Running low on gas

[M1Accord]

My dumb [censored] always tend to let the cars running low on gas. It is not due to lack of money but rather the gambler in me wanting to push it. I always put gas in when the cars are down to 2 gallons. Is that considered bad or 2 gallons are sufficient to cool the fuel pump?

I decide not to do that anymore and one car does have a fuel pump replaced recently, probably due to being 19 years old. My Accord is already 11 years old with original fuel pump. My concern is to not have my wife stranded by dead fuel pump. Would I get some warning when the pump starts to go bad?

Also, the new pumped installed in the Corolla is extremely noisy. Sometime, it sounds like it sucking fuel from a straw in an empty ice cup. But the car runs fine, just the pump being noisy. The mechanic who fixed the A/C and suspension last week didn't notice it because it probably isn't the problem. I probably have it replaced 2 years from now once I at least get some use out of it.

Fuel capacity is 17.2 gallons for Accord and 13.2 gallons for Corolla. I generally put 14-15 gallons for Accord and 10-11 gallons for Corolla.

Should I replace my Accord fuel pump using OEM before hand as a precaution just like people replacing spark plugs and oil before there is a need.

 

[01rangerxl]

I would never think of replacing a fuel pump before it failed unless I was doing a full frame off resto on a car. It's not a PM thing unless the vehicle has a known issue with the pump.

I wouldn't run them that low on fuel either though, and certainly not regularly. I usually fill up at 1/4 of a tank. I can count the number of times I have seen the check gage light on one hand, and I have at least 3 gallons left at that point. The idea of the pump having less coolant and possibly sucking up more junk from the bottom of the tank just doesn't sit well with me.

 

[Warstud]

I'm not sure if 2 gallons is enough to keep the pump cool. But a good rule of thumb is to NOT let it get under 1/4 tank.
A brand new pump shouldn't be noisy. A new fuel filter is a must when replacing the pump. Was it changed when the pump was replaced?

 

[M1Accord]

I am not sure the filter was changed when the pump was changed. I do know the kit came with a filter tube shaped like a beaker but with filter mesh. I didn't think it was a filter.

 

[M1Accord]

I always thought that as long as fuel flow through the pump, that was sufficient to cool the pump as fuel is cool by nature and fresh fuel flow through at a constant rate; therefore, heat exchange is properly addressed. I know about letting the key in ignition on ON position after running out of gas is bad though and I never ran out of gas.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: M1Accord
I always thought that as long as fuel flow through the pump, that was sufficient to cool the pump as fuel is cool by nature and fresh fuel flow through at a constant rate; therefore, heat exchange is properly addressed. I know about letting the key in ignition on ON position after running out of gas is bad though and I never ran out of gas.


Bingo!
As long as you never run the tank dry, the electric fuel pump will be just fine.
The tank capacity is there to use.
Use it without worry.

 

[yonyon]

Don't forget that Accord is a Honda. After it decides it won't start and you have it towed to a shop they'll sell you a fuel pump and it still won't start. After they put a new relay in it'll be just fine. Replacing the pump early won't help the relay so you might as well wait until the relay goes.

I guess if you want to get all wild and crazy you could replace the relay as PM.

 

[Donald]

If you had a Toyota you could run out of fuel every day and no harm done. An older GM vehicle and the first time you even get close to empty it will trash the pump. Especially in the summer when the fuel and everything else is HOT.

 

[DragRace]

Gas cools the fuel pump,you running it low causes the fuel pump to not cool,therefore shorting its life-span,not worth the gamble IMO.

 

[JHZR2]

There are lots of stories (wife's tales?) regarding the pumps overheating from low fuel though...

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

There are lots of stories (wife's tales?) regarding the pumps overheating from low fuel though...


The Car Talk guys often mention the cooling issue; Tommy has been married 3 times so he's had to listen to a lot.

 

[Donald]

However some may like lying under their vehicle when its 95F out banging the gas tank here and there to get it to drop, with road sand and dirt falling all over your face. Praying that the nuts turn on any steel gas lines else you are in for a new sender assembly in addition to a pump.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Donald
However some may like lying under their vehicle when its 95F out banging the gas tank here and there to get it to drop, with road sand and dirt falling all over your face. Praying that the nuts turn on any steel gas lines else you are in for a new sender assembly in addition to a pump.


A few years ago I saw a guy changing the fuel pump on a Chevy Express in the Auto Zone parking lot in the middle of summer. He had the very large tank on the ground when I saw him. Major props to him for tackling a full size van fuel pump change without help in the AZ parking lot!

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Almost always run until the light comes on and no problems. Did it for 4 years on my previous car and 3.5 years on my current car. Manufacturers probably took that into consideration seeing most people aren't anal retentive when it comes to car care.

 

[CBR.worm]

I have heard rumors of this as well. However, on every car I have ever owned, I wait until the fuel light comes on before I start looking for gas. I have never had to replace a pump and usually run about 200K miles before trading.

I have also heard that if you run to the bottom of the tank, you are going to suck up all the [censored] which can clog the filter and damage the pump, I don't really buy this either as much as everything gets bounced/sloshed around during daily driving.

The 1 pump I have looked at pulled the fuel around the motor and the pump is cooled by the fuel it is pumping, not the fuel sitting in the tank. I don't realistically know if a fuel pump even generates enough heat for the motor to fail if it were run dry. I suspect the pump portion may be damaged without the lubrication the fuel provides.

It could be some specific cars or mfg's that have issues with it.

 

[Chris142]

All the electric in tank pumps I have seen have the pump sitting in a "can" of gas. So even when your out of gas the pump is stil sitting in gas.

 

[punisher]

The gasoline runs through the pump motor on OEM pumps. Gas literally runs through the motor windings/magnets/bearings of the pump. If your engine is running, you have fuel going through the pump, the pump is being "cooled".

Whether the tank is full, whether the tank is near empty, all of the garbage/water/rust is on the bottom. Full tank or empty tank, your pump pulls from the same place.

Tanks that are kept full tend to have less condensation/water present to begin with. That would be a good thing.

 

[SteveSRT8]

All the old tales are still persisting.

But the facts are that the mfgrs have dealt with the age old 'bottom' issue in a conclusive way.

You will not hurt any modern car by running it low on fuel. You also will never empty the tank completely.

 

[Vikas]

If I am not mistaken, Honda (and most Japanese vehicle) the fuel pump is accessed after removing the rear seat i.e. from the inside of the vehicle *without* dropping the fuel tank.

Quote:
Don't forget that Accord is a Honda. After it decides it won't start and you have it towed to a shop they'll sell you a fuel pump and it still won't start. After they put a new relay in it'll be just fine. Replacing the pump early won't help the relay so you might as well wait until the relay goes.

You sure know their modus operendi!!

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: M1Accord
It is not due to lack of money but rather the gambler in me wanting to push it.


I am notorious for this, too!

I have freaked my wife & kids out too many times, but have only ran out twice in 30 years of driving! Gas gambling kinda gives me a rush somehow, LOL!