Am I out of gas? **On side of road**

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GTyankee

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I don't wait until that low fuel message reads 60 miles to empty
I have not be traveling at all lately, all 40 miles trips or less
I always use the same gas station, if no one is at the pumps & i am driving on that side of the road & i am below 1/2 tank, i stop & fill up

I am not the type that has $20 in my wallet & i need to grocery shop or get gas & payday is Friday
Gas is first & Walmart or the Dollar General store will have to do
Gas will get me to the food hand out at the church or Salvation Army
 

crash68

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Odd with that gallon it still showed 19 miles to empty. Guess I will need to fill up much sooner and not trust the fuel guage.
The Distance To Empty is just like a Michigan speed limit sign, a meer suggestion.
There's many of times my DTE will actually go up when taking off on a road trip, so does that mean my truck is manufacturing it's own diesel fuel?
The DTE "gauge" is based off the vehicle perceived fuel economy, it's not an exact number.
At least you didn't start crying that it's a "major safety issue" that the truck would run out of fuel before the DTE registers 0 miles.
 

2012RAM1500RT

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I don't even know if my low fuel light works. I got caught many many years ago in a traffic jam with low fuel and ended up running out. Lesson learned. Won't happen to me again. The minimum I will let mine go is a 1/4 tank before I search for a gas station right away. Never will understand running until low fuel light comes on, does our car have to tell us everything? I can promise you it WILL NOT save you one red penny running it till empty!
 

Wallyb4

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I was just going to ask about the low fuel light. I have never seen mine either. I am afraid of running out.
 

crash68

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I don't even know if my low fuel light works. I got caught many many years ago in a traffic jam with low fuel and ended up running out. Lesson learned.
There's an added incentive of not running out of fuel when you drive a diesel, the HPFP doesn't like running dry. That can get real expensive, never mind the ongoing debate whether it's bad for the in-tank pump.
 

2012RAM1500RT

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There's an added incentive of not running out of fuel when you drive a diesel, the HPFP doesn't like running dry. That can get real expensive, never mind the ongoing debate whether it's bad for the in-tank pump.
I'd be interested in hearing 1 pro of running near empty, I can name plenty of cons!
 

cms1528

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Just a goofy problem with RAMS, my 2021 2500 will have 3-4 gallons of gas in the tank even though it's empty and will not start unless I add gasoline.
 

BossHogg

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There's an added incentive of not running out of fuel when you drive a diesel, the HPFP doesn't like running dry. That can get real expensive, never mind the ongoing debate whether it's bad for the in-tank pump.
I can't speak for all common rail high-pressure diesel fuel systems but the one on my 6.7 Cummins is self-charging. Unlike a Duramax, The RAM Cummins has a lift pump.
 

star_deceiver

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I'd be interested in hearing 1 pro of running near empty, I can name plenty of cons!
I can’t speak for the eastern side of the states, but when travelling through Utah/Nevada ect off the interstates, it can be a loooong way between gas stations. Especially if it’s at night and everything in the town shuts down at 6pm. I find it important to know how far you can push your tank if you had to. It’s happened before that the only gas station in town is shut down for maintenance or something.

Each truck seems to vary. My low gas light will come on with 80kms left, regardless of the actual level of the tank. Could be 1/8th… could be 1/4 tank depending on what the average fuel economy is.

I never come close to having the gas light on during day to day driving but when travelling, there have been road closures, accidents, issues that necessitated a detour and pushing of gas tank levels into the stressful ‘will I make it’ zone.

Also, always carry a 20L full Jerry can when on vacation!
 

Ken Camp

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If you get down to 19 miles to empty on that gauge you are definitely playing Russian roulette. I don't trust it when it says 100 miles to empty.
 

PolarisCobra

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I had a Chrysler Pacifica SUV that could go ten more miles after the distance to empty was at 0. Only tried it once, don't know if I could have made 11.

My brother used to run his down low all the time. Coasted into gas stations twice, he is much luckier then me.

One of the times, he rolled up to the first pump. Guy at the station asked him to pull up the the second pump, he had to tell him that he couldn't.
 

GTyankee

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I learned to carry at least 5 gallons of fuel with me on trips

I was on I-20 in Texas, driving West in Abilene, my coffee cup was more than 1/2 full, so i did not look at my fuel gauge.
I entered Big Spring & it smells bad of refining Oil, so i continued on to Midland & Odessa, while in Odessa, i looked at my fuel gauge.
The last turn off in Odessa didn't have a gas station.
I saw a sign announcing next fuel x amount of miles ahead in Monahans
My fuel gauge was low, but no low fuel light, had a choice, illegally cut across the center divide & go back to a fuel station in Odessa or go on to Monahans.
Well i chose Monahans & that fuel station was boarded up
Pecos was the next town & the town looked abandoned

My low fuel light was on & i knew that there was no town until I-10, at least i knew that I-10 had 2 or 3 times as much traffic on it, If i ran out of fuel, someone would surely stop because it was August.
Van Horn was the next town & i knew there were several gas stations there, but i could never reach there.
I noticed an off ramp ahead & spotted a single building
The ramp was only 1/2 paved & there was a cattle crossing guard & then a run down gas station. I would never use the coffee area it was very dirty, so was everything around the property.
I got $10 worth of fuel & hoped to get to Van Horn.
That $10 only got me part way & luckily there was another hole in the wall station, again all by itself, again with over priced fuel.
I made it to Van Horn & filled up & refreshed my coffee.

After that trip i carried jugs of fuel & i make it a point to stop in Van Horn & Sweetwater near Abilene for fuel
 

pacofortacos

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I'd be interested in hearing 1 pro of running near empty, I can name plenty of cons!
The gas is much less expensive 30 miles down the road. When traveling, I plan my stops based on fuel costs and sometimes they get close to the limit. Lol
 

pacofortacos

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Before one of the update flashes, I used to be able to go 50-60+ miles after the DTE went to "Low Fuel".
I, unlike many, actually liked that the 32 gallon tank would read empty with still 6 gallons in it.
Since the flash, it is closer but I think that there is still a couple of gallon cushion.
 

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