I ran out of fuel !

[Fluids]

Well, after 7 months of ownership I managed to run out of diesel .... 774kms and the bloody fuel guage still says 1/8 tank left (1/2 way between empty & 1/4) ... and the fuel light did NOT come on either. I've been running it a little further each fill to try & get an idea of how accurate the fuel guage is .... hmmmmm .... _isn't_ would be a better term. :mad: ... so far, best distance I've seen before filling is 793km (for 90L.)

Spent sunday arvo playing on Stockton beach (left home with 1/4 tank, returned with an 1/8 approx'). Stockton Beach is like 500m away from home. Drove to work this morning, 5km trip, and as I pulled in the driveway she just stopped dead ... coasted into my carparking space ... hmmmm ... scratch head ... think .... turn ignition on and stick head under back rhs wheel .... yep, air in fuel system/filter .... prime/bleed fuel system 4 times and try to restart ... almost, but no cigar. Definitley fuel. Got none! ... and it just stoppd dead without any glitch, hiccup or warning :o .... means we came off the beach yesterday arvo with maybe 1/2 litre of diesel available ... we could have been stuck on the beach!

So I jerry can 10L in and then drive 7km to the servo to fill ... and put 85.82L in ... take off about 0.82L to get there, and it's 85L + 10L from the jerry cans ... and that's 95L. Talk about having little or no margin for error :angel:

So, is it possible to (or is it worth it) pull the fuel pump and reset / re-adjust / re-calibrate the fuel level sender ? If not, then at least I know where my end point is ... Most I've ever put in before this was about 93L with the guage showing about 1/8 tank left and no fuel light ... making me believe I had at least another 10-15L available ... not so now it seems.

That's 95L squeezed to the top of the filler neck ... so my 95L capacity is just that ... from pump cut-off to squeezed full I get another 8L in, but that's NOT extra capacity, that's part of my 95L :eek:

So, there you have it. Fill up at 1/4 tank left in future! :)

Here endeth the story.
Kev..

[Barefoot Dave]

G'Day Kev, Thanks for the story.
That was a close call mate. Happy for taking it easy at some stage during the day, giving you the extra 300 mL?
My ear's tuned into the change in frequency of the pump when the tank is too low. I also find the last 1/8th a little variable.
Cheers, Dave.

[Blknight.aus]

if the fuel pump has ever been replaced in the past you may find that you have a deefer fuel pump in the tank.

[Fluids]

if the fuel pump has ever been replaced in the past you may find that you have a deefer fuel pump in the tank.

Really ? Please explain the difference / reason for problem if it has been Deeferd ...

Any way to tell without removing it from the tank (like, markings on the top maybe ?)

Thanks

[Blknight.aus]

the deefer pump is a little shorter and the sensor arm is different. as its only ment to be in a 75l useable tank.

you might also find that you have cracked the hosing on the pump or the pickup line so its sucking air when its low.

if youve got the fuel at the filler neck then you have overfilled the tank by several liters by using up all of the ullage space thats supposed to be in the tank.

[Fluids]

Thanks Dave. If I take the pump out I'll check for suction leaks. Looking closer in RAVE i see it does say "a useable 95L" can be had from a tank...

I used 95L ... who am I too complain! :)

Thanks for the assistance.
Kev..

[LandyAndy]

I was in the city last week.I ignored the light for a while,when I decided its time to give BlackBetty a slurp there wasnt a servo to be seen.
91 liters when I found one:eek::eek::eek:
Andrew

[Bundalene]

Also, all the Defender pumps I have removed have had a black top end of the pump assembly and the Disco pumps have been white.

Erich

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I was in the city last week.I ignored the light for a while,when I decided its time to give BlackBetty a slurp there wasnt a servo to be seen.
91 liters when I found one:eek::eek::eek:
Andrew

on the purchase drive back from VB Land I did the same, thinking 14 litres, 14 litres, 14 litres,,
30 kays later put 93l in,,,:eek:

[JohnF]

I always carry a 10 L jerr can of Diesel in the back of my car, so if we run out we can get to garage. Have had fuel gauge on EMpty but never run out. Use the Jerry can fuel occasionally so you always have fairly fresh fuel in the can is perhaps a good Idea.

[Fluids]

Do any of you get the low fuel warning light come on when your tank is approaching empty ?? ... supposed to be at 9L remaining.

[Basil135]

Do any of you get the low fuel warning light come on when your tank is approaching empty ?? ... supposed to be at 9L remaining.

I have had it come on, driven for probably another 10km, then added 86L of diesel.

So, the approximately 9L remaining mark seems fairly accurate. That said, I try not to let the needle drop below the 1/4 remaining mark before refilling.

I said try. SWMBO seems to try to see if we can make it to the shops, work, shops then home again with the light on. So far, so good...

[stevo68]

I did the same when Smokey was stock standard...wanted to see how far I could go. Thankfully when it conked out I was just going into a servo and managed to roll up to the bowser. Problem was...it wouldn't start. Long story short...found the instructions of turning key on/off...on/off X amount of times then it burst into life.

First and last time. Now when light comes on I fill up with a reasonable amount of KM's. Invariably I average putting in around 83-86litres each time.

Regards

Stevo

[nealo]

My old 2 door was a bit thirsty, and I could never afford to fill it up...hence the fuel light was always on...running out of fuel was a weekly occurence...my Mrs wouldn't bring me fuel in the end:angel:

[Gold_TD5]

Do any of you get the low fuel warning light come on when your tank is approaching empty ?? ... supposed to be at 9L remaining.

Only a couple of times, I'm not in the habit of running it low but when I did it took 85 odd litres to fill.
I normally put 75lts to my 750 K's at 1/4 of a tank, never really varys.

Cheers Lionel