WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Bad Is It to Run Your Car on Empty?

0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:06.960
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey

0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:09.680
<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Bogbaum here with another episode from the

0:00:09.680 --> 0:00:13.040
<v Speaker 1>podcast archives. This one just happened to come up in

0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:17.440
<v Speaker 1>the rotation during this unfortunately appropriate time of rising gas prices.

0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:22.000
<v Speaker 1>It concerns what running on empty actually does to your car.

0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:27.560
<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogobam Here. Experts say you should

0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:30.000
<v Speaker 1>keep your gas tank at least a quarter full at

0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:33.440
<v Speaker 1>all times. Obviously, doing so we'll keep you from getting

0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:36.000
<v Speaker 1>any dangerous situation where you're low on gas and too

0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:38.400
<v Speaker 1>far from gas station to fill up. But there are

0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.120
<v Speaker 1>other less obvious reasons to keep a little gas in

0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.839
<v Speaker 1>your tank. Driving on an empty tank, or even one

0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.000
<v Speaker 1>that's getting close to the dregs in the bottom, can

0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:48.160
<v Speaker 1>cause damage to your car in a number of ways.

0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.320
<v Speaker 1>You won't get very far driving on empty, but in

0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:54.600
<v Speaker 1>the moments before you do stall out, your car's catalytic converter,

0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:57.320
<v Speaker 1>which is part of the exhaust system, can be damaged.

0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:00.240
<v Speaker 1>You could also get debris stuck in your fuel by

0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.480
<v Speaker 1>running your tank too low. That's because any tiny particles

0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:05.720
<v Speaker 1>that find their way into the gas tank settle at

0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:07.760
<v Speaker 1>the bottom, and they tend to stay there. Until your

0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.000
<v Speaker 1>car is trying to grab every last bit of fuel

0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:12.560
<v Speaker 1>that it can. When the fuel pump sucks up the

0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:14.960
<v Speaker 1>last of your gas, any debris in your tank will

0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:17.240
<v Speaker 1>go along with it, and the particles can get stuck

0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.200
<v Speaker 1>in your pump or in your fuel filter. In early

0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:23.240
<v Speaker 1>model cars from the nineteen eighties and older, the gas

0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:26.280
<v Speaker 1>tanks are usually made of metal, and as they deteriorate,

0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:29.760
<v Speaker 1>harmful deposits can build up in the bottom. Newer cars

0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:32.600
<v Speaker 1>have plastic fuel tanks, so sediment usually makes its way

0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:36.920
<v Speaker 1>inside the tanks from contaminated fuel, but getting sediments stuck

0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:38.920
<v Speaker 1>in your fuel pump isn't the only way that you

0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:41.679
<v Speaker 1>could be damaging it. In some cars, the fuel pump

0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.320
<v Speaker 1>is located in the gas tank and the gas acts

0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:47.360
<v Speaker 1>like insulation and lubricant as it flows around the pump.

0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.400
<v Speaker 1>If you're constantly running your gas tank dry, the fuel

0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:52.960
<v Speaker 1>pump could be overheating, which will cause it to wear

0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:56.800
<v Speaker 1>out prematurely. But how far can you actually go when

0:01:56.800 --> 0:02:00.440
<v Speaker 1>the gas gage hits e well, that depends on your car.

0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:03.760
<v Speaker 1>Different vehicles have the gas light configured in different ways,

0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.360
<v Speaker 1>though most cars will illuminate the light when there are

0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:08.760
<v Speaker 1>about two to three gallons, that's seven point five to

0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:12.880
<v Speaker 1>eleven leaders left. Some bigger vehicles like trucks and SUVs

0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:15.480
<v Speaker 1>light up the empty indicator when there are about four

0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.360
<v Speaker 1>gallons or fifteen leads, that's about a sixteenth of a

0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:21.679
<v Speaker 1>tank left. How far those amounts can get you is

0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:25.320
<v Speaker 1>another variable that depends on your car's efficiency, you're driving style,

0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:27.520
<v Speaker 1>and whether you're in the city, on the highway, or

0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:30.920
<v Speaker 1>stuck in a traffic jam. Some newer cars have a

0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:33.680
<v Speaker 1>display in the instrument cluster that keeps a running tally

0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:36.040
<v Speaker 1>of your range or how many miles you can drive

0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:39.919
<v Speaker 1>on your current tank of gas. These displays are pretty accurate,

0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:43.919
<v Speaker 1>but again they are just estimates. Changing road conditions or

0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:46.320
<v Speaker 1>any number of other factors can affect the accuracy of

0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:48.840
<v Speaker 1>this gauge, which could leave you stranded if you're really

0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:51.760
<v Speaker 1>cutting it close. So it's a good idea to get

0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:54.440
<v Speaker 1>in the habit of filling up before you strictly need to.

0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:57.200
<v Speaker 1>That said, if you find yourself in a situation where

0:02:57.200 --> 0:02:59.639
<v Speaker 1>you're running low, don't worry. You're not going to ruin

0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:01.960
<v Speaker 1>your car. Are just get into the practice of filling

0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:04.680
<v Speaker 1>up whenever your fuel gage reaches the quarter mark. And

0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:11.280
<v Speaker 1>You'll be fine. Today's episode is based on the article

0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:13.440
<v Speaker 1>running on empty how Bad is It for Your Car?

0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:15.680
<v Speaker 1>On hous to works dot com, written by Shres three

0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:18.040
<v Speaker 1>with brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in

0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:20.160
<v Speaker 1>partnership with how stuff works dot com, and it's produced

0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.200
<v Speaker 1>by Tyler clang. Be four more podcasts from my heart Radio.

0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.000
<v Speaker 1>Visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:27.440
<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.