Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Bogbaum here with another episode from the
Speaker 1: podcast archives. This one just happened to come up in
Speaker 1: the rotation during this unfortunately appropriate time of rising gas prices.
Speaker 1: It concerns what running on empty actually does to your car.
Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogobam Here. Experts say you should
Speaker 1: keep your gas tank at least a quarter full at
Speaker 1: all times. Obviously, doing so we'll keep you from getting
Speaker 1: any dangerous situation where you're low on gas and too
Speaker 1: far from gas station to fill up. But there are
Speaker 1: other less obvious reasons to keep a little gas in
Speaker 1: your tank. Driving on an empty tank, or even one
Speaker 1: that's getting close to the dregs in the bottom, can
Speaker 1: cause damage to your car in a number of ways.
Speaker 1: You won't get very far driving on empty, but in
Speaker 1: the moments before you do stall out, your car's catalytic converter,
Speaker 1: which is part of the exhaust system, can be damaged.
Speaker 1: You could also get debris stuck in your fuel 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 leaders 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 leads, that's about a sixteenth of a
Speaker 1: tank left. How far those amounts can get you is
Speaker 1: another variable that depends on your car's efficiency, you're driving style,
Speaker 1: and whether you're in the city, on the highway, or
Speaker 1: stuck in a traffic jam. Some newer cars have a
Speaker 1: display in the instrument cluster that keeps a running tally
Speaker 1: of your range or how many miles you can drive
Speaker 1: on your current tank of gas. These displays are pretty accurate,
Speaker 1: but again they are just estimates. Changing road conditions or
Speaker 1: any number of other factors can affect the accuracy of
Speaker 1: this gauge, which could leave you stranded if you're really
Speaker 1: cutting it close. So it's a good idea to get
Speaker 1: in the habit of filling up before you strictly need to.
Speaker 1: That said, if you find yourself in a situation where
Speaker 1: you're running low, don't worry. You're not going to ruin
Speaker 1: your car. Are just get into the practice of filling
Speaker 1: up whenever your fuel gage reaches the quarter mark. And
Speaker 1: You'll be fine. Today's episode is based on the article
Speaker 1: running on empty how Bad is It for Your Car?
Speaker 1: On hous to works dot com, written by Shres three
Speaker 1: with brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in
Speaker 1: partnership with how stuff works dot com, and it's produced
Speaker 1: by