I'm an idiot - ran out of gas

you like to live life on the edge. I thought running 20mi past empty was cutting it close.

 

You can comfortably drive at least 20 miles after it says 0. Just track how much gas you put in and measure how much was left in the 21.1 gallon tank.

 

Fuel pump failure is near. Swap it out before you get stranded. It’s happened to me.

 

any truth to running the tank low sucking sediment? seems to me, that cleans the sediment out periodically.

any truth to running the tank low making the pump overheat?

 

Yes it is cooled.
The filter sock catches gross sediment before the pump.

 

My pops used to let the fuel light stay on until he decided to get gas. I'd be in the passenger seat riddled with anxiety that we'd run out, but we never did. To this day, I don't let mine get lower than a 1/8. You're braver than I am

 

I've had it happen on mustangs... It was a common problem for SN95 gens. I have absolutely no idea if it is for the Tacoma, though. Different car, possibly different design concept with the fuel system, etc.

Somebody else would need to confirm where the pump is located and how it keeps cool. On mustangs, it was in the tank, and the coolant was the gas.

 

I got hit by this once in my 4cyl 2010...It has massively variable MPG...So my total mileage attainable on a tank before fill went from like 440 to 380 summer vs winter....I ran dry at like 378mi 2 miles from the gas station...But the fuel pump overheated so when they threw some gas in from the tow truck it didn't start and then the battery died. They towed it to a garage and after about 1hr it started right up. Guy said I just had to wait for the fuel pump to cool and 'reset'...They said have a nice day...I handed him a refused but eventually accepted $20 and told him to at least buy lunch. I had AAA so I'm sure they were adequately reimbursed...
It's settled out to just under 20mpg on average but It's still a whole days driving difference for my commute summer vs winter...In 2017 my commute went form 9 miles to 70 of highway a day...

 

I could be totally wrong on this, but this has always been my theory:
Why the hell would a manufacturer design a fuel pump/fuel tank to where if your fuel starts to get low it would cause damage to the pump? That would just be idiotic. I have a good feeling that the low fuel level=overheating statement is a complete myth. The large majority of people run their tank to well below 1/4 before refueling (myself included) and if that were really the case you would hear about people having to change their fuel pump as often as they have to change their oil.

 

Good question. Kinda like, why are vehicles recalled for design flaws ever.

Typically the pump is at the lowest possible point inside the tank, which means you could run it fairly low (1/2 to 1 full gallon) and it should still be OK. However, pushing it near empty constantly, yes. Absolutely could be a problem if done repeatedly and in austere environments. Like I said, I've burnt up several on mustangs during a track day. They are not designed for that type of abuse.

And somebody in this thread literally just stated they've had it happen on their truck... So like, there's the people you would have heard about having to change their fuel pump. Obviously not as often as there oil. Most sensible people fill up their cars when the low fuel indicator blinks at them so it's not a problem.

 

I could see how waiting to refuel long after your low fuel indicator has lit up could cause pump problems if you did that on a regular basis. I usually try to refuel right before my low fuel indicator pops up. But I have heard a lot of people say that as soon as your tank starts to get below 1/4 full it will cause issues. That I simply can't agree with. That last 1/4 of a tank is there for a reason...it's there for you to use and surely manufacturers would design it so that you could utilize that last 1/4 without causing issues. When your low fuel indicator pops up that's when you're starting to sort of get into your reserve fuel so to speak, and like I said I can see how that could start to cause issues.

 

Came in for this..

 

I have a friend at work that is OCD as hell, so i text him all the time with my gas light on. Its fun to watch him try and sneak a peak at my gas hand when we get in my truck.......

 

Would I notice a failed fuel pump immediately? Just wondering if I damaged on this one off.

 

https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/running-your-gas-tank-to-empty-dangerous/

 

When I test drove my Taco in April it said ‘5 Miles to empty’ I looked at the Salesman and said it looked like this was going to be a short drive. He laughed and said they can go a long way on ‘0’ I drove it about 10 miles. An hour later when I took delivery of my new truck it had a full tank.

I’m in the habit of buying gas at 1/4 so it’s not been that low again since.

 

No.

There is a filter sock on the pump intake. The next time you fill up, that sediment will sink to the bottom of the tank.

If you ever change an in the tank fuel pump, you will be amazed at the amount of dirt that is in the bottom of the tank.