Is it harmful to drive a car until the gas runs outs and the car shuts off? It's a new chevy '08 Impala.?

Question

I'm running an experiment on E85 and Unleaded gas usage and just don't want to harm the vehicle but I do want to drive it until it shuts down due to gas depletion.

Answer 1

Yes it can hurt the fuel pump because the fuel in the tank lubricates and cools the pump. That is a big dollar fix. To perform your experiment you shouldn't need to run it empty anyway.

Just for ya know, E85 is less efficient than gasoline - no big secret there - and should not be used in a vehicle not designed to use it.

Answer 2

auto guru is correct.  the system is designed to use the fuel in the tank to help cool the fuel pump.  And, yes you could get any c**p that's in the tank to suck up into the filter but it would never get past the fuel pick up screen on the fuel sender assembly and the in line fuel filter.  In theory, using the fuel to help cool the pump sounds like a good idea.  But, I drove my 95 Buick Regal low on fuel all the time, running completely out of fuel more than a few times, up to over 250,000 miles on the original fuel pump.  So, is it a good idea to run the tank low on fuel all the time?  It's not helping it any but it definately could help in the long run.

Answer 3

not too harmful but if its a gas only vehicle dont drive for extended period of time after gas is gone it will ruin the battery

Answer 4

Running a car untill it is out of gas is not a good idea....The fuel pump in the tank also uses the fuel to cool the pump, try to keep the fuel level above an 1/8 a tank. Run the tank and pump dry will only cause a premature failure of the pump as well as a long walk to the station with a gas can

Answer 5

It wont hurt the car.. but you may need a new fuel pump since it is electric and will keep pumping gas (or trying to pump since there will not be any gas) until it burns up.

Answer 6

I will not happen anything if you do that for a couple of times. Do your test but be careful with your own safety and others. I’m figuring that you want to get the best miles per gallon versus cost. If that is the case, fill your tank and put you odometer to cero (your trip-meter). and next time you refill your tank in the same gas pump see how many miles you got with the gallons you putted in. Next, you simple divide you miles and the gallons and you have your consumption per gallon. Consider then the cost of each type of fuel per gallon.

Answer 7

The theory is that any c**p that's built up in the tank will go out, through your fuel pump(s) and into your fuel filter(s), gumming everything up and eventually getting into your engine.  I have no idea how realistic or common this is, but it's enough reason for me to never go that low, especially since you never really see the inside of your gas tank, or the tanks that you're getting your gas from.  Without that kind of common knowledge, it makes no sense to test the theory on a new car, and risk the thousands of dollars just to get to the next station.  

That being said, are you checking your MPG?  Do this next time.  Fill your car up and change the trip-meter to zero...just reset it (not your odometer, but your trip-meter).  Drive like normal, and then next time you fill up, check your receipt or the pump for how many gallons you took.  Take the miles you traveled in between fill-ups and divide that by how many gallons you took.  Typically, mine looks like this:

340 miles / 13.000 gallons = 26.154 miles per gallon.  

It's easier, and a lot safer than running your tank down.

I'd also change your filter like recommended since it's a new car.  Oil, oil filter and fuel filter would be my first stops for breaking in a new car.  

Finally, if it's an '08 GM, then it's probably "Flex Fuel", but if it's not, I don't think you can just willy-nilly run E85 through it.  I know with older cars especially, the rubbers and plastics--within the fuel lines and everything else it passes through--get eaten away by the higher 'alcohol' content of Ethanol.  Like I said, you're probably fine,but you'd better make sure just to be safe.