Anyone with a Dodge truck experience?

[Babalonian]

that's actually one thing that i've only ever done twice...running out of gas that is. both times were faulty fuel gauges. the first time...there was no way in hell i was making it.
 the 2nd time was just a few months ago in my jeep./.....gauge was stuck just above half. going up a hill, she sputtered, and quit. thankfully i had enough energy to coast to the top, and the fuelpump got supplied again.
 i did everyting i could think of......built up speed, then coasted till i absolutley had to let the clutch out again......made it by the skin of my teeth.

 i try to never let my tank below half...when i can.

Yeah, I haven't had to milk a tank that bad since graduating myself, and even then in a Honda 2-gallons could get me from anywhere to the nearest pump or even until the next paycheck if I had to.  Thankfuly in the Honda I had it liked sucking gas out of the rear passenger corner of it, so it liked going at an economical pace in the slow lane, even while going uphill, lol.  With the recent prices of gas I think I'll soon be playing the "how low will the needle go" game again though.

Should of started a new thread, this one is getting hijacked in twelve directions.


Edit: also, I've only "ran out" once ever, back when I was still in school.  I live on a hill, drove up, turned around and parked on the other side of the street, facing downhill, one warm Friday afternoon.  Come that chilly Sunday morning, forgot to get gas before then, no bueno...  so I just poped the clutch and rolled it downhill, and that got the lines enough fuel to get me a couple miles to the station.  Ah to be young and dumb again.

[MaSonZ]

Yeah, I haven't had to milk a tank that bad since graduating myself, and even then in a Honda 2-gallons could get me from anywhere to the nearest pump or even until the next paycheck if I had to.  Thankfuly in the Honda I had it liked sucking gas out of the rear passenger corner of it, so it liked going at an economical pace in the slow lane, even while going uphill, lol.  With the recent prices of gas I think I'll soon be playing the "how low will the needle go" game again though.

Should of started a new thread, this one is getting hijacked in twelve directions.

sadly. But its an interesting conversation between you two. very intellectual. 

[Shuffler]

The original intent of the thread was played out.

As for running out of fuel.... your system will last much longer if you never let that fuel get low in the first place.

[CAP1]

Yeah, I haven't had to milk a tank that bad since graduating myself, and even then in a Honda 2-gallons could get me from anywhere to the nearest pump or even until the next paycheck if I had to.  Thankfuly in the Honda I had it liked sucking gas out of the rear passenger corner of it, so it liked going at an economical pace in the slow lane, even while going uphill, lol.  With the recent prices of gas I think I'll soon be playing the "how low will the needle go" game again though.

Should of started a new thread, this one is getting hijacked in twelve directions.


Edit: also, I've only "ran out" once ever, back when I was still in school.  I live on a hill, drove up, turned around and parked on the other side of the street, facing downhill, one warm Friday afternoon.  Come that chilly Sunday morning, forgot to get gas before then, no bueno...  so I just poped the clutch and rolled it downhill, and that got the lines enough fuel to get me a couple miles to the station.  Ah to be young and dumb again.

 yea, thread hijacking seems to be the norm here.....but it's not been hijacked in a bad way though.
 the conversation is staying basically on motorvehicles, and could prove somewhat useful to the op in a roundabout sort of way. 

[CAP1]

The original intent of the thread was played out.

As for running out of fuel.... your system will last much longer if you never let that fuel get low in the first place.

but do you know why young patawan? 

[Shuffler]

It only takes once replacing an in tank fuel pump. Not to mention the possibility of any water in system or the trash.

[Babalonian]

The original intent of the thread was played out.

As for running out of fuel.... your system will last much longer if you never let that fuel get low in the first place.

Understood, a couple of you fine gentlemen were the first to point out to me that a part of the fuel pumps placement is so it can swim in the tank for cooling itself off during operation.  Mostly I hated doing it because at the time it was a 15+ year old honda sucking up lord-knows-15-yo deposits floating around in the bottom of that tank, couldn't of been any good.  

Luckily though it's head gasket cracked (thuroughly) chugging up the sepulveda pass before anything else major ever failed on it, I loved that '86 civic hatchback and all of it's last 430k miles I put on it, so that was the fork stuck in it, what...  5 or 6 summers ago (technicaly, it was about 1/4-1/2 mile after I already crested the top of the pass and was heading steep downhill and thankfuly at idle with the clutch in, so I was able to roll at a good clip to the shoulder and eventualy off the freeway... manuals FTW!).

