I wanted to ask you guys if a story is true:
That if you habitually use all the gas in your tank you run the risk of damaging your fuel pump because the pump is dry.
If you would, please give your response and don't spare the details/stories. Thanks.
This is the case with most modern cars, but many older cars with external pumps do not have that problem.
Modern in-tank pumps use the fuel flow to cool the motor windings as well as for lubrication. They don't like running dry. You can try it out on the bench if you want to see one sieze up.
--scott
Assuming modern electric in-tank pumps: If you're not pushing your car in for a fillup all you're doing at worst is diminishing the life of the pump because there is less fuel in the tank to cool it. It's not submerged when the tank is nearly empty. So it runs a touch hotter so it won't last quite as long. But I doubt anyone has the statistical information to say how much exactly. It may not even be detectable over other wear and tear issues.
If you actually empty the tank and run it dry, you're probably damanging it because it's supposed to have fuel flowing through it when running.
On Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 4:46:48 AM UTC+8, geo pearl wrote: Recently, I had hose perish between the tank and fuel filter, so it leaked. Tank was low, and it pumped enough out of the leak that engine stalled. Fuel guage was now on red empty mark. Luckily it was a dual-fuel, so I got home on LPG. I tried to disable the pump, but couldn't. (If you pull out fuel fuse, then the ECU refused to fire). Now it was 20 minutes to get home. I put 5 litres into the tank, and repaired the hose. Surprisingly the pump still worked. That was at night. I expect in summer afternoon, it would have fried.
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