How long can you drive, once the gas light has come on?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

When my gas light comes on, my vehicle - a Jeep Wrangler w 4.0l engine has exactly 5 gallons in the tank. I try to take care of it when the needle hits the red, because you don´t want the gas at the bottom of the tank to reach the fuel pump and fuel injectors, or long-term wear will accellerate both.

Yeah, my dad always told me that it will mess up the fuel injection or something. Who knows. But it has become habit to go to the gas station at 1/4 tank.

If you're in MT, ND or SD in wintertime, common advice there is "keep petrol-gauge needle on top-half".

(in those states, it's actually good advice especially if highway driving)

Also, I actually did empty-out one car, a 1986 Hyundai Pony, of which the only intrinsic hitech feature was the quartz clock (in other words, carburetted SOHC engine with dwell-point ignition), in the most embaressing location (street parked right in front of home)!

[Sassy1natl 0]

When my gas light comes on, my vehicle - a Jeep Wrangler w 4.0l engine has exactly 5 gallons in the tank. I try to take care of it when the needle hits the red, because you don´t want the gas at the bottom of the tank to reach the fuel pump and fuel injectors, or long-term wear will accellerate both.

Yeah, my dad always told me that it will mess up the fuel injection or something. Who knows. But it has become habit to go to the gas station at 1/4 tank.

If you're in MT, ND or SD in wintertime, common advice there is "keep petrol-gauge needle on top-half".

(in those states, it's actually good advice especially if highway driving)

Also, I actually did empty-out one car, a 1986 Hyundai Pony, of which the only intrinsic hitech feature was the quartz clock (in other words, carburetted SOHC engine with dwell-point ignition), in the most embaressing location (street parked right in front of home)!

**claps** good job sure it wasn't funny at the time, though.

[Bootylicious!! 2]

My car tells me how many miles I can go on a tank of gas. As the gas goes down so does the mileage. I very rarely let it get down below 80 miles before filling up.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

I have an 07' Focus and I have wondered and asked this many times, I will say, I have gotten 15 miles after the light came on...i wont try and push it anymore...

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I actually had this happen on a rental-car (Chrysler--I've found these models CONSISTENLY suck on tank-mileage; in this case a 1996 Stratus) driving from Memphis to Atlanta (to return car at Atlanta Airport). I filled up in Southaven, then drove it to Birmingham along US-78, then merged onto I-20 to take it to Atlanta. Between Abernathy and GA border, the light came on--and quite simply, there wasn't anywhere I could pull off to refuel. I actually had to drive about 70 km on the red light, till I saw the exit for Tallapoosa (GA) where I filled up.

By contrast, I had rented a Buick LeSabre (somewhat larger than the Stratus, but same fuel capacity 16 gal) in 1997 at Atlanta Airport and was able to drive it to Lexington, KY without going under 1/4--a distance at least 50 km more than the distance from Southaven to Tallapoosa!

[sparkofcreation 0]

My car's light comes on when there is 1.5 gal left of the 13.8 gal tank. I generally drive about 20-25 miles on it after the light comes on, even though technically I could probably get to 30-35 (car gets about 27 city/30 highway).

But you're also not supposed to drive the tank all the way to empty. It wears down the fuel pump, can cause moisture to form in your gas, and gets gunk in your injectors.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

When the light comes on I drive to the next gas station.

that's probably the wisest thing to do.

Lori's suggestion is actually the wisest (try driving to next station in rural MT or AZ).

probably, but then again she probably does not have a wife that runs the car darn near empty.....

[DairyFarmer 1]

When the light comes on I drive to the next gas station.

that's probably the wisest thing to do.

Lori's suggestion is actually the wisest (try driving to next station in rural MT or AZ).

probably, but then again she probably does not have a wife that runs the car darn near empty.....

I think I'm feeling some animosity????

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

When the light comes on I drive to the next gas station.

that's probably the wisest thing to do.

Lori's suggestion is actually the wisest (try driving to next station in rural MT or AZ).

probably, but then again she probably does not have a wife that runs the car darn near empty.....

I think I'm feeling some animosity????

[eric&gen 0]

Happened to me a few times i just drive to the closets gas station. Never ran out of gas in the middle of road or had to call AAA.

[chri'stina 190]

I am not sure but I'd like to know(does it really say it in the manual?).

I've been in the situation twice over the last couple months where I forgot to stop at a gas station before going somewhere an hour away and the next one was not close by(I mean like 10 miles away), which makes me freak out that I am going to run out of gas b/c the light comes on. I didn't run out, but as I say in those situations "use the hills to your advantage!!" if there are any.

Edited July 14, 2008 by Parivar CSK