[CAP1]

It only takes once replacing an in tank fuel pump. Not to mention the possibility of any water in system or the trash.

 water's fairly uncommon in fuel these days, unless you let it set for a long period of time.

 i forget which thread......the one where i posted all the EVAP stuff.......we touched on fuel pumps there too. if they're in the tank, you'll find they're very small. they're in there to keep em cool, and will become exposed to air at about a quarter of a tank.

 one thing they've done to try to aleviate that, is to put the pump in a "module" assembly. this keeps the pump submerged somewhat even when the fuel level goes too low.

[Babalonian]

but do you know why young patawan? 

Did you really have to beg the question?  

water's fairly uncommon in fuel these days, unless you let it set for a long period of time.

 i forget which thread......the one where i posted all the EVAP stuff.......we touched on fuel pumps there too. if they're in the tank, you'll find they're very small. they're in there to keep em cool, and will become exposed to air at about a quarter of a tank.

 one thing they've done to try to aleviate that, is to put the pump in a "module" assembly. this keeps the pump submerged somewhat even when the fuel level goes too low.

I was under the impression, at least in my earleir model Hondas that I played dodge the gas needle with, their fuel pumps and assemblies inside the tank were mounted or "leashed" (had some freedom but generaly stayed within the same area) to one of the rear corners of the tanks, the logic seemed to me that if you're gonna run outa gas it'll be after cresting a hill and while starting to travel down hill or at the very least you wouldn't run out of gas or have a sputter while chugging up it.  Not my current mechanic but my previous Honda mechanic (as a mechanic, you know what that means eventualy happened to that relationship) always mentioned to me that because their pumps constantly sucked gas from the bottom of the tank that was a reason to change the fuel filters (his words, "at least") about every other oil change.

[CAP1]

Did you really have to beg the question?  



I was under the impression, at least in my earleir model Hondas that I played dodge the gas needle with, their fuel pumps and assemblies inside the tank were mounted or "leashed" (had some freedom but generaly stayed within the same area) to one of the rear corners of the tanks, the logic seemed to me that if you're gonna run outa gas it'll be after cresting a hill and while starting to travel down hill or at the very least you wouldn't run out of gas or have a sputter while chugging up it.  Not my current mechanic but my previous Honda mechanic (as a mechanic, you know what that means eventualy happened to that relationship) always mentioned to me that because their pumps constantly sucked gas from the bottom of the tank that was a reason to change the fuel filters (his words, "at least") about every other oil change.

 i'd have to go look and see where it's mounted. you mentioned yours was an 86. it could be carbonated, or injected. i think there were something like 3 filters on the carbonated models, while the injected models only had one.
 generally on injected models, you'll find the pump somewhere near the center of the tank, and there are generally "bath tubs" surrounding them to prevent fuel sloshing from starving the pump(another FAST way to kill those older pumps)
 in tank pumps are generally not able to move either.

 almost all fuel pumps have a filter screen on the intake end of them, to help keep the nasty poop out of them.

[MaSonZ]

but do you know why young patawan? 

everything in the bottom of the tank gets sucked into your fuel filter..and what gets through that goes into your whole fuel system. lettin stuff get in your fuel filter is about as wise as letting your fuel level get that low to begin with, correct?

[CAP1]

everything in the bottom of the tank gets sucked into your fuel filter..and what gets through that goes into your whole fuel system. lettin stuff get in your fuel filter is about as wise as letting your fuel level get that low to begin with, correct?

not this time......cooling. pumps run hot if out of the liquid.

 next time i do a fuel pump, i'll snap a picture of the inside of the tank. believe it or not, there's not as much crap on the bottom of the tank in modern cars as one would think. 

[MaSonZ]

not this time......cooling. pumps run hot if out of the liquid.

 next time i do a fuel pump, i'll snap a picture of the inside of the tank. believe it or not, there's not as much crap on the bottom of the tank in modern cars as one would think. 

interesting. hard to believe thayt gas keeps something cool considering its so flammable 

[CAP1]

interesting. hard to believe thayt gas keeps something cool considering its so flammable 

oooo....ima gonna make heads explode now. 

did you know that gasoline is not a flammable liquid? 

[MaSonZ]

oooo....ima gonna make heads explode now. 

did you know that gasoline is not a flammable liquid? 

your right, its the vapors. forgot about that. thew actual liquid ewould put a fire out.