38 gallon argument settled

Jesus. My gas is currently hovering at $3.99/gal, unless I make the 1.5 hour round trip to gas up at the "cheap" station that's $3.25/gal.

The only place I know of with more expensive gas than here is Bridgeport (current $4.79/gal), with a 2.5 hour round trip to the "cheap" place.

Here's my last fillup at the cheap place.

 

$2.10 ouch. $1.819 here

 

Would have been $136 for me here in the SF Bay Area

 

That's bonkers

 

I'm more shocked at the price of gas that you're paying.

 

$3.20- 3.50 a gallon here

 

Would have been $141 for me in San Diego :/

I fill up before 1/4 tank left otherwise the pump turns off at $100 and never gets full.

Cannot wait to leave this state!!!

 

Do it.

 

$1.91 at the grocery store near me in the Dallas area. Used my points and paid 91 cents a gallon earlier in the week, too bad they only allow you 25 gallons at that price.

 

It was quite common in Minnesota for the longest time. Now it's $125 I think at most places.

 

Running your truck on that low of fuel is a no-no. Dont do it.

 

Why? I've read several myths about this but no one has shown any definitive, demonstrated reason. Any evidence of issues with running out of fuel on an FI vehicle? I mean actual failure results that prove that running out of fuel damages electric fuel pumps. Anyone attach thermocouples to pumps to show increased temperatures (creating failures) as the tank empties?

My good friend who was a certified GM auto mechanic for decades told me they run the fuel pumps to empty tanks for removal, often running them dry with no issues whatsoever.

Dan

 

Just paid $1.63 a gallon north Houston Chevron..

 

I would say no immediate effects would be observed. It would probably just shorten the life of it. Why tempt fate? Worst case scenario go for it if you have to. But like I said, why wait that long, constantly?

 

In general, fuel acts as a coolant for electric fuel pumps. Keeping fuel over a quarter tank is likely to ensure you get max lifespan out of it. Also, at a high mileage, dirt and sediment tend to build up at the bottom of the tank. You don't want to suck that stuff up into your engine.

What he said ↑

 

Low fuel level is no dirtier than if the tank is full. Also, I have not seen any definitive information that low fuel levels threaten the life of the fuel pump, only speculation. I would be convinced if there is authoritative data indicating damage to the pump if the fuel level is low. I have seen no such thing, just repeated old wives tales and baseless concerns.

Dan

 

OK. If you insist on running your fuel level down to the bare minimum. Go ahead and tempt fate just to prove a point. While I will continue to fill up at around quarter tank or more because it’s good practice. Since nobody can give you a definitive answer whether it’s bad for your fuel pump or not that means it must be false? I’ve heard it from multiple mechanics. I’m a plumber and know for a fact that most pumps need to be submerged or have fluid flowing through them to stay cool. If you want to risk sucking air through your pump and possibly running out of fuel I can guarantee it will shorten the life of your pump. Why run it down to one or 2 gallons left? It makes no sense to me other than in an emergency situation. I work with recirculation pumps, and if they get an air pocket they will die quickly. Same thing goes for sump pump’s, they will take a shit real quick without water flowing through them If the float gets stuck.

 

To each his own I guess. If you want to run your truck on low fuel, I don't think anyone really cares.

 

Running out gas and being stuck on the side of the road without a gas can is the greatest risk.

Yes, the pumps do stay cooler when submerged but this is with all newer vehicles who have the pump in an enclosed assembly as it will still be submerged when the entire assembly is not having the outer portion of the pump still submerged. The days of external in-line pumps are lone gone. Sucking in air isn’t going to shorten the lifespan. There is a separate computer just for the fuel system. It’s mainly for fuel cutoff in cause of a rollover and to prevent from flooding. The computer will cut the pump after a short duration of time when there is a no fuel pressure to prevent further damage. You can try and run the truck bone dry and with the key in the on position and you will not be able to run the pump for a long as you want. Running on fumes is no such thing, just an old figure of speech now. It’s perfectly fine to run your truck bone dry.

 

I agree (running out and being stuck on the side of the road is greatest risk). Basically, my question is this: Why have a 38 gallon gas tank when you can't use it? I don't want to risk running out anymore than anyone else does but I would like to be able to feel okay in getting close to empty (stuck in BFE, no stations for miles, expected station closed, etc.) and manage the fuel that is left to get to the next station.

I posted a new thread to ask if anyone has experienced a fuel pump failure just to get an idea of how vulnerable we might be. I just can't imagine that our fuel delivery system is so fragile that we risk failure if we get too low on fuel.

Dan

 

Well since it seems a few of you aren’t worried about the fuel pump being submerged. You still risk running out, and in post number eight of this thread https://www.tundras.com/threads/38-gallon-fuel-tank-is-a-joke-2019-trd-pro.34084/
You explained why yourself. To give you some credit I doubt the pump will immediately cook itself by not being submerged. It would probably take a long long time. So let’s just assume that running it low is fine. But if you are going that far off grid you should probably take some extra fuel cans. And I’m sure you could use almost every drop of gas without the pump failing at that specific time. But the up hills and the down hills will dictate how long.

 

I agree with everything you say here. I can just recall over my 50+ years of driving getting caught at one time or another out in the middle of the desert at 3:00 am and running low on fuel. When my Dad took us deer hunting in the Sierras we always carried extra gas in 2 gallon gas cans. Used them on various occasions. Same when I took my 1968 HD Sporster on a multi-state ride with a 2 1/4 gallon tank, I carried 2 gallons in a steel box on the rear rack. Things like that got me home.

I have no plans to run low on the Tundra. I just would like to feel safe if I get low and not to have to worry about the fuel system frapping, that's all.

Dan

 

I think you’d be fine in in that scenario. It’s not like you would be doing that every tank of gas. It’s just for those what if‘s. And in that case I think you’d be fine if you had to do it. I guess the next hard part would be you knowing how far you can go after the light comes on.

 

If you ever lived up in the north east or northwest where gas stations are closed at night because you are not allowed to pump your own gas, then you can empathize about trying to get every last drop and not being stranded because you forgot to get gas before they closed. LOL

 

Damn...I run my pass zero-empty up to 50miles several times and can only fill up to 35-36gal. Guess premium gas is worth it! Lol!

 

They (California) tax you up the ass on everything. And still never enough money

 

I visited my brother and his wife in Bend Oregon from my house in Ukiah this past October. About 8 1/2 hours and 470 miles. I re-fueled in Klamath Falls, Oregon on the way up, about 120 miles south of my brother's house on the Deschutes River. On Sunday, I headed home and got to Clearlake Oaks (about 395 miles) when the low fuel light came on (about 50 miles from home). When I re-fueled there it took 29 gallons, meaning I had 9 gallons left in the tank after driving 515 miles. I was getting upwards of 17mpg (2WD, unladen, fairly flat terrain) so I figured I could easily have made it home since I had about 150 miles of range left. On this trip, total range was close to 650 miles, pretty darned impressive no matter how you slice it.

I figure my mpg by miles driven divided by gallons at fill-up, I don't go by the display estimate. As I gather more information I will be able to know more about the actual tank range rather than what the idiot lights are trying to tell me. BTW, that has been the only time I have seen the low fuel light but it won't be the last.

Dan

 

They must have reprogrammed the fuel light for the 2019's. I recently took a trip on a full tank. Drove 520 miles. The dial was on E, but a fuel light never appeared. When I filled up, it stopped at 30 gallons. I was averaging around 17 on the way back, but 19 on the way there. So, I am assuming I had at least another 136 miles I could have gone.

If there wasn't a reprogram, I wonder why my fuel light never came on? Should I contact the dealer?