i was wondering if it is bad for your car, to drive on a low fuel tank to the point it stalls if u floor it going around corners. could i harm my car

im not this most mechancically minded person on here..but from wat i understand f ur car is gott o the point that its stalling due to low fuel ur leaning out hardcore therefore ur damaging ur engine... advise is not to let it get that low and if u have gotten it that low dont fang it to the petrol station....

correct me/elaborate anyone?

yes, it's *very* bad to run all the way to empty, especially if you are flooring it around corners. if you run out of fuel, the mixture of air and fuel going into the cylinder is very lean, and therefore more prone to pre-detonation (pinging). in the best case you'll probably do a little damage to your pistons/valves/cylinder walls. in the worst case you'll blow a piston head through your block or through the head, or blow a head gasket from the excess pressure and heat cause by pre-detonation.

in other words, go fill up your tank!!

cheers,
.wook

In addition to the two posts above any residue or impurities in your fuel tank will be sucked into your engine which can cause damage.

Just go fill up.

Also in regards to your fuel pump that uses the fuel to keep it from overheating as well.

Its bad... Mkaaaay.

Playing fuel roulette is not the best idea in the world.

Cheers
Heath Young

In addition to the two posts above any residue or impurities in your fuel tank will be sucked into your engine which can cause damage.

doesnt the fuel filter handle this?

doesnt the fuel filter handle this?

im pretty sure thats wat its for :nuts:
theres one attached to the pump and another one outside in the fuel lines.

i still dont see y ppl say that it gets all the gunk in yur fuel tank ? ive opened mine lots of times (fuel pump issues) and ive never seen any stuff hanging round in there just petrol.

i cant stand not knowing if im goin to run out of fuel so i ALWAYS fill up when i have a quater left

Theres only so much the fuel filter can catch. Some impurities will still flow through.

i dont understand why people run there cars so low? you're delaying the inevitable anyway, sooner or later you WILL have to have to fill up, by running it low you're fuel pump is only going to run hot (chance of seizing) and you'll pickup crap at the bottom of the tank

I know a million chicks cars who only EVER put 10 bucks in at a time, and they are all still going fine.

YES you COULD lean the motor out, YES you could possibly suck a bit of tiny grit through the pump, but you have more chance of an injector failing causing much worse damage.

Don't feel guilty if you run it to the light, but there is still no need to do it. The servo anoys me so I try go as little as possible so just fill up to the brim every time.

But, but, my car gets 10kw atw more with a quarter tank lol. Possibly even 15.

But, but, my car gets 10kw atw more with a quarter tank lol. Possibly even 15.

that may not be true, but 50kg of fuel is still 50kg more to lug around.

please note I am not advocating driving around with no fuel in your tank to increase your 0-100km/h time.

cheers,
.wook

But, but, my car gets 10kw atw more with a quarter tank lol. Possibly even 15.

Thats not as stupid as it sounds, thou not gaining KW power, if you fill ya car up you will have an extra 80kg on her, were at *light comin on* stage ur down to 10kg, if you were running qtr mile times u might save 1/2 sec.

As per original post, yeh I would have too agree with the others "why let it that low"... also for the comment bout chicks puttin 10 bucks in, thats only cos thats all they can afford. Some of them dont even think that by putting a full tank in, will save time, problems, servo waiting problems, you fill up once a fortnight instead of 6 times.

Oh on a funnier side, Mondy just gone I seen a lady at a bowser slowly puttin "fuel" into her car, I was looking at her and she seen me.... She told me that the stupid nosel wouldnt fit into her fuel tank...."arrrghhhhhh STOP! NOW!" I said.... Next words were "Thats DEISEL"

Hmmm, I run mine lowish all the time, I only ever put $20-$30 in, just enough to last for a week.


Oh on a funnier side, Mondy just gone I seen a lady at a bowser slowly puttin "fuel" into her car, I was looking at her and she seen me.... She told me that the stupid nosel wouldnt fit into her fuel tank...."arrrghhhhhh STOP! NOW!" I said.... Next words were "Thats DEISEL"

Or the time this girl pulled into a car park and I told Her She's driving on a rim, She's like "Huh??!!". You have a flat tyre!

No idea how you can't notice if you're driving on a rim, She had no idea it was flat. lol

Thats not as stupid as it sounds, thou not gaining KW power, if you fill ya car up you will have an extra 80kg on her, were at *light comin on* stage ur down to 10kg, if you were running qtr mile times u might save 1/2 sec.

As per original post, yeh I would have too agree with the others "why let it that low"... also for the comment bout chicks puttin 10 bucks in, thats only cos thats all they can afford. Some of them dont even think that by putting a full tank in, will save time, problems, servo waiting problems, you fill up once a fortnight instead of 6 times.

Oh on a funnier side, Mondy just gone I seen a lady at a bowser slowly puttin "fuel" into her car, I was looking at her and she seen me.... She told me that the stupid nosel wouldnt fit into her fuel tank...."arrrghhhhhh STOP! NOW!" I said.... Next words were "Thats DEISEL"

hahahaha.....nice save there....

my missus only fills in about 15 bucks at a time coz it nearly gives her half a tank in her laser....

Hmmm, I run mine lowish all the time, I only ever put $20-$30 in, just enough to last for a week.



Or the time this girl pulled into a car park and I told Her She's driving on a rim, She's like "Huh??!!". You have a flat tyre!

No idea how you can't notice if you're driving on a rim, She had no idea it was flat. lol

I hope you changed it and got her number!
Best way to get chicks numbers ever i swear! Once these girls came into work with sheepish grins on their face and said, "Hey, we can't get into our car, have you got a coathanger?" Liam to the rescue! Never broke into a car before but managed it within about 45 seconds. Impressed much? HELL YES! lol

please note I am not advocating driving around with no fuel in your tank to increase your 0-100km/h time.


Lol that was my point. For street cars is pointless and stupid to do so.

You *may* get slight performance improvement (note the word SLIGHT!) due to fresh fuel. Fuel gradually loses octane over time, especially if there is a vapour leak somewhere in the car. I always notice a slight improvement in performance just after I fill up the tank - but it usually lasts about 2 days before it starts to return to normal "average" performance as the octane drops slightly (I think there may be a slight vapour leak somewhere) =P

The weight of fuel is a fair bit lighter density than water, so in actuality 50L of fuel is about 30kg of physical weight. So really a full tank will be around maybe 35-40kg. Whether you fill up a tank to the brim or only quarter full will make unnoticeable difference normally.

Driving the car till empty is not necessarily going to severely damage the engine, but it does allow air to travel through the fuel rails which will pick up any fine sediment that got through the pump and fuel filter, and can dislodge it causing it to clog up the injectors. Air pockets may also form in the fuel filter and occasionally pass through as the car is operating, causing rough idle and misfiring. As others have mentioned it does also allow for the possibility of detonation due to an extremely lean mixture, which can cause a number of issues, along with allowing the fuel pump to run without lubrication (as the fuel is actually acting as an oil internally within the pump to ensure it doesn't seize or leak).

Easiest thing to do is just make sure you refill before the fuel light comes on! (Unless your fuel light doesn't work, and the gauge is as inaccurate as mine! In that situation just rely on the trip meter lol)

Theres only so much the fuel filter can catch. Some impurities will still flow through.

but then how does magically it stay in the tank if ur driving around wont that cause them to get sucked in anyway?

I run mine down till I've used 65lt or so every time, on both my magnas, never had a problem. Always go to the drags with about 10lgt left in it to.

I will usually fill up once I see - - - on the dist to empty reading. However, sometimes I like to see whether I can get from Gordon to West Gosford (about 60km) when the dist to empty reads around 70km and everytime I've made it but as I'm heading down Kariong Hill I start to get a little worried it will cut out on the corners. I know I could fill up at Turramurra but I hate filling up at that Mobil, preferring the West Gosford Mobil. I also get my best average fuel consumption on these little challenges I do.:)

When i had my commodore i was low on fuel. i booted it as hard as i could and when it cut out, i was lucky to get it to roll into the servo.

Filled up, started the car and blew the head gasket. Im lucky i didnt do damage on my magna forcing it to start with no fuel.

I hope you changed it and got her number!
Best way to get chicks numbers ever i swear! Once these girls came into work with sheepish grins on their face and said, "Hey, we can't get into our car, have you got a coathanger?" Liam to the rescue! Never broke into a car before but managed it within about 45 seconds. Impressed much? HELL YES! lol

Heh, tell me about it. But try 10 seconds, max. :)

After I had got it open and given the keys to this girl that did it, I tried again after to try beat my first time, but I couldn't! lol


I've driven mine for about 20-30kms with the empty light on. lol

Always a good idea to drive carefully and slowly so the return line has time to work, and so you dont surge or misfire the engine.

When i had my commodore i was low on fuel. i booted it as hard as i could and when it cut out, i was lucky to get it to roll into the servo.

Filled up, started the car and blew the head gasket. Im lucky i didnt do damage on my magna forcing it to start with no fuel.

Starting a car that has run out of fuel doesn't blow head gaskets, booting them hard on a lean air/fuel mixture does...........

Regards, Andrew.

Heh, tell me about it. But try 10 seconds, max. :)

After I had got it open and given the keys to this girl that did it, I tried again after to try beat my first time, but I couldn't! lol


I've driven mine for about 20-30kms with the empty light on. lol

Always a good idea to drive carefully and slowly so the return line has time to work, and so you dont surge or misfire the engine.
Due to severe financial circumstances, I worked out I could drive conservatively and get 70km below E.
However, my tank sender carked it not long after, so I had a permanent low fuel light on the dash, until I pulled the globe.