9550

just out of curiosity, lets say you were really low on gas, the pump is exposed (right?).
how long would it take for the pump to burn out and stop working(if thats even a thing)?
5 minutes? hours? (yeah, i realize if the gas was that low, it wouldnt run for an hour anyway).
thanks in advance

jwog666

yes its proven that running habitually low on fuel will shorten the life of the fuel pump. this is because the fuel cools the pump. its a cumulitive thing, nobody can really say how long it takes, but i did change the fuel pump on a car for a lady several times,(1 per year), and after the 3rd replacement i noticed that the tank was very low, and i asked if she filled it or just put in a few bucks at each fill up. her answer was she never put in more that 7-8 dollars of fuel. i told her to try filling it up each time, she did, and the fuel pump never failed again. neat bit of info------a ford engineer once told me that the low fuel light that comes on is set to come on at the point when the pump stops being submerged in the fuel. so the best advice is to fill up when the low fuel light comes on and that should prevent overheating the pump and causing damage

88 orangepeel notch

Huh, nice bit of info on the fuel light, good to know...

Urambo Tauro

A long time ago, I heard that it takes about four gallons to submerge the fuel pump. That advice wasn't model-specific, but I followed it anyway on all my cars, by comparing tank capacity to gauge reading.

For my Mustang, I've gotten into the habit of waiting until my gauge reads 1/2 tank, then filling up the next time it's convenient. (In the interest of preserving the pump, I avoid letting it go below 1/4 tank, so as not to go below the four-gallon mark.) Once the gauge reaches the halfway point, I can usually hold off for a day or two. My fill-ups usually take about ten gallons.

TBH, I didn't know that my '95 had a low fuel light. Sounds like I could safely shift my refueling habits with no ill effect. Any idea how many gallons are remaining when it trips the low fuel indicator?

jwog666

[QUOTE=Urambo Tauro;8546841 TBH, I didn't know that my '95 had a low fuel light. Sounds like I could safely shift my refueling habits with no ill effect. Any idea how many gallons are remaining when it trips the low fuel indicator?[/QUOTE]

no clue, from what i understand that depends on the shape of the tank and how that effects the amount of fuel it takes to submerge the pump

mongolchuck

I used to see pumps burned up after the owners had just fueled them. Asked a parts rep once and he said the cold fuel hitting a hot pump can seize them in an instant, especially if it's the habit of the owner to let it run low.

Urambo Tauro

That makes sense. I figured it was just Murphy's law.

I don't recall who posted it, but I saved this picture for reference just in case my pump ever fails inside a full tank of gas:



I'd rather not have to cut an access at all, but if it comes to that, I'd like to make a tidier hole than that.

jwog666

^^^^ yikes. i would either spill the fuel, or poke a hole in the tank and replace before i cut the body up like that

movielover40

Thanks for sharing the information.

I try to stay above 1/4 tank.