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Gas Mileage Answered

1K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  ixl4 
#1 ·
Well, at least for me.
I always wondered how many actual miles I can make on one tank of ,y 4.0L.
The low-fuel light would usualy go on around about 190 mi or so. Well, I took a little tank with me, filled her up, and drove mildly to see how long it would go for. The low-fuel light went on at around 200, and the gauge was laying flat on empty with no more to go around 230. The engine died at 293 miles. So heres my answer. All of those were city miles, and after doing the claculations, the mileage came out to 15.23 miles per gallon.
I had to do it, so if you were planning on doing the same thing, it may save you the trouble.
 
#3 ·
You know thats not really good for your engine, right? Lets all the crap thats settled at the bottom of your tank go through the system. To each his own. But you're saying that you got another 63 miles after the guage pegged out empty? 93 miles after the light? Thats crazy! Ever see that Seinfeld where they try to see how far their car will go before it runs out of gas? Nevermind, thats just what your story reminds me of. Good info though.
 
#4 ·
Yeah the light is supposed to come on ~ 3-4 gal left, and then it should go below the empty line with 1-2 gals left. However, if you shut the engine off I think when you turn it back on the system sees low gas and just bottoms out the gauge. I've had this happen before, when my light came on, I finished driving home.. about a mile or so, and the next morning the gauge showed below E, even though I knew there were about 3-4 gal left in the tank.
 
#5 ·
It's a 4.0L auto, and I do know that it is not good for the engine, but after hearing the various info on gauges from different people, I had to do it myself. Hope the info from this little experiment is helpful to some.
 
#6 ·
Only thing running out of fuel is bad for is the fuel pump The pick-up is at the lowest practical point as is. If tank has some debris it will stick to the sock/strainer at the end of the pick-up. Smaller solid matter that pass through the strainer will get stopped at the fuel filter. Now at a gas station the pickup is a few inches off bottom and a little water will stay at the bottom.
 
#7 ·
I have a 4.0 2003 auto with about 13000 miles. I'm averaging 17ish mpg. getting 300 miles just as its on "E". It then takes 17.5 gallons, supposedly having 1.5 gallons left. Thats flat highway driving.

IXL.... good job on the research, testing the limits of man and machine! :D
 
#11 ·
LOL.
Yeah, the other day this helicopter kept hovering in the air above the highway for about an hour, and I thought he ran out of fuel.
 
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