LOW FUEL light not on

[MAZDA Kitten]

A few days ago my car was almost on empty and I noticed my Low Fuel light didnt come on. So I put a little gas to see if it would happen.. strangely enough Im almost on empty now (one line to go). Where the light would come on before ... it doesnt anymore?

Anyone else experiencing this? I dont usually let it run out to Empty it was just one of those things. Could it be something with the cold weather?

[idreamofmazda]

How low should it go before the light comes on? I have never seen mine, but I haven’t gone below ¼ tank. To me it’s not a big deal if there was an idiot light or not, as I always go by the gauge. I don’t think it’s good to let your tank go too low, especially in the winter, and you never know when we will get another blackout, leaving the gas stations without a means of pumping gas.

[wongpres]

Saw the light once on my car (right as I pulled into the gas station). It was a long time ago, but if I remember correctly, I filled it up with around 47 litres, and the tank is 55 litres.

[chaser]

i don\'t fully trust the fuel gauge especially when it goes below 1/4 ... last time when the low fuel warning light came on, i think i needed ~45L to fill up the tank (i.e. ~10L in the tank) ... next time when you think the needle is low enough that the low fuel light should come on, go see how much litres you need to fill up the tank ... if you need more than 45L to fill it up, the sensor in the tank may not be working properly ... just my 2 cents.:)

[majic]

ever since the faulty gauge in our old 99 Grand Am, we\'ve been resetting the \'trip odometer\' to have 3ple protection.. the gauge itself, the warning light, and the mileage since last fill up. so knowing that you have 10-12L left when the light comes on.. you have about 100km to make it to the next station (depending of how you drive)

next time u fill up see if you can get more than 48-50L (10% error - light should come on at 43-45L used) then u know something is wrong (since your tank is 55L) and take it in..

also \"almost on empty\" may not mean much b/c the gauge might not actually give you the warning light till it hits the red line and then you STILL have your 10L reserve..

EDIT: oops.. i guess i waited too llong to reply and chaser took the words out of my mouth.. :p anwyay... same thing said in 2 ways :D

[MAZDA Kitten]

Originally posted by majic


next time u fill up see if you can get more than 48-50L (10% error - light should come on at 43-45L used) then u know something is wrong (since your tank is 55L) and take it in..


I just looked at my bill and it was 43 liters that I put in.
Both times it was PetroCanada gas this time I filled up with Sunoco.
So we\'ll see
thanks everyone

[fat mike]

You have to be basically on empty before the Light will come on. I am a pretty lazy person so I see my gas light fairly often lol. Dont put it off for to long because i did that about 3 weeks ago and when I finally decided to get gas I went out to my driveway got in my car and it wouldnt start up because I had no gas lol

[chaser]

Leaving low gas in the tank is not recommanded in winter since the gas will be frozen easier ... my 2cents

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by chaser


Leaving low gas in the tank is not recommanded in winter since the gas will be frozen easier ... my 2cents

gasoline doesn\'t freeze during the winter, unless in places at -72C.

it is the water/moisture (water found in cheap brand gas and moisture from the air) in the gas tank that freezes and will make your fuel pump work harder.

places that are extremely cold have block heater plugs in parking spots/lots to keep the engine warm (oil, coolant, etc) not the gas line.

[bluntman]

Is it still a good idea to use gas line antifreeze?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman


Is it still a good idea to use gas line antifreeze?

the major refineries add some form of anti-freeze as part of their winter formula.....sunoco\'s ethanol is already a natural anti-freeze....

so, no, you shouldn\'t have to add gas line anti-freeze :)

[ng3]

The last time my gas light was on I ended up putting in 42L at sunoco... so I guess it comes on when there\'s 10-12-13L left in the tank...