

The light generally gives you 50 miles.

It's not a reserve, it's just a low spot in the tank.
 
Try not to do any cold-engine short trips in between now and filling up. A cold engine will use much more fuel than a hot one. But with the light just now coming on, you're good to go.
 
Originally Posted By: Triton_330
Okay, thanks guys. So would the Seafoam hurt it if I put in in now and went directly to fill it up?


PS I wouldn't do that.
 
Originally Posted By: jrustles
Originally Posted By: Triton_330
Okay, thanks guys. So would the Seafoam hurt it if I put in in now and went directly to fill it up?


PS I wouldn't do that.


I probably won't... do you think it'd run bad/hurt something specifically?
 
Originally Posted By: Triton_330
Originally Posted By: jrustles
Originally Posted By: Triton_330
Okay, thanks guys. So would the Seafoam hurt it if I put in in now and went directly to fill it up?


PS I wouldn't do that.


I probably won't... do you think it'd run bad/hurt something specifically?


What's the Seafoam to gas ratio supposed to be? If you put it in now you are using a full tank's worth to treat less than 2 gallons. Put it on your front seat, so you'll remember to get gas and put it in just before you start pumping.

Every vehicle I've owned, when the low gas warning comes on has at least 2 gallons.
 
There's nothing wrong with Casey's gas. They probably sell more gas in Illinois than most other gas chains.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
You're fine.

The light generally gives you 50 miles.

It's not a reserve, it's just a low spot in the tank.
maybe your cars! when that light comes on in my jeep i have about 12 miles to get gas
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
There's nothing wrong with Casey's gas. They probably sell more gas in Illinois than most other gas chains.


Pffffft....

Mhm... okay. Right.

That may not be THAT bad. BUT... I've heard from the guys at autozone, oreillys, AND even certified mechanics (from various places) that Casey's gas makes vehicles run like shiz.

And fwiw (which is less worth than the above), an old friend of mine had a ~04-ish Silverado that, whenever he ran Casey's gas, the CEL came on, but as soon as he ran BP gas, the CEL went off.

Plus, (even though Thorton's is not on this list [for which I digress]), check this:

Top Tier Gas
 
Originally Posted By: Triton_330
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
There's nothing wrong with Casey's gas. They probably sell more gas in Illinois than most other gas chains.


Pffffft....

Mhm... okay. Right.

That may not be THAT bad. BUT... I've heard from the guys at autozone, oreillys, AND even certified mechanics (from various places) that Casey's gas makes vehicles run like shiz.

And fwiw (which is less worth than the above), an old friend of mine had a ~04-ish Silverado that, whenever he ran Casey's gas, the CEL came on, but as soon as he ran BP gas, the CEL went off.

Plus, (even though Thorton's is not on this list [for which I digress]), check this:

Top Tier Gas


I run Casey's fuel almost exclusively and have for years. My vehicles have never run like 'shiz' as you say. What do the people you cite as your sources from Autozone, Oreilly's and 'certified' mechanics have to back their claims up? I suppose they all have a wall full of technical and advanced degrees along with a certified lab to test the allegedly poor quality of Casey's fuel?
 
Get the gas, even if it is not top tier, having any gas is better than running really low on gas.

5miles is going to be fine if the light just turned on, you typically will have a couple gallons left. Since Ford bothered with a low fuel light, they'd have it turn on at a couple gallons left to give you warning, it's pointless if it's a light that lets you know you're out of gas when you're already out of gas.
Check your owner's manual to see if it has specifics if you're interested.

If you're really don't like that gas brand, you don't have to fill it up. Just get like 5gallons instead of a full fillup; or however much you need to get to your preferred station. then fill the rest of your tank later with your preferred gas.

Can you explain what is the purpose or why do you need to put the seafoam in now then drive to the station?
Bring the bottle with you to the gas station, put it in at the pump, then fill up.

If you follow the strategy above, you can even wait until the 2nd fillup at your preferred station to put in seafoam. As long as your pumping a couple gallons to wash the fuel additive down the pipe, it's going to mix in the same. You don't need to wait for an empty tank and a full fillup to use a gas additive.


Read the back of the seafoam bottle, do not extremely overdose that can be detrimental to your car then not even adding it at all.
If it says 1/3rd of the bottle in a tank of gas, putting in a whole bottle in 2gallons of fuel is 30x the recommended concentration.
 
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To ALL:

Okay, so, here's the deal.

I LIKE Thortons (even though it's not top tier).
I HATE Casey's because of MY OWN experiences; family's experiences; AND from the other people (auto shop guys and mechanics).

WHY?

Well here's an experience from my cousin... He has been a dirtbike/quad mechanic and racer for decades - he's in his 40s now - and he says he's seen firsthand what casey's gas does to engines, be them vehicle engines or dirtbike/quad engines... he's rebuilt engines that have run both good gas and bad gas... the engines that ran casey's gas that he's rebuilt were all clogged up with carbon buildup and varnish. All the other's that ran almost any gas from any other station (BP, Shell, etc.) have been clean. Guess which one's are in the shop more often due to problems? You guessed it.

At home (a town of a population of 2500 people) all we got is Casey's. Sooo... About every other fill up I run some kind of additive (never lucas, lol). I like Techron, MMO, Regaine, STP, and Gumout. Reason I wanted to use Seafoam now is because I have been forgetfull in adding addtitives, and I fear the worst because my but dyno can tell the difference, and I've also noticed a [very] slight decrease in mpg over time.

---

I'm not trying to start a flame war... but, I'm just saying that, I think Casey's gas is low quality. My favorite is BP and I get it when I can, followed by Thorton's and Shell.

---

Annnyway, I apologize for any quarrel this may have started. I just wanted to make sure I could make it to Thorton's without running out of gas. So, again, I'm sorry for all the fuss.

And thank you all for the good answers, honestly
thumbsup2.gif
 
The owners manual tells you reserve capacity in the tank. Have you ever even opened the manual, let alone read it? If you did, you would have the answer.

You should also know roughly what MPGs you get by calculating it every tank. And you should be observant to know how many miles you've gone since the light went on, and be able to know fairly comfortably what you have left.

Don't run on high concentrations of seafoam. Heck, I don't think seafoam is worth running on at all. But if you must, add it in at the gas station, before pumping the gas.
 
Why the attitude JHZR2?

Fords owners manuals are generally available on line. If you'd bother to read it, you'd find out that Ford does not state a reserve capacity.

From past experience with that series truck and the 25 gallon fuel tank variation, I had about 3 gallons in the tank when the light went on, which was on average good for about 50 more miles. (My current truck has the 30 gallon tank, and the light turns on with about 4.5 gallons left in the tank)

Casey's fuel is fine. The amount of money you appear to be spending on additives is not good.
 
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