2.0TDi CR engine, running dry, whats the worst that could happen!!!!!

I finally pushed my running my tank down to the last drop too far, I have in the past deliberately run my TDi's out to see just how far they go beyond an indicated empty tank and zero mile remaining, and its a very very long way!

With the CR engine and the reports of fuel pumps disintegrating,  swarf circulating around the system, having to replace the entire fuel system, pumps, lines, injectors etc at great cost I never pushed my luck too far, the closest I had got was down the the last 0.5 litre coming off an autoroute.

Yesterday I drove 800km and had to stop for 5 hous=rs halfway so it was a very long day, I made the journey the week before with a tiny bit remaining from a tank, coming back the autoroute was fogbound, I missed my exit to the N10 so had to continue on the A10, a longer route via Bordeaux, it was however safer there as the traffic tends to disperse the fog.

I did the mental calcs and it was going to be very tight, not the first time for me, I reckoned I could make it home and just have enough for the  4 km to the filling station today, there was a classic car meeting going on beside it so instead of driving into the fuel pumps I parked up 300m further on and took in the cars and bikes in the 15° sunshine, well worth it, I saw for the first time ever a Shelby Daytona Coupé not only that it had driven there! It thundered on the way out.

My Yeti would not restart when I finally went to fill up, I had gone 300m too far 😀

Today has been a frustrating day trying to purge the fuel system and its 3 pumps using the useless as usual VCDS which refused to run the initial filling procedure (both electric pumps running) I had to be towed home and frig around for ages (I will create a topic) but it eventually started.

I had been very concerned about running the pumps when dry and the amount of time the engine was cranking without fuel but I am pleased to have disproved the recieved wisdom, no damage was done whatsoever.

Everyone that I have known over the years who has run dry a VAG CR diesel and been towed to a garage ahs ended up being charged thousands of Euros to replace the whole fuel injection system, 6 or 7 if not more and have heard the same thing about many others, there's no doubt that had my car been towed to the closest garage (which is what all the breakdown policies do even if you are 100m from home) then the same would have happened, they are on a kickback from the garages, no matter what a vehicle is recovered for other than say a puncture they are given a quote for mega money and end up losing their vehicle if they can't pay.

Edited 1 December, 20241 yr by J.R.