Well leave it up to me to cost myself unnecessary money and headaches.
My fuel gauge is off so I had a 300 mile round trip planned so with my great intelligence and inquiring mind I said I’ll take 10 gallons of E85 with me and run the car til it runs out so I’ll know exactly where Empy is on the gauge. Well I Know exactly but it cost me greatly to find out. At half way between E and 1/4 tank it’s completely empty.
I knew that it was getting close just from using an average of 12 mpg from previous test and 17 gal tank so I got off the interstate and was going to just add the fuel well when I got off the interstate it died at the light about 200 yards from a safe place to refuel, so I just refueled right there at the light.
I know get to the point.
Heres where the fun begins. The car would not start only crank, so I assume that I blew the fuse from excessive cranking. All fuses are good. All us this is in the middle lane of the off ramp.
Checked the edash and zero fuel pressure. Ok I figured that I ruined the pump by running it in a dry tank. Then I remembered that I have dual pumps and the second one is activated by the Hobbs at 10psi so I bypass the Hobbs switch look at the edash and see 38 psi. I proceed to cranking the car and it starts so I drive over to right lane all while telling my wife how smart that I am for being able to figure this out and before I can finish pumping myself up the car dies and I coast into the gas stations parking lot. Zero psi on edash.
Fuses are still good
I understand what happened to the primary pump but what do you fellas think happened to the second pump. It shouldn’t have been hot because it only comes on at 10psi and wasn’t being used. I wouldn’t think that first pump got so hot that it could have damaged the second pump.
needless to say a 46 mile tow and at minimum to new pumps just to say that I know for a fact that with exactly 17 gallons of E85 with E content of 74 driving an average of 75 miles per hour on a 86 degree day on 275/60R 15 Mickey Thompson tires with 24 psi of air in them and one pissed of 148 lb wife in the passenger seat that my car is completely empty at 238 miles and the gauge exactly half way between E and 1/4 tank.
I hope that this helps someone so you won’t have to perform your own experiment.
thanks for your attention.
My fuel gauge is off so I had a 300 mile round trip planned so with my great intelligence and inquiring mind I said I’ll take 10 gallons of E85 with me and run the car til it runs out so I’ll know exactly where Empy is on the gauge. Well I Know exactly but it cost me greatly to find out. At half way between E and 1/4 tank it’s completely empty.
I knew that it was getting close just from using an average of 12 mpg from previous test and 17 gal tank so I got off the interstate and was going to just add the fuel well when I got off the interstate it died at the light about 200 yards from a safe place to refuel, so I just refueled right there at the light.
I know get to the point.
Heres where the fun begins. The car would not start only crank, so I assume that I blew the fuse from excessive cranking. All fuses are good. All us this is in the middle lane of the off ramp.
Checked the edash and zero fuel pressure. Ok I figured that I ruined the pump by running it in a dry tank. Then I remembered that I have dual pumps and the second one is activated by the Hobbs at 10psi so I bypass the Hobbs switch look at the edash and see 38 psi. I proceed to cranking the car and it starts so I drive over to right lane all while telling my wife how smart that I am for being able to figure this out and before I can finish pumping myself up the car dies and I coast into the gas stations parking lot. Zero psi on edash.
Fuses are still good
I understand what happened to the primary pump but what do you fellas think happened to the second pump. It shouldn’t have been hot because it only comes on at 10psi and wasn’t being used. I wouldn’t think that first pump got so hot that it could have damaged the second pump.
needless to say a 46 mile tow and at minimum to new pumps just to say that I know for a fact that with exactly 17 gallons of E85 with E content of 74 driving an average of 75 miles per hour on a 86 degree day on 275/60R 15 Mickey Thompson tires with 24 psi of air in them and one pissed of 148 lb wife in the passenger seat that my car is completely empty at 238 miles and the gauge exactly half way between E and 1/4 tank.
I hope that this helps someone so you won’t have to perform your own experiment.
thanks for your attention.