Ran outta gas

[Guest oldsmobile98]

So I was going to meet a couple friends this past Saturday at 9 am. We were planning to go to the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's house), since we are all history enthusiasts. Anyhow, I was low on gas when I left late from the house to meet them, but I thought I had enough to make it there. Nope. Ran out about 5 minutes from the meetup place.

I called my friends and asked if they'd bring me gas. I was going north on Morrell at the Kingston Pike intersection, but I was in the middle lane, so folks could get around me to either turn left or go straight (if I slowed you down or made you miss a green light, I apologize). A cop showed up, pulled behind me, and turned his lights on. I told him I was out of gas and had friends coming. He was very cool. Friends showed up and pulled into Eyeglass World, I gave them the gas can and some money, and they went down and got some gas and came back, pulling in behind the cop. We poured in the gas and were good to go.

Went over to the squad car and the officer rolled down his window. Said thanks, and apologized for wasting his time. He said I hadn't wasted his time. I went straight to get some more gas at a filling station, he turned left, and my friends followed me.

We went on to the Hermitage and had a good time.

And I am going to try not to be a moron in the future.

I shoulda gotten the officer's name, but didn't. Anyhow, if any of you peace officers are the one who pulled up behind some redheaded blockhead who ran outta gas... thank you. For helping and for having a great attitude.

[Chucktshoes]

Damn gingers.

[dats82]

My mother is notorious for running her car until the gas light comes on and then says she has forty more miles. A few years ago, I told she should be careful driving her old car because as it gets older, things quit working properly, like the gas light. She laughed it off. Well, about a week later, she calls and says her car has quit. I ask her a few diagnostic questions, and it sounds like the classic out of gas story. I bring her some gas, and sure enough, she ran out of gas because the gas light quit working.

[Volzfan]

For some reason I almost never fill up until the light has been on for a while. My car has a 21 gal tank and I reset the trip meter every time I fill up. I am around 300 miles when the light comes on I usually can only put 15 or 16 in it. I know that a fuel pump will not pump every last drop out but the most that I've ever pumped is 18.5 gals. I keep saying that I want to get a can of gas and drive it till it does run out to see how far I can go. Maybe one day I'll try it.

[Trekbike]

This reminded me of one of my favorite movies.

[laktrash]

I drive my wife crazy when we travel I start looking as soon as the needle falls below 1/2 and panic at 1/4 (diesel) too many years of driving. she on the other hand says she gets 300 miles to the tank and reset the trip meter every fill up. never will forget I had my first taste of kidney stones at 2:00 am thought I was dying on the way to hospital running on fumes

[peejman]

I put 18.8 gallons in an 18 gallon tank at 3am Saturday night in BFE middle TN when I was in college. I drove through 3 towns trying to find an open gas station on my way back to school. That wasn't fun.

[Guest db99wj]

I put 18.8 gallons in an 18 gallon tank at 3am Saturday night in BFE middle TN when I was in college. I drove through 3 towns trying to find an open gas station on my way back to school. That wasn't fun.

Nice! I drove back from Houston a few weeks ago and the light came on as I was passing a gas station, I figured I would get the next one, got a good 3 gallons (60 miles) left. This was in northern Louisiana, south of the Arkansas border, I was headed to Texarkana (I took a scenic route), anyway, mile after mile, noone on the road, no gas stations, made it to the edge of Texarkana before I found one, it was well below E. I was truely nervous, was driving slower, to keep the RPM's to maximize my MPG! Not a good feeling.

[Daniel]

I drive my wife crazy when we travel I start looking as soon as the needle falls below 1/2 and panic at 1/4 (diesel) too many years of driving. she on the other hand says she gets 300 miles to the tank and reset the trip meter every fill up.

Reverse you and your wife to get me and mine. I get 300 before my light comes on so I don't worry about it until then.

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

When I first met my wife she had a VW Beatle, I was driving it over to a friends house when the needle hit E, I though Well it is a WV surly it wont run out before I get to my friends house so I passed several stations figuring I would fill up at the really cheap one very close to his house.

