Fuel

[Mirkz]

Hey all,

Have had a couple of people tell me now that I shouldn't run the VT's tank much lower than quarter full before filling up.
Now I've always been the type of person who fills a tank, runs it near empty and then refuels, in order to make sure the whole tank is being used etc. (being that I only just got the VT, I'm yet to do this though).

Just wondering what everyone's opinion would be?
Is using the whole tank going to be bad for fuel pump/injectors or should I refuel when there's just under quarter tank left?

[W84N01]

Usually it's not a good idea to, especially in the VTs or with vehicles that have the fuel pump in the boot, as it will struggle and run dry when the fuel is below at least 1/4, hence having to frequently replace the fuel pump, plus you get the dirty fuel being sucked up from the bottom of the tank, plus whatever other little bits and pieces that float around down there.

I hate my gauge siting anywhere near the 1/4 mark, i like to keep it up as much as possible myself.

[ari666]

petrol sits on top of water, so if the fuel level is low then your risk picking up the water on the bottom of your tank, but on a modern(ish) car, i didnt think that would be a probem.

[mike_is_bored316]

[QUOTE=Mirkz;1536949]Hey all,

Have had a couple of people tell me now that I shouldn't run the VT's tank much lower than quarter full before filling up.
Now I've always been the type of person who fills a tank, runs it near empty and then refuels, in order to make sure the whole tank is being used etc. (being that I only just got the VT, I'm yet to do this though).

From experience with my old vs i wouldnt suggest running it close to empty i had the fuel pump shit itself aswell most likely from letting it run down too low to be safe just fill up after 400/450km, I also like to fill up and run it almost dry then refuel because i like to only fill up once a week its easier to monitor how many km im getting out of a full tank

[coolvxss]

I fill up every wed, some weeks i do a lot of Ks and gets very close to empty(computer says 5km till empty) havnt had probs yet. but have only had my car for about 8 months.

[Maxxiz]

That was my original plan when I started driving, not to go below 1/2 or 1/4 but turns out I usually use a tank a week, and If I were to fill up on the weekend I'd be paying alot more than if I did on a Wednesday.

[Big_Simmo]

I fill up the calais when its between 1/4 and empty....or when fuel is cheaper :P only been on the road since jan but i had no problems

[Mirkz]

Cheers for all the input guys,
Will be something that I guess I'll just roll with and see what happens haha

[Big_Simmo]

Got pics yet Mirkz??

[VYMAD]

Pretty much what they said. Personally, I don't like it much under a quarter because it is a known fact that doing so risks picking up shit from bottom of the tank. Recently in the VY I let it get down to 70 odd k's to empty and after I filled the tank right up, the guage took an hour or so to come right up to full, although it's been working fine ever since. This just re-inforced my belief about not letting the tank go down past 1/4 too far.

[Mirkz]

Simmo, nothing yet unfortunately, should be able to get some pics this weekend.
Keep forgetting to get the camera out hahaha!

[VR38]

I find it funny when people say that you will pick up stuff off the bottom of the tank if you run it empty, the pick up is positioned at the bottom of the tank if it is full or empty, so floaties yes but anything on the bottom of the tank may get picked up regardless.

[Drewie]

When I had my VT company car I worked night shift and often could'nt be bothered stopping at 3am or what ever to fill up, I constantly ran mine right down, numerous times I had seen
'0 km to empty' on the trip computer, had that car for 3 to 4 years and never had any problems with it.

[caaf]

Regardless of picking up dirty fuel ect.. There's always that potential in any circumstance. To my knowledge, one of the main reason is the pump actually utilises the fuel to keep a moderate cool temperature.. Also keep in mind that the pump's are normally encapsulated in a foam insulator/arrestor. If you continually allow the fuel to fall below 25% it can and will heat up (not over heat) and when you pop into the petrol station and begin to fill the tank that sudden drop in temp is what can knock the bugger on the head.

[piston_broke]

I always like to keep my tank as full as possible, because of the simple reason that the less fuel you've got in your tank, means more condensation.
And as we all know, condensation means water, and i wouldn't be sitting here typing this now if i found a way to get 'em to run on water.
So what it comes down to is, the more fuel you've got in the tank, the less water you're going to accumulate over time.
That's just my opinion, everyone to their own

[VYMAD]

I always like to keep my tank as full as possible, because of the simple reason that the less fuel you've got in your tank, means more condensation.
And as we all know, condensation means water, and i wouldn't be sitting here typing this now if i found a way to get 'em to run on water.
So what it comes down to is, the more fuel you've got in the tank, the less water you're going to accumulate over time.
That's just my opinion, everyone to their own

I agree, our workshop asks us to keep our trucks' diesel tanks full to prevent condensation build up. And that's a LOT of trucks across the state.

[flyjoe180]

That has always been my understanding of the reasons to keep the tank full, too.