Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: Lauren Vogel bomb here. Experts say you should keep your
Speaker 1: gas tank at least a quarter full at all times. Obviously,
Speaker 1: doing so we'll keep you from getting in a dangerous
Speaker 1: situation where you're low on gas and too far from
Speaker 1: gas station to fill up. But there are other less
Speaker 1: obvious reasons to keep a little gas in your tank.
Speaker 1: Driving on an empty tank, or even one that's getting
Speaker 1: close to the dregs in the bottom, can cause damage
Speaker 1: to your car in a number of ways. You won't
Speaker 1: get very far driving on empty, but in the moments
Speaker 1: before you do stall out, your car's catalytic converter, which
Speaker 1: is part of the exhaust system, can be damaged. You
Speaker 1: could also get debris stuck in your fuel pump by
Speaker 1: running your tank too low. That's because any tiny particles
Speaker 1: that find their way into the gas tank settle at
Speaker 1: the bottom, and they tend to stay there until your
Speaker 1: car is trying to grab every last bit of fuel
Speaker 1: that it can. When the fuel pump sucks up the
Speaker 1: last of your gas, any debris in your tank will
Speaker 1: go along with it, and the particles can get stuck
Speaker 1: in your pump. Or in your fuel filter. In early
Speaker 1: model cars from the nineteen eighties and older, the gas
Speaker 1: tanks are usually made of metal, and as they deteriorate,
Speaker 1: harmful deposits can build up in the bottom. Newer cars
Speaker 1: have plastic fuel tanks, so sediment usually makes its way
Speaker 1: inside the tanks from contaminated fuel, But getting sediments stuck
Speaker 1: in your fuel pump isn't the only way that you
Speaker 1: could be damaging it. In some cars, the fuel pump
Speaker 1: is located in the gas tank and the gas acts
Speaker 1: like insulation and lubricant as it flows around the pump.
Speaker 1: If you're constantly running your gas tank dry, the fuel
Speaker 1: pump could be overheating, which will cause it to wear
Speaker 1: out prematurely. But how far can you actually go when
Speaker 1: the gas gage hits e Well, that depends on your car.
Speaker 1: Different vehicles have the gas light configured in different ways,
Speaker 1: though most cars will illuminate the light when there are
Speaker 1: about two to three gallons that's seven point five to
Speaker 1: eleven liters left. Some bigger vehicles like trucks and SUVs,
Speaker 1: light up the empty indicator when there are about four
Speaker 1: gallons or fifteen liters. That's about to say exteenth of
Speaker 1: a tank left. How far those amounts can get you
Speaker 1: is another variable that depends on your car's efficiency, you're
Speaker 1: driving style, and whether you're in the city, on the highway,
Speaker 1: or stuck in a traffic jam. Some newer cars have
Speaker 1: a display in the instrument cluster that keeps a running
Speaker 1: tally of your range or how many miles you can
Speaker 1: drive on your current tank of gas. These displays are
Speaker 1: pretty accurate, but again they are just estimates. Changing road
Speaker 1: conditions or any number of other factors can affect the
Speaker 1: accuracy of this gauge, which could leave you stranded if
Speaker 1: you're really cutting it close. So it's a good idea
Speaker 1: to get in the habit of filling up before you
Speaker 1: strictly need to. That said, if you find yourself in
Speaker 1: a situation where you're running low, don't worry. You're not
Speaker 1: going to ruin your car. Just get into the practice
Speaker 1: of filling up whenever your fuel gage reaches the quarter
Speaker 1: mark and you'll be fine. Today's episode was written by
Speaker 1: Sherry's three Wit and produced by Tyler Klang. If you
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