I was wrong, that car went about 2-3 miles after hitting E and it was done. I know I can not be the only person who has ever run out of gas in a WV bug but I sure felt like it that day.

My habits now are to top off whenever I think about it but always by the time it is at 1/4 tank around town and when on a trip that is when I start looking for the next gas.

My wife on the other hand simply will not buy gas until the fuel light comes on, she loves the line "Well my car is about out of gas so I guess I will take yours":rolleyes:

[vontar]

<--has never ran out of gas in a Car, I did once on a motorcycle due to a person stealing some of my gas at camp the night before.

Here is a Tip, it does not cost any more to keep a car filled up then to keep it on half or near E.

I like to know I have plenty of gas just in case. If I were to get an emergency call in the middle of the night I know I can jump in my truck and go. My wifes car would be another story.

I want to know I have at least 100 miles worth of driving available in the tank, however in general I fill up around half tank, it does not seem like such a hit on the wallet as if I wait until closer to E.

When I started driving Dad gave me hell once when I let a car get below 1/4 of a tank, that was about 20 years ago, I still don't do it. I still remember the day, the car, what I did to get it lower then 1/4, where we went to get gas after.

The reason, I had just started driving but dad would not let me drive more then 2 miles from home, on the dirt road we lived on by myself, so I drove back and forth waiting for him to be ready to go out further. Then when he was ready I had it lower then a 1/4. He was not pleased.

[Guest ADAM]

E means empty doesn't mean Enough..lol

[hardknox00001]

What's even worse is if you have one of those "Miles until empty" displays. I've had mine down to 4 once..................

I supposedly have a 28 gallon tank but regularly put in ~ 30. I do, however, fill my filler neck until it won't hold anymore without spilling it.

On a related point, you would be surprised reading after crash reports in the aviation world how many crashes resulted from fuel exhaustion. I guess we all have a little gambler in all of us

[Jasongar8]

I usually fill up when my truck get below a 1/4 tank. Sometimes it gets low enough the light comes on and sometimes I catch it before then.

[Mike.357]

absolute foolishness to let your gas tank get that low.

1/4 of a tank is flat out empty in my world.

[Guest buttonhook]

I ran lout in my driveway last night....I stop to get the mail left it running. when I go back in it .welll it was not running.............not the first time either

[laktrash]

absolute foolishness to let your gas tank get that low.

1/4 of a tank is flat out empty in my world.

+1 I don't want to worry about my fuel if an emergency pops up

1/2 I'm lookin' 1/4 I'm getting nervous

[peejman]

When I started driving Dad gave me hell once when I let a car get below 1/4 of a tank, that was about 20 years ago, I still don't do it. I still remember the day, the car, what I did to get it lower then 1/4, where we went to get gas after.

.

Heh, my Dad is the same way. They grew up in a age when car gas tanks were uncoated steel, gas pumps didn't have 5 micron filters, and gas gauges weren't as accurate. There would be lots of gunk in the bottom of the gas tank that you didn't want sucked into the fuel system, hence never let it run below 1/4 tank.

I replaced the in-tank fuel pump in my '87 Pontiac with 175,000 miles about 10 years ago. When I pulled the tank, I was shocked to find only a tiny bit of debris inside.

What's even worse is if you have one of those "Miles until empty" displays. I've had mine down to 4 once..................

HA! A coworker took a rental car down to -28 miles till empty while traveling on business several years ago. And yes, it was still running when we pulled into the gas station.

Edited November 18, 2010 by peejman

[1gewehr]

I cannot remember ever regretting that I had a full gas tank. On the other hand, I can sure remember some times I regretted NOT having more gas in the tank!

I typically try not to let it get below 1/4 full. My wife always waits until the low fuel light comes on.

Fuel gauges are notorious for being liars.

[Guest GT_Rat]

I have never <knock wood> ever <knock wood again> run out of gas before. I know I've gotten close a few times but I've never actually run out. And I'm one of those that usually won't hit up a gas station until it's sitting on E.

