When you’re out on the road, the things you’re paying attention to probably include what’s on the radio, the scenery, your passengers, the other vehicles on the road… and probably not your fuel level. Sure, you fill up when you have to, but it’s easy to let your tank get down to the bare bottom before you stop at the gas station. Well, it’s not exactly the best idea to do this, and certainly not to make a habit of it. There are many reasons why driving on empty is bad, but here are three that might give you a little wake-up call and help you observe the quarter tank rule (i.e. never let your tank get below a quarter full) a little better.
The first reason is because your fuel gauge is not always accurate. Sure, there are some vehicles out there that will say cheerful things like “you have 5 miles until empty,” but even that’s not completely true. You never know how much is really left once you hit that E until your vehicle physically runs out of gas. It could be 5 miles, it could be 50, but do you really want to find out? There are plenty of videos on YouTube of other people testing it out. Just watch them, don’t try it yourself.
Next, your fuel pump uses the gas it pulls in as a coolant. When there’s not enough gas, it starts sucking in air. The air creates more friction and definitely isn’t as cool as the liquid fuel, and your pump burns out very quickly, especially if this practice is repeated often. The repair or replacement is expensive. Much more expensive than a tank of gas. Believe us, because we do that kind of work and we know that a tank of gas is much less expensive.
The final thing is that there’s sediment at the bottom of every fuel tank. When your fuel level gets lower and lower, that sediment gets closer and closer to getting sucked up with the fuel and pushed through your fuel lines and fuel injectors, clogging them up and destroying your fuel system from the inside out. If you let this happen often enough, your vehicle will need a full flush. That’s pretty dang expensive.
