Squeezing every last drop out of your gas tank before filling up is tempting but in an effort to save a little time you may be causing damage to your fuel pump. Fuel pump installations on domestic vehicles costs from $600-$800 and European models $1000-$1200.
AC Delco says that overheating of the fuel pump is one of the top causes of damage and failure. Because the fuel in the tank cools the fuel pump, when the tank is very low heat can build up quickly. Today’s direct injection vehicles run very high fuel pressures, creating even more heat. Running out of gas causes even more stress on the fuel pump. Running a vehicle out of gas even once could cause permanent damage.
Most vehicles on the road today have a low fuel light that comes on when the tank is down to a couple of gallons of fuel. At this point there is still enough fuel to cool the pump, but if it is driven further to near empty, premature wear or damage could occur. Keep your cool and fill up on time.
