Reserve Fuel Level. 0 doesn't mean 0!

[scaryshark]

A couple of days ago I took it out on a little road trip, a mixture of in town driving, B roads, motorways, in-city driving and all back. The total trip length was about 350 miles so I had a good chance for the PID to get a reasonable MPG average of 51, I tend to drive quite "fast" on the motorway 

 

I was driving home and I was low on fuel, 15 miles left according to the PID. So I let the PID chose a station for me. Great it's only 2 mile away, but it wasn't...

 

Long story short, I selected 3 different stations in the PID menu all of which didn't exist. By now my PID was saying I had 0 miles left so I decided that I'm just going to point it to the only petrol station I know exists here, a nearby service station. This nearby service station turned out to be 20 miles away!

 

So me panicking. am now driving on the motorway with the heating and heated seats off (it's freezing outside) the AC off (the windows are starting to mist up) even the radio and PID were off and I'm travelling at such a speed that lorries are overtaking me.

 

Finally I arrive at the service station and I fill it up to the top 

 

I look back at my trip meter and it says I've gone 25 miles since it said I only had 0 left! I know manufacturers tend to underestimate these things so you never run out the engine but this might be of help to someone.

 

The main lesson to take away from this is... don't trust the petrol station list in the PID, it's probably wrong! 

 

 

[devonutopia]

That's the reserve.    I have done 30 miles through France on zero thanks to a lack of garages!  I ended up filling up in Belgium!  

[Stormchaser]

That's great to know

I haven't managed to get that low yet as it's so cheap to fill the Citigo

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[Tracked]

out of curiosity, how low was the fuel guage, and roughly how much further can you go when the needle dips into the red?

[Markyg]

On my car it generally says I have 40 miles left when it dips into the red.

Due to a **** up on my part once, I drove 30 miles with the range on 0 and indeed the fuel gauge on zero!

[Phil-E]

Most cars will carry on after 0. Once you are on 0 miles you're into the reserve which is normally a few litres.

 

I could do about 80 miles in my old Cordoba PD130 with it reading 0 miles.

 

It might say in the handbook how much fuel is in there once the guage is on the bottom and reading 0.

 

Best I ever managed was in my old Felicia L&K. Drving back from Isle of Skye and there were NO petrol stations. Pulled into Morrisions in Fort William and refueled. 45 litre tank and 44.6 litres went in. Was very low!

 

Phil

[999pooch]

I had quite the opposite on a Vectra many years ago.

Noticed that the range was at 5 miles, so started to head to a petrol station. As I was travelling down a dual carraigeway the range dropped to 0, and immediately the car conked out.

Fortunately I had enough momentum to coast into the garage a few hundred yards further!

[VRSD30]

I'm not brave enough to let my fuel drop to 0 miles, I fill up once the needle sits between 1/4 tank to empty.

[howley87]

I have always worked on the assumption that after it hits 0 i can get 30 miles!........ this theory doesn't apply to the Fiat, and ran out of fuel on the high street in Aberdeen! lol

[Didescharlie]

Great story though buddy - thanks for sharing. I've sweated it before now when the petrol station I was banking on was only taking cash due to an issue with the card machine so had to drive another 5 miles or so. Won't worry so much next time this happens.

 

Incidentally - I'd like to know how accurate the petrol station list is. A while ago when I visited my parents in their village the PID pointed me to a garage in the village for petrol. That garage only closed as a petrol vendor nearly 20 years ago!!!

[Elegance75]

Worst i have let it go was indicating 5 miles left, but that's good to know that you could do an extra 5 miles for instance

[Emil]

Fuel pump will be ruined if it runs dry. It should be immersed all the time. Fuel is the only thing which cools the pump. That's why gauge shows empty even though tank isn't empty. That's in general, but I reckon it's the same with Citigo. Better refuel early enough.

Not to mention that you can prevent water condensation when tank is full.

[Didescharlie]

Fuel pump will be ruined if it runs dry. It should be immersed all the time. Fuel is the only thing which cools the pump. That's why gauge shows empty even though tank isn't empty. That's in general, but I reckon it's the same with Citigo. Better refuel early enough.

Not to mention that you can prevent water condensation when tank is full.

 

I think you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who enjoys and regularly drives in this state. It's certainly a brown-trouser moment for a few miles when it happens.

[Scribbler]

I once used a quarter of a tank just trying to get out of Silverstone Carpark (field) after the British GP. they then send you the wrong way down a dual carriage way and I was in the middle of know where reading zero on the fuel. 30+ Miles later I found a BP garage it was like a mirage/oasis in the desert I didn't know if it was real or if my mind was playing tricks on me. My two passengers were very drunk and had fell asleep and were next to no use trying to navigate to a petrol station. Moral of that story is yes the reserve tank is quite large for when shh1t happens.

[Markyg]

Fuel pump will be ruined if it runs dry. It should be immersed all the time..

This is more the case for diesel where the fuel lubricates the pump and bearings. petrol isn't a very good lubricant or coolant hence if you put it in a modern diesel it tends to kill the HP pump quickly.

I ran out of fuel 3 times in my mk4 golf and took that to 175k

[Emil]

This is more the case for diesel where the fuel lubricates the pump and bearings. petrol isn't a very good lubricant or coolant hence if you put it in a modern diesel it tends to kill the HP pump quickly.

I ran out of fuel 3 times in my mk4 golf and took that to 175k

I agree, petrol isn't good lubricant. But it's the only thing which lubricate the fuel pump. Not enough fuel in the tank, fuel pump suffers from heat and lack of lubrication. So I was taught at school 25 years ago.

Diesel pump is another story. I don't know a lot about those modern electric high pressure diesel pumps. There wasn't such thing when I was at school.

[Didescharlie]

I agree, petrol isn't good lubricant. But it's the only thing which lubricate the fuel pump. Not enough fuel in the tank, fuel pump suffers from heat and lack of lubrication. So I was taught at school 25 years ago.

Diesel pump is another story. I don't know a lot about those modern electric high pressure diesel pumps. There wasn't such thing when I was at school.

I thought I had a pretty comprehensive education, but I don't remember "O" Level fuel pumps!

[Emil]

Sorry but I don't understand what you mean.

[Damo]

Haha

Emil.. Charlie was making a joke of your comment regarding learning about fuel pumps at school

Just the english sense of humour

[Emil]

Oh, I see. I like the "Little Britain".   

 

Silly me, I thought he doesn't believe me.

It was a school to us. In two years they taught basics which are needed to be a car mechanic. In the school they never talked about "O level fuel pumps", so I don't know what it is.

[Didescharlie]

I'd just like to add that I've never found LIttle Britain funny.

[Maverick vRS]

An "O level" is a British exam system, short for "ordinary level" - they have now been replaced by the "GCSE".

My old fiat cinquecento conked out with over 1/4 tank left... Bloody fiat...

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[Didescharlie]

Is it only me that's amazed at fuel pumps being part of the Finnish schools curriculum?

[DGW]

It seems so - but watch this space.

[Didescharlie]