<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pingman @ May 28 2007, 03:13 AM) [snapback]450937[/snapback]</div> Just had my best so far--54.2 MPG MFD, life of 519 miles, which was 21.3 miles 'after blink'.
my tank was 509 miles when i fueled up 47.8 avg mpg. i only went like three miles when it starting flashing and it only took 9.7 gallons when the pump shut off
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gupchurch1349 @ May 28 2007, 06:26 PM) [snapback]451146[/snapback]</div> That's actually not running it low. The Prius' gauge is notoriously conservative. I've never been able to put more than 10.1 gal in, and the tank is 11.9 gal.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zaxxon @ May 28 2007, 08:48 PM) [snapback]451218[/snapback]</div> Brave, Brave person. Only have 2 weeks on the car so tone of my next endeavors will be to push the limit of the tank.......right after I pick up a AAA membership so they can bring me gas just in case.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zaxxon @ May 28 2007, 07:48 PM) [snapback]451218[/snapback]</div> That's less than 2 gallon left, perhaps. Still not good for the car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gupchurch1349 @ May 28 2007, 09:20 PM) [snapback]451253[/snapback]</div> I fill up as soon as possible after the last pip flashes. The last two fill-ups have allowed 9.7 gallons, but before that all season it's been between 10.2-10.5. Blame the computer if you wish, but it doesn't seem to realize it's a problem.
2 gallons left isn't going to be a problem. Most 80% of my fillups, there are 3 gallons left. Yes, 'running on fumes' is bad. No, 3 gallons isn't significantly worse than 5.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gupchurch1349 @ May 28 2007, 10:20 PM) [snapback]451253[/snapback]</div> How is that not good for the car? Please explain.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gupchurch1349 @ May 28 2007, 10:20 PM) [snapback]451253[/snapback]</div> How is it not good for the car? Running out I can see as not good for the car, but as long as there IS fuel why is it bad for the car? Makes no sense to me.
In most older cars and even some newer cars you cn pick up crud in the tank and clog fuel pumps and injectors , I think that why they say it's bad for your car. I refuel when I show 1 pip left I do not wait for it to flash. because I have had that happen(clogged injector from tank crud) on previous car.
Another common claim is that the fuel pump is inside the gas tank, and is cooled by the gasoline around it. If you run your tank very low, some say that the pump won't be able to adequately cool. I'm somewhat suspicious of these claims, but I have no solid reason to say that they are wrong.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ May 29 2007, 07:23 AM) [snapback]451396[/snapback]</div> Both you the the author above you hit the head on the nail. Gas is not pure and also picks up foreign substances from the insides workings of your car, plus it can damage the fuel system. Anyway, why push your luck. Make a habit of filling up at two bars or more. Avoid any potential future problems. That just playing it smart.
Enough with the gas tank voodoo and advice for cars manufactured 20 years ago. I'll continue to fill up the tank when the car tells me it's time.
The only way to know how much gas is left in the tank when the last pip starts to flash would be to siphon the remaining gas from the tank and measure it. Even then, you don't know how far above the bottom the pick up tube is located. Assuming that being able to put only 9.7 gallons in the tank means that you have two USABLE gallons left may not be correct. It has meen mentioned in many threads that the bladder can limit the tank's capacity, especially in winter. I have some records of when my guess gauge dropped from 10 bars to 9 bars, and have calculated how much was consumed since the last filling. The numbers are 2.5, 2.43, 2.44, 2.93, 1.32, and 1.45 gallons. I took the number of miles since the last fillup, and divided by the MFD miles per gallon. The two lowest values were during the winter, the highest were late summer & fall (when the weather was warm). The greatest distance I recorded before the gauge dropped was 157 miles, the shortest 66 miles. If the level in the tank is approximately the same when the gauge drops from 10 to 9, that indicates that the capacity varies by over a gallon. I tend to fill the tank until the pump cuts off, then bring it up to an even dollar amount (adding between 2/10 and 6/10 gallon).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Les Gas @ May 29 2007, 07:33 PM) [snapback]451820[/snapback]</div> Have you felt how hot in-tank pumps get when there is not enough fuel around them? How about seen how dirty fuel filters (external and internal) can be on 2000+ vehicles? Voodoo? I don't think so. It's just plain good advice to go buy. GM tells me I don't have to change the spark plugs on my Corvette or truck for 100,000 miles. Should I believe them?
