The first and probably only time I have filled up any of my trucks. Kept tabs on the mileage and watched the low fuel light. I don't have the cash to fill it up again right now but what kind of mileage am I getting? I think I read that there is 7 gallons left when the light comes on? So even if I had just five gallons left and I used 25 that works out to 25.68 mpg, right? This is on my 91.5 auto, maybe I should bump the timing.

 

The wife's truck regularly gets down to a 24-gallon fill-up without the "low fuel" light coming on.


If you want to check mileage and are too poor to fill up, start with a FULL tank with mileage and date written down, on this same card/paper, write down the exact gallons that are put in each time a small amount is added, if and when you ever are able to fill it up again, just add up all the gallons and figure the mileage from the last fill-up.


Fuel must be getting pretty high when one can't afford to top off a weeny little 30-gallon tank.

 

I put 29 gallons in mine the only time I saw the "low fuel" light. I don't wanna see it again...

 

i got 800 km and that was with a full tank and drove with the light for atleast 80km is that good 800 k for a stock
4x4

 

I usually put 22-26 when mine comes on.

 

fuel gauge dont work and odom dont work but low fuel light does so when it comes on i fill up. its down to about $110- 120 now but I have put $150 in it.

 

What happened to diesel down there ??
Not too many yrs ago NE Tx had $1.35/ gal. When I left in 2004 it was only $1.52/gal...

 

$4.79 its down to $4.04 now

 

Seems like there is quite a spread in values given by the low fuel light. I thought it would be a little more consistant from truck to truck. When I filled the truck it took 25.XX gallons and the light had been on for a while, so at that point I had 4.XX gallons. Maybe I'm not too far off figuring my light comes on around five or six gallons remaining.

 

That is the truth! The "low fuel" light is not something you want to rely on, you want to sneak up on it over the course of a few tanks. Push a little further every tank until you see it, don't just drive and wait for the light. I figured mine didn't work, I saw it when I was pushing the limits of my fuel capacity trying to reach cheap fuel. I already knew I was real low on fuel when the light came on.

 

What low fuel light? Where? Now I gotta dig out that owners manual...

 

hey so wat is teh capacity on our trucks. i have a 93 reg cab 3/4ton se. only seen teh low fuel light twice adn teh most i have put in was 25 gallons. thanks

 

We have a 30 gallon tank.

 

Mine came on after 25.5 gallons. 625 miles. This is before I did any tweaking. It'll probably do a little better now.

 

Here is how to check out your "low fuel" light and absolutely know exactly how much fuel is available as soon as it lights.


Park the truck on the level.

Disconnect the draw fuel-line at the tank.

Connect a fuel-line to the tank, then to an electric pump; stick the outfeed from the electric pump into a receptacle large enough to hold the fuel in the truck, or several small receptacles.

Put the wife or kid in the truck.

Turn the key ON.

Draw fuel out of the tank and STOP as soon as your assistant hollers "the light came on".

Now, start pumping the remaining fuel into a seperate receptacle(s), until it pumps dry.

This measurement is the amount of AVAILABLE fuel you have after the light comes on.

There can be anywhere from two to three gallons still sloshing around in there; but, if it won't suck out the draw-line, it may as well be in someone elses truck.



For a real accurate reading, replace the fuel and repeat the test several times, noting how close the results are each time.



Also, when replacing the fuel, observe the fuel-gauge and make notes of how much fuel makes 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and FULL.


Armed with this information, and a good idea of your average MPG, you can better avoid embarrassing yourself by running out of fuel.