January 6, 2008 by Justin

That's a great point - be careful not to screw up your fuel pump!

January 13, 2008 by Mako

This is so true ! My girlfriend just replaced the fuel pump on her 1999 Ford Taurus last Monday, January 7 2008, do to running on empty numerous times. Typical woman, lol

February 7, 2008 by Kim

I did not know about burning the fuel pump up; however, I have heard that running on the reserve can allow "junk" in your gas tank to plug up the pump and/or injectors. Is this true? I usually fill up way before it would be crisis time!

February 12, 2008 by Luke

This story is TRUE! I work at a Ford dealership and have seen this MANY times.

April 4, 2008 by R

I am a mechanic as well. This is true we replace fuel pumps regularly. We ask the customers about the fuel pumps and many claim they run low all the time.At 500 to 1000 to replace its better to run more fuel in the tank

April 4, 2008 by Mark

I've been an ASE {Automotive Service Excellence} nationally certified Master Technician for over 20 years. It IS a good Idea not to run run your fuel tank dry. It's also a good idea not to fill up right after a tanker has dumped a load of gas into the holding tank where you fill up. This stirs up all the debris accumulated in the holding tank for many hours after it is unloaded and can lead up to clogged fuel fllters and extra dirt/debris being pumped into your gas tank.

April 17, 2008 by A. Non

A new fuel pump does not cost $1000, you can pick up a 500hp Walbro or Bosch fuel pump for less than NZ$300, both of which are much better than the factory fuel pump found in most cars.

April 25, 2008 by Linda

My son is a mechanic and constantly stressing this point yet I still let it go to low. Pumping gas is not a favorite thing of mine!

May 8, 2008 by Phillip

A. Non: Add in the cost of labor charges. I can attest to this. Ran my '90 Firebird empty on the way to get it filled for the 1st time (been sitting for a long time, came to me, I repaired it). Though I only tossed 2 gallons in it at that moment, the next time I gave it a good tank, the car has developed a lovely bit of fuel pressure issues. I would bet the 257k miles on it, and running it empty did the pump no good.

May 8, 2008 by Duh

New fuel pump is around US$90 Get a service manual or guide Raise car, drop fuel tank and/or remove retaining ring from pump assembly, replace pump, replace assembly. But finding a lift to use yourself may be an issue. That's where the labor charges get to be a pain.

May 8, 2008 by Alex

@ Duh: Not all fuel pumps are available as a separate pump. Most, in fact are not, and are only sold as an assembly, which will cost between $250-$500. Also, 99% of us will never use a lift, or have access to one. The cheapest lift I've ever sold was $3500.00, and I didn't make any money on it [I work in auto parts].

May 8, 2008 by pumper

The tanks that are in the ground at gas stations pump from near the bottom. That means anything that settles to the bottom could get sucked out anytime, regardless of wether they are refueling or not. Actually, if there was sediment settled on the bottom you may get cleaner gas while the tanker is filling it because any sediment would probably be stirred up in the tank instead of sitting on the bottom concentrated in one place waiting to get sucked out. Nonethelss gas station pumps also have multiple filters at various stages of the pumping process so getting large debris in your gas is unlikely anyways.

May 8, 2008 by sure

He's right. Some fuel pumps can run $700-$1,000 as an assembly. Fewer cars are built with old-school sensibility these days.

May 9, 2008 by Kara

I would have loved to know this back when I had a Saab - I replaced the fuel pump 3 times in 4 months...

May 22, 2008 by bob

The only people that have to worry about this kind of stuff is the owners of older cars. Most cars built in the past 10 years have the well that the pump is held in. The return fuel is sent into the well and that cools the pump. It only holds about a quart of fuel so you have to run your car completly out of fuel to hurt it. Most fuel injected fuel systems will run the pump for 2 seconds to pressurize the fuel system prior to start up, then shut it off till it reads oil pressure. When you lose oil pressure, the pump will shut off to protect it. If you run your car completly out of fuel and constantly try to start it, you will slowly damage the pump. Every time you try to start the car after, you are running it for the 2 seconds, then again as your cranking the engine. If you know your out of gas, dont try to start it - just get some more fuel in the tank. Most pumps can also be found for about $200-$400 - if your paying more than that, shop around. Dealership parts are ALWAYS overpriced and most aftermarket pumps will have a better warrantee than OEM. Be smart about it and you will get by without too much cost. Many cars are being built with an access port for the pump so you dont even have to drop the tank. I recently did a 99 Mercury Mystique pump... it took less than an hour to replace it - most of that was trying to get the old retaining ring off.

May 26, 2008 by whats the point

the price of a pump does not matter. anyone too lazey to fill their tank when it nears empty is unlikely to be the type to go out and replace their own fuel pump.

