When do you REFUEL?

[The_Paper_Cut]

Usually when it gets down to 1/4. But if I’m my range is within 50 miles to how far I plan on driving then I will fill up beforehand. And always fill before heading out the the trails or long trips

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[JimLee]

We had 2 major earthquakes in July of 2019, 6.4 followed by a 7.1 a day later, local gas stations were closed except one that had a line about a mile long and was running out of fuel quickly. We were thinking one more big quake and we are outta here, headed to Vegas or Utah. Jeep had about 1/4 tank, second option was possibly bug out in the wife's Kia which was full. Needless to say the Jeep now never gets below 3/4 of a tank.

 

[wibornz]

I have put 20.4 gallon of fuel in my JLUR. Usually I fill up between a 1/4 and a 1/2..

 

[Oldbear]

Fuel pump is cooled by the fuel in the tank. Fuel pump life is dramatically impacted in a negative way if it is not cooled properly...

And... the first time in your life that you have a major disaster, a medical emergency in regard to you or your family and similar occurrences, where you need to go somewhere a tad distant, NOW in your vehicle, is the last day that you will routinely let your gas gauge go below say half tank.

I dunno, but you sound like a mature individual. I agree 150%. When “on the road” I’ll let it get down to 1/4 before I fuel, but around home it gets topped off every time it gets “close” to 1/2. Been there done that with the emergency thing. For those who routinely let one get low, ask yourself one question “ what happens if there is a power outage in your area (for ANY reason) snow, ice, brownout/blackout, tornado, etc, etc. And the local stations can’t pump gas. (And Yes, it CAN happen) If you’re close to empty, what would YOU do? Also, as noted, fuel cools the fuel pump, run low and the pump gets hot/wears a LOT quicker. I like knowing I get get in my vehicle and drive at least 200 miles without worrying about fuel if I need to.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Fuel pump is cooled by the fuel in the tank. Fuel pump life is dramatically impacted in a negative way if it is not cooled properly...

And... the first time in your life that you have a major disaster, a medical emergency in regard to you or your family and similar occurrences, where you need to go somewhere a tad distant, NOW in your vehicle, is the last day that you will routinely let your gas gauge go below say half tank.

I've commuted for 20+ years and routinely run down to fumes. Every commuter I've owned has made 200k plus miles and none has ever needed a new fuel pump. If the life of the fuel pump was effected at all, let alone in a dramatic way, you must get 500k+ out of a fuel pump? My 06 Yaris had nearly 300k on the original clutch when it was totaled by someone making a left turn into the front bumper at speed. My personal experience says it's an old wives tale. Maybe I'll need a fuel pump at 300k instead of 350k, but if you add up all the time I saved making half as many fuel stops in that 300k miles I'm 100% certain that my time is worth far more than the price of that fuel pump anyway. Factor in the fact that you are routinely carrying an extra 100 lbs every time you drive your vehicle and I might even argue that the extra wear and tear over the life of the vehicle is worse because you keep the tank topped off? With the 5 vehicles in the driveway, I'm sure I could siphon more gas than the Jeep will hold even if it were empty in a fuelless apocalypse.

 

[bgj1010]

Wondering about the different personalities and opinions on when do you refuel and why? In other words, how low do you let the tank get before you fill up again? Half way, Quarter tank, Yellow warning light, Lowest red mark on gauge, Running on fumes?
I am guilty of letting it get to the lowest mark on the gauge before filling up the tank again.

Anytime after it hits 100mi RTE. I just like knowing I have enough to bug out quick if the shit hits the fan Not a fan of running on E out of fear of running out

 

[DOCXKT]

I normally fill up once a week at shell on tuesdays since I get a extra 20-25 cents off a gallon. My tank is normally half way.

 

[Heimkehr]

Trucks and trains carry huge volumes of all manner of flammable, explosive, toxic and other undesirable materials through here constantly. Including radioactive waste. If the worst occurred and we had to evacuate, we have a little cabin in the boondocks 120 miles from here. A half tank of gas would get us there. We'd just have to grab a couple of things and go.

I don't want to be the 127th fool in line at the gas station trying to fill up to get out of town.

I used to be a Boy Scout: "Be prepared"

In that vein, give a thought to keeping one or two 5 gallon fuel containers on hand in the garage or shed, filled with stabilized fuel. It'd be easy enough to be the first fool out of town, with the containers now stowed in the back of the Jeep as a hedge against a not-full fuel tank.

If carrying gas inside the passenger area is not preferred, consider the variety of external RotoPAX containers and mounts available for our Wranglers.

Signed,
Also a former Scout

 

[west tex]

In that vein, give a thought to keeping one or two 5 gallon fuel containers on hand in the garage or shed, filled with stabilized fuel. It'd be easy enough to be the first fool out of town, with the containers now stowed in the back of the Jeep as a hedge against a not-full fuel tank.

If carrying gas inside the passenger area is not preferred, consider the variety of external RotoPAX containers and mounts available for our Wranglers.

Signed,
Also a former Scout

If I left town with half a tank, I'd get to our cabin with about 1/8. And there are plenty of rural gas stations in between where I'd be able to top off, unless it was a really widespread disaster.

I do keep a couple of fuel cans with stabilized gas at our cabin.

Just in case.

 

[Arterius2]

I've commuted for 20+ years and routinely run down to fumes. Every commuter I've owned has made 200k plus miles and none has ever needed a new fuel pump. If the life of the fuel pump was effected at all, let alone in a dramatic way, you must get 500k+ out of a fuel pump? My 06 Yaris had nearly 300k on the original clutch when it was totaled by someone making a left turn into the front bumper at speed. My personal experience says it's an old wives tale. Maybe I'll need a fuel pump at 300k instead of 350k, but if you add up all the time I saved making half as many fuel stops in that 300k miles I'm 100% certain that my time is worth far more than the price of that fuel pump anyway. Factor in the fact that you are routinely carrying an extra 100 lbs every time you drive your vehicle and I might even argue that the extra wear and tear over the life of the vehicle is worse because you keep the tank topped off? With the 5 vehicles in the driveway, I'm sure I could siphon more gas than the Jeep will hold even if it were empty in a fuelless apocalypse.

My thoughts exactly.
Different people are at different stages in their life, and value their time differently. And I respect that.
There is no dictated rule on when to fuel your tank, and don’t let yourself be affect by these with some sort of superiority complex just because they do it this way etc.
Life is too short to be anal about everything.

Just remember, these cars are designed to be driven by people who knows absolutely nothing about cars. What we talk about here, 99.9% of the population will never even care for.

It’s like this conversation I’ve had with a successful entrepreneur friend, and I’ve learned a lot from him on how to value your time better. He told me that the way he sees it, instead of spending that time tinkering here and there on seemingly meaningless things, his time can be better used to by making bank, he told me the time I spend on my Jeep, he could have bought 10 more with that time.

 

[Vinman]

I see the old “fuel pump cooling” wives tale is still going strong.
I’ve owned about 35 vehicles over 41 years and have yet to replace a fuel pump, regardless of how low I run on fuel.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

I see the old “fuel pump cooling” wives tale is still going strong.
I’ve owned about 35 vehicles over 41 years and have yet to replace a fuel pump, regardless of how low I run on fuel.

Some older guys like ourselves (I'm 72) give little credence to... do not to get it lets say, the fact that the fuel pump today, in most vehicles, resides in plastic fuel tank of the vehicle and is cooled by the fuel itself.

In the past for us old guys/gals, this assuring the fuel pump was cooled, wasn't a problem because the fuel pump was located outside of the fuel tank, out in the open.......thus, it did not rely on the fuel in the fuel tank to help keep it cool.

Also, back in the day, if a fuel pump failed it was not that big a deal as it didn't cost as much to replace a fuel pump since it was easier to get to.... it was not in the fuel tank..

Anyway, when the fuel level falls below the fuel pump, the pump starts taking in air, which then generates more heat. This increased heat / overheating, can cause the fuel pump to wear out faster than normal or even cause it to fail completely if it gets too hot.

Most mechanics that are current and knowledgeable and most tech references that you read, tell you to keep at least a 1/4 tank of fuel in the fuel tank if the fuel pump is located in same.

.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Very common for older guys like ourselves (I'm 72) to give little credence to the fact that the fuel pump, today, in most vehicles, resides in plastic fuel tank of the vehicle and is cooled by the fuel itself. (It makes common sense)

In the past for us old guys/gals, this assuring the fuel pump was cooled, wasn't a problem because the fuel pump was located outside of the fuel tank, out in the open.......thus, it did not rely on the fuel in the fuel tank to help keep it cool.

Also, back in the day, if a fuel pump failed it was not that big a deal as it didn't cost as much to replace a fuel pump since it was easier to get to.... it was not in the fuel tank..

Anyway, when the fuel level falls below the fuel pump, the pump starts taking in air, which then generates more heat. This increased heat / overheating, can cause the fuel pump to wear out faster than normal or even cause it to fail completely if it gets too hot.

Most mechanics that are current and knowledgeable and most tech references that you read, tell you to keep at least a 1/4 tank of fuel in the fuel tank if the fuel pump is located in same.

.

The old pumps were bolted to the block and therefore at least 100⁰ hotter than the tank will ever get. The evaporative action of gasoline is endothermic by nature thereby cooling the inside of the tank bellow ambient air temp. I'd be willing to bet the inside of the fuel tank is generally 15⁰ or more bellow ambient, guess what the under hood temp is?

 

[calemasters]

Wondering about the different personalities and opinions on when do you refuel and why? In other words, how low do you let the tank get before you fill up again? Half way, Quarter tank, Yellow warning light, Lowest red mark on gauge, Running on fumes?
I am guilty of letting it get to the lowest mark on the gauge before filling up the tank again.

When the low fuel warning chime/light comes on. If on a road trip through the desert where there are not many fuel stations, between 1/4 and 1/2 tank. I do not want to become dinner for Wile E. Coyote .

 

[Cthehentz]

I try and keep all the cars full, three Land Rovers and the Jeep. I have issues lol.

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