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Low fuel Light

17K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  Fowvay 
#1 ·
Greetings All,

I have a few questions. Just because I don't know.

I have a 01 Sport Turbo. I have had it now about a month. Love the car. However, since I have had the car I have never really ran it low on gas. I am getting ready to leave for a little weekend trip. So I have been running my car low on gas so I can fill the car all the way to take a real good look at fuel mileage on the highway. This will be my first outing with it on a trip.

As I am doing this a few questions pop to mind.

1. How far can you go on the red?
2. How far can you go when the low fuel light comes on?
 
#2 ·
Not to be too glib. The faster you drive the faster you will run out of fuel. When the light turns on, you should have about 1.9 gallons of fuel left in the tank. An estimate of about 50 miles would be a good guess.
Just a suggestion, don't run the tank that low. The fuel pump uses the gas in the tank for cooling. If the level in the tank gets low, the pump will suffer.
 
#3 ·
Once in the red, you can probably go another 100 miles or so.

Once the light comes on, seems you don't have much time. There've been times it'll come on just as I'm leaving the house, and by the time I get to work (25 miles later), the needle is WAY below the empty mark. I'll fill up and it'll take 14+ gallons.

So when that light comes on, try and get to a station.
 
#4 ·
Heh... I ran out of gas for the first time in my NB just the other day. :( Don't run it that low. ;)

Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to knwo. hehe.

I get about 350 a tank. 150 in the first 1/4 tank. 100 or so in the next 1/4. and that remaining half tank gets me 100 mi or so. The gauge is obviously not very linear. Once the light comes on you've got 'bout 40-50 miles I think. 100... I dunno, I wouldn't try it; but I suppose it's possible.

You can go pretty far into the red. Before you start the motor, you see where the needle is? That's rock bottom. It'll only go about 10 mi. or so once you're down there.
 
#5 ·
Estimating reserve milage, ect.

Leave on your trip with the tank full and the trip meter reset to oooo. On your first fill up after leaving on your trip and driving on open high ways, ect, fill up when the guage indicates 3/4's empty. See how many gallons it takes to completely fill your tank. It should be around 10.8 to 11.0 gallons for that fillup. Each quarter of a tank should be about 3.63 gallons. Your fuel guage may not be exactly coordinated to reflect this amount used when using the fuel gauage only. Take the miles traveled and devide the gallons it took to re-fill your tank. For instance, 300 miles devided by 10.8 gallons equals 27.78 miles per gallon. Your reserve holds about 1.8 gallons of fuel and as soon as the beep and the light come on ( should be at the same time) you would be able to drive about fifty miles only. My usual milage on the high way is around 30 to 35 depending on my speed and style of driving. Your will be about the same or slightly less. The fuel guage on any car is only an approximation of fuel left or used. Once you have established its acuracy, then you can rely on the guage.. JK
 
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