[dats82]

I was on a school bus one time from Tullahoma to Dayton TN. On the way back, we ran out of gas and literally coasted off the interstate into a gas station. I was asking the driver if the gauge was screwy or what, and his response was, "No, we had a little less than half a tank when we got there, so I figured we had enough to get back." I thought WTF, you have LESS than a half a tank when you get there, and you think there is enough to make it back!?!?!?

[kckndrgn]

typically I fill up at a 1/2 tank, that's bad enough with a 36gal tank.

I ran out of gas, ironically in font of a gas station, in my "old" truck, an '87 F150 with dual tanks. The front take didn't work (selector function was broken) and the gauge for the rear tank was wacky. So I just used mileage. Well, I filled up one night, reset the trip odometer, and thought nothing of it. A couple days later the gauge was at "E". I thought I just filled up, the gauge finally died. Well, on my way to my second job that night I ran out of gas, someone must have helped themselves to the approx 15 gal that were left in that tank. That night I put on locking caps and never had a problem. I've since sold that truck.

[vontar]

BTW, every car/truck I have ever owned or drove enough to know I have noticed one thing they all had in common. Starting with a full tank of gas, you get X number of miles on the first 1/4 of gas used. The next 1/4 to half tank you get less miles. The next 1/4 to a quarter tank you get even less miles traveled. That very last 1/4 drops the fastest of all.

My ranger I can 100 miles going from Full to 3/4 but I am not at 200 when I get to a half tank, more like 150, just guessing. Been a while since I really check my mileage.

BTW, if I knew I had a 28 gallon tank and drove into a station and filled up with 30 gallons(including the neck) I would not be buying more gas there as I would suspect their pumps of being wrong. I would assume you had at least half gallon of gas driving in, the Neck from the time you get the first auto turn off of a pump you do good to get in another half gallon in most cases. However sounds like you probably have a big truck, probably a long neck on it, but it probably already has gas in the neck when it is kicking off the first time.

[hardknox00001]

BTW, if I knew I had a 28 gallon tank and drove into a station and filled up with 30 gallons(including the neck) I would not be buying more gas there as I would suspect their pumps of being wrong. I would assume you had at least half gallon of gas driving in, the Neck from the time you get the first auto turn off of a pump you do good to get in another half gallon in most cases. However sounds like you probably have a big truck, probably a long neck on it, but it probably already has gas in the neck when it is kicking off the first time.

02 Ford F250 Crew 7.3 Diesel

Diesel foams when agitated so when the pump first kicks off, if you go slow and fill until it won't hold anymore, it will hold another 5 gallons or so, especially if you rock it front to back and "burp" the tank. As far as the 28 vs. 30 and pump accuracy, I thought about that but that has happened in more than one station, in multiple states.

[peejman]

BTW, every car/truck I have ever owned or drove enough to know I have noticed one thing they all had in common. Starting with a full tank of gas, you get X number of miles on the first 1/4 of gas used. The next 1/4 to half tank you get less miles. The next 1/4 to a quarter tank you get even less miles traveled. That very last 1/4 drops the fastest of all.

My ranger I can 100 miles going from Full to 3/4 but I am not at 200 when I get to a half tank, more like 150, just guessing. Been a while since I really check my mileage.

Yes, your fuel gauge lies to you. Some fuel gauges are calibrated non-linearly on purpose.

The gauge is set to stay on "full" for a while. Otherwise, people complain that "I just filled up yesterday and it's already down to 3/4 tank". The fact that they never got it "full" in the first place and it really is down to 3/4 tank is beyond their comprehension. So to keep those morons from whining and taking their car back to the dealer, and then being pissed when they're told nothing is wrong... the gauge lies.

It stays near full longer than it should, then zooms to a little less than 3/4 tank. It's fairly accurate through the middle of the range. Then zooms from 3/8 tank to 1/8 tank and then slows a bit. This is intentional to make it look lower than it is so you'll buy gas before running out, and prevent those same morons from going back to the dealer complaining that their car ran out of gas before the gauge was on "E".