May 26, 2008 by Harry LeBlanc

Its absolutely true about burning out the fuel pump when running out of fuel. My grandaughter driving her 1998 Sunfire which only had about 80,000 Kilometers on it,ran out of fuel and had to get the fuel pump changed.

May 26, 2008 by Not4lube

The fuel in the tank may provide cooling for the electric pump but it sure does not "lubricate" it in any way. Gasoline is a solvent not a lubricant and any lubricants introduced into the gas are dissolved to the point of uselessness. Electric fuel pumps are sealed to prevent the working parts from exposure to gasoline- the gas goes on the inside of the pump for a reason.

June 3, 2008 by just a point

um been a mechanic for a few years and sort of learnt that yeah a dry pump will fail but also a dry pump sort of stops the engine. remember a engine needs fuel. when it stalls on modern cars the pump stops. anyway good sight and on the weekend ill bring a jerry can in the boot and drive cramer style with the dim glow of a fuel light.

June 3, 2008 by Hurricane

Ford engineering for ya.

June 4, 2008 by umm...

I didn't need access to a lift or anything when I changed out the fuel pump and gas tank in my car. Albeit it's a smaller vehicle (93 Chevy Lumina) and it's a tad time consuming to do, it really wasn't all that difficult. The fuel pump itself only cost me about 80 bucks, and I installed it by myself (easy, as long as you pay attention to how it's installed in the first place).

June 10, 2008 by Bob

SUMMARY OF MPG-CAPS™ TEST CONDUCTED 10-29-2007 THRU 10-31-2007 The test engine used wasGM with a bore of 4.07 inches and stroke of 3.66 inches and displacement of 380 inches . This engine is normally used in the larger SUV vehicles and many other applications. The tests were conducted with the engine running at 2000 rpm with a resistance of 125 ft/lbs torque . This steady load simulates a large SUV traveling at 80 mph . A baseline test was conducted using 20 gallons of fuel . We used a cylindrical tank with a sight glass on the side . Strapping of the tank calculated to contain.47 gallons per inch. We were able to make very precise measurements of fuel at 20 minute intervals . We ran the baseline test for 5 hours and burned 42 inches of fuel which calculated to be 19.74 gallons . We conducted a conditioning run of 20 gallons and ran exactly 42 inches in 5 hours which also calculated to be 19.74 gallons . We used ½ grams of product during this run. We then conducted a treated run using ½ grams in 20 gallons . During the first 4 hours we did not see any reduction in fuel consumption . During the last hour we saw a reduction of 9/16 of an inch in reduced fuel consumption. Due to the reduction we saw in the last hour we decided we had not completed the conditioning run in the original 5 hours. We had reserved enough time to run an additional 2.5 hours or a 10 gallon run. 10 gallons is a total of 21.27 inches in the tank. During the final 2.5 hour run we saw little change in the fuel consumption during the first hour but during the last one and one half hours we saw fuel consumption decrease as much as 19% ( see the calculations on the data sheets ) The overall average of the product runs was over 6% lower in fuel consumption; however the 19% decrease in consumption during the last one and one half hours of the run indicated that a continued run would have shown 15% or more savings. The operator on this test was Terry Gray acting as an independent consultant. He is retired from Southwest Labs and ran this test within the EPA guidelines but not to a specific test requirement. The purpose of the test was to show fuel economy with the use of the FFI product. www.slobodandz.myffi.biz

June 10, 2008 by Bob

www.slobodandz.myffi.biz

June 19, 2008 by twifosp

Even if it only cost $80. That's still $80, and what are you gaining by running your tank dry? Nothing. Maybe this website is run by a fuel pump manufacturer???

June 30, 2008 by RJ

To say it cost 1000.00 for a fuel pump would depend on the car, and how large the jar of vaseline is that you get with the job. A lot of people are just out to make a buck these days. What comes around goes around. I hope they run out of tiolet paper.

July 3, 2008 by Will

You don't really need a lift to change out the fuel pump/fuel pump assembly. About a year or two ago I changed the pump assembly out on my 2001 Impala with the assistance of my ASE Certified father who has worked as a mechanic for LA City Fire and Arizona Dept of Transportation for almost 30 years. We jacked the car up and put it on jack stands in my parents' driveway. Then used a jack with a metal plate welded to it to help keep the tank steady as we lowered it out of the car to get at the assembly. The tank still had like a half a tank in it and I couldn't tell how low it really was because my fuel gauge was reading wrong. If you get the chance and would like to do it this way I'd suggest doing this with a lot less fuel in the tank.

July 4, 2008 by CRX guy

I regularly run the gas level way down on my 1988 Honda CRX Si (which has no low fuel light) and after 20 years and 389,000 miles I'm still running with the original fuel pump. When I fill up I usually have .5 - 1.5 gallons left in the 11.9 gallon tank.

July 9, 2008 by fyi

I invented the modern fuel pump back in my early years, and I have to agree with the original poster. The reserve is there for only emergency usage, and it's a good idea to fill up the gas as soon as you see the fuel low light.

July 25, 2008 by Kill the bastards

So the poor are screwed either way.

August 1, 2008 by e36_Jeff

Wow, I cant believe that there at that many car manufacturers that screw you over with needing to drop the gas tank to replace a pump. In my old beater '84 BMW you had to pop out the rear seat(2 bolts), remove the access panel(3 bolts) and then you had direct access to the pump(4 bolts and 2 hoses). Install was the reverse of assembly, no lift or even jack required, all done in 15 min and the pump was a bit over 100USD from the dealer. Also, the pump in that car was not cooled by the fuel in the tank(though may have been cooled by the return line, as the motor sat at the top of the tank with a pickup that sat at the bottom, and it was certianly not in a well. I've seen the pumps for newer BMW's(my dads 7-series and my '98 3-series) and they are both the same basic setup with the motor at the top and the pickup at the base. I dont know if the access to them is the same on my car, but it is the same on my fathers.

August 16, 2008 by Niptuck

Great info! Screwed up and let my beautiful Honda Civic suffer the low fuel/burn up your fuel pump fate. She's back up and running thanks to this site telling me what was wrong before I even let a mechanic look at her. Which, probably would have costs me loads of cash!

August 18, 2008 by billy

I have nothing to add.

October 3, 2008 by Kerry

In over 20 years of running every car I have ever owned to near empty I have never had to replace a single fuel pump. I think some of you are confusing running the tank low with actually running out of gas. I have never once run out of gas.

October 9, 2008 by Jen

I also agree with this, and never let my car get below a quarter of a tank (above E). One 90+ degree day in the summer I was driving my stepdad's minivan from PA to ME and it conked out on the side of the highway with about an eighth of a tank - it turns out the fuel pump got overheated and stopped functioning. Fortunately we let it cool down and were able to get to a gas station, but it taught me a valuable lesson!

October 11, 2008 by shane

about a month ago my car started having trouble starting after filling the tank. if i run the tank low, the car will take a while to start. its directly related to filling it up after running a tank low. once started it runs and idles completely fine, any ideas what could be causing this? could it be something with 10% ethanol fuel?

November 4, 2008 by jimmy

I hate fuel pumps. A fuel pump fell on my best friends head and now he is a vegetable.

November 13, 2008 by A.tech

Topic creator you are correct about the fuel pump dying from this, however this is over a large life span and does not happen right away. This seems to happen with more American cars then imports. The fuel pump does not use the fuel as luberication either. It just uses it as cooling it down by running thoughout the vains of the pump. Remember it is an electronic pump. Fuel would not have enough lubrcation properties to fully lube the device. The fuel also sits out on the case to help cool it as well. BTW. Just wondering. I don't think you are a ASE master mechanic because that takes years to complete. Not to mention you need 5+ years of school and you need to take a lot of tests. And it is expensive. The youngest master I have seen is like 22.

March 29, 2009 by Maria

Hi I don't know who you are but I was wondering if you could help me .You see I'm having trouble when I pump gas at the gas station the pump stops even when the gas tank is empty and I was wondering why? is there something wrong with gas tank could you please give me an answer THANK YOU, MARIA

May 26, 2009 by BillyReallyHasSomethingToAdd

Fuel pumps are delicious! I eat them like hot dogs. I put mustard right on them and gobble them up!

June 18, 2009 by Derek

A.Tech, I believe the topic creator meant that he has been a master mechanic for 16 years, not that he is 16 years old.

July 23, 2009 by KB

screw all u anti-low fuel guys.if your pump wants to check out it will do that even with a full tank.My pal has a Verona 2004 and fills up a lil below half but the pump screwed him big time so just run your cars the way you want and hope it does not break down.End of story.

August 14, 2009 by limme

I believe that every gas station has inline filters on all their pump so you get clean gas everytime.

October 20, 2009 by njd

FUEL PUMPS ARE EVIL.

November 3, 2009 by ruben

I agree with billy

November 18, 2009 by Daniel

Does anyone have any idea how big the reserve fuel tank is on a 1996 Nissan 200SX SE that has a 13.2 gallon fuel tank?

January 19, 2010 by annoymous

You all are DUMB!!!

January 27, 2010 by anononnoo

Stop fucking up good information by posting stupid comments.

November 17, 2010 by Rick wright

I've been driving my car for over 10,000 miles after the light came on with no problems, you all probably just suck dick at driving.

February 19, 2011 by FumPeniminy

hi, new to the site, thanks.

April 10, 2011 by mark

I hate pumping gas and have figured out how long I can go on empty before it's really empty. (yes, I've run out of gas a few times before finding out the sweet spot.) I also like to keep cars until it's time for the junkyard. I nearly always pass 200k in my cars. I've never in my life changed a fuel pump. Oh, except on my John Deere mower. Of course, I usually buy Japanese or German cars.

April 16, 2011 by Nick

don't worry about having no gas in your car, keep an eye on more important things like your oil

April 27, 2011 by Jerry

I usually do not fall for snake-oil wonder additives to put in your tank but I have been using Chevron/Texaco gasoline with Techron for several years and it works! Or pour a bottle of Techron additive in your favorite brand of gasoline. Techron lubes electric fuel pumps and keeps injectors clean. Any owner of a 1992 - 1995 Chevy S10 Blazer with Central Port Fuel injection should especially use fuel with Techron additive. General Motors CPI is failure prone if the fuel is not perfectly clean. That is why GM got rid of CPI by 1996. If you have a vehicle with a in-tank fuel pump, never run the tank dry. That is one of the reasons automakers put a low fuel warning indicator on all modern cars with in-tank fuel pumps the secondary reason it alert absent minded drivers that their fuel tank is nearly empty. Low fuel warning was not as important when cars had mechanical fuel pumps and running out of gas would not hurt one of those devices.

July 15, 2011 by John in Chico

All electric fuel pumps pull the fuel from the bottom of the tank so trying to prevent picking from the bottm of the tank is useless. It'a always pulling the bottom stuff. A fuel pump is held within its own "bowl" this prevents from running out of fuel on a steep incline should the bottom of the tank go dry. Trucks with long tanks especially. If in fact the tank is run dry the pump will not over heat. If the enginr RPM drops below a certain number, 400 RPM or so, the PCM will open the fuel pump circut. It cannot run dry long enought to overheat. Over time the biggest cause for electric fuel pump failure were premature wear of the motor brushes. Never saw one pump burned up from overheating in all my FoMoCo mechanicing years, 1965 to 2001.

July 15, 2011 by John in Chico

All electric fuel pumps pull the fuel from the bottom of the tank so trying to prevent picking from the bottm of the tank is useless. It'a always pulling the bottom stuff. A fuel pump is held within its own "bowl" this prevents from running out of fuel on a steep incline should the bottom of the tank go dry. Trucks with long tanks especially. If in fact the tank is run dry the pump will not over heat. If the enginr RPM drops below a certain number, 400 RPM or so, the PCM will open the fuel pump circut. It cannot run dry long enought to overheat. Over time the biggest cause for electric fuel pump failure were premature wear of the motor brushes. Never saw one pump burned up from overheating in all my FoMoCo mechanicing years, 1965 to 2001.

July 15, 2011 by John in Chico

FYI. There is no such thing as a reserve tank. One tank, no partians, no reserve.

July 29, 2011 by garrett

My fuel pump just went out in my 2000 rang rover one second it work and the next it didn't it was pritty dry on gas I put sum in and pressure tested.tested it it had pressure but no gas would pump through the line and I think it lost pressure. Any ideas

September 20, 2011 by vincent

what do you do to a nissan wingroad when it runs out of gas...do you keep starting?

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October 18, 2011 by bullshit

thats all tht is how can somthing get hot inside a fuel pump wether ints running on fuems or with fuel in it not getting hot at all you will be best off asking your dealer ship?

October 25, 2011 by Naf

Its true.i got ma used toyota and after only few days stalled at the parking.ma experienced mechanic found that the fuel pump was dead.and yes,they sell new ones but they build no pressure to start the car.lucky if you get an expensive but original one.i replaced and all was well in seconds.running on low gas is no good.

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November 26, 2011 by Coley G.

There are more factual statements in John in Chico's post then in this entire article. However, I will give the author a shred of credit for mentioning that "some vehicles have a well" but that "some" should be 'many.' If you want to be taken seriously, at least every other word should be spelled correctly. I would like to know if this article/site is propaganda for or if it is ran by fuel company's. You can tell people who know how to turn a wrench with basic mechanic knowledge from those who don't know a thing about cars, because those who don't find this article useful.

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December 7, 2011 by RAV4er

Ive been driving my 2006 RAV4 until the E light comes on hoping that it will burn up any sediment from the bottom of the tank and will help keep the tank clean. I dont know if it was my stupid idea but I recently learned of the damage of fuel pump being associated with this. Anyone has idea what I should do to keep the tank free from sedimentation? The aftermarket fuel system cleaner might be of any help?

January 25 by Durai

starting trable

January 27 by Jim Oddy

Wow, anyone can post here! Even pretend mechanics.