The Dangers of Running Your Vehicle on Empty

In these days of soaring gas prices, we might be tempted to wring every last bit of mileage out of our vehicles before refueling. We pull into the gas station - car or truck sputtering and struggling, practically drawing on fumes - feeling pleased with ourselves for having squeezed out all that performance for the money spent. The problem is that we could soon be spending a lot more money on repairs if we continue to treat our vehicles this way.

Like our own bodies, engines run best on a good diet. The main nutrients they require are fuel and air - the cleaner the better, and with a fine balance struck between the two. Fuel filters are very similar to air filters, but smaller, and they catch dirt and other contaminants before those particles can reach the carburetor or fuel injector - the systems responsible for mixing the air and fuel that engines need to run.

The specks of dirt and other particles that are caught by fuel filters naturally accumulate at the bottom of every gas tank over time. They form grime that is essentially harmless so long as it remains there, but when the fuel level in the tank gets crucially low (i.e., when we're driving with the gas gauge on "E") the fuel pump begins sucking it up along with the last little bit of gasoline. The contaminants, therefore, get forced through the fuel lines and reach the filter, which promptly gets clogged and needs replacing a lot sooner than it would have otherwise. Some of the dirt can even work passed the overloaded filter and reach the carburetor or fuel injector. A carburetor cleanout is an even greater expense than a replacement fuel filter.