Some coworkers are of the opinion that if you continuously run your fuel tank on your car/truck low, that this negatively affects your fuel pump.
For those of you who know about such things, is this true? Does it hurt the pump, or anything else, if you tend to drive a few days with your Low Fuel light ("dummy light") on before you gas up?
2006-11-11 23:30:31 · 10 answers · asked by apocalypso blues 5 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Any type of "in the tank" fuel pump will burn up sooner by constantly running "low" on fuel. Athe reason for this is that electric motors create heat which is damaging. The fuel in the tank acts as a coolant preventing the pump motor from overheating.
Not to mention, there is a higher concentration of foreign particles the lower the fuel level is whichcould damage the pump.
2006-11-11 23:43:03 · answer #1 · answered by me here, where are you? 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Why would it hurt the pump? Let's say if the gas cap sealed the air in the tank it would create a strong vacuum, right? Wrong! The gas cap is not completely air tight by design. A fuel pump needs gasoline to create negative pressure to deliver it to the injection system. The same is true also for the opposite , if you had a full tank there is more weight added to the cars tank but the pressure created would be relatively the same. The manufacturer typically calibrates your fuel gauge with a 3 gallon reserve before it goes empty. A low fuel light is there as a warning! As far as dirt or small particles getting to the Fuel Injection system a fuel filter is typically located in the engine compartment. The worst time to fill up your fuel tank is when the tanker is filling up the gas station. They are stirring up the sediments which are being sucked up into your pump into your car.
2006-11-11 23:59:57 · answer #2 · answered by mikey 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any car with an electric fuel pump in the tank could possibly be affected by running the tank low all the time. The electric motor in the fuel pump is cooled by being submerged in the fuel. Low fuel would lead to more heat and more wear in the motor. Fuel injected engines return a large amount of fuel from the fuel rail that absorbs a lot of heat from the car engine retuning it to the tank. I also recommend replacing the fuel filter often. A partially plugged fuel filter puts more load on the fuel pump. More load causes more amperage that causes more heat and more wear on the brushes and commutator in the pump motor
2006-11-11 23:51:07 · answer #3 · answered by Mark 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some will say yes, as the pump will pick up the **** from the bottom of the tank as it gets low... I say NO... I have always been of the opinion that the fuel pick-up is at the bottom of the tank anyway so any crap will be presented to the pick-up whether there be half a gallon or 10 gallons of fuel in it. I always fill up at or near the time the fuel light comes on and so far have one vehicle with 200,000km and the other with 120,000km and no issues so far.
2006-11-11 23:37:38 · answer #4 · answered by bl_freak 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I asked my bf about this and he said that if your vehicle is fitted with a metal fuel tank then there will be some corrosion sediment at the bottom and in some vehicles this would get sucked into the pump (the filter is usually after the pump so it will not catch the dirt). Most newish vehicles have plastic tanks so it is not an issue.
2006-11-11 23:45:32 · answer #5 · answered by claire c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the design of in tank pumps uses the fuel as a coolant as it passes through the pump, when tank is excessively low air is picked up with fuel air does not cool as well as fuel, given that the pump output pressure remains the same[until fuel exhaustion] the pump heats up. coupled with cavitation loads all this shortens pump life. and yes as the fuel level goes down any trash in the tank is brought to a [make up tank] by a series of baffles [the make up tanks purpose is to provide the pump with a constant supply of fuel while cornering.
2006-11-12 00:12:00 · answer #6 · answered by hobbabob 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The truth is the pump is cooled by the gas. when u run low the pump is left hanging out in the air where it over heats. it cant burn or explode because of the closed system but u will need a new pump. and yes u can pick up dirt and water if you run low , clogging your filter.
2006-11-11 23:47:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Contrary to some other opinions, I can only say that my Toyota Tundra almost NEVER gets refilled before the light turns on, and it has 81000 miles on it without any problems.
Also, there is a screen filter in the tank that blocks large crud from entering the system, and ANOTHER in-line filter that catches all the small particles before they get into the induction system, so I don't sweat it at all.
2006-11-12 01:03:30 · answer #8 · answered by Trump 2020 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No experts here. It is Never advisable to allow a liquid pump to run dry or anywhere near to. The more liquid, the more pressure, the more efficiency. Why would you take a chance? Greyswand has the answer.
2006-11-11 23:44:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I asked my husband (the household motor expert) about this and he says that the low fuel light is just an indicator light. It's not hooked to the fuel pump in any matter. It's attached to the float in the tank. When the float is low enough, it trips the light and it comes on.
2006-11-11 23:37:11 · answer #10 · answered by metalmom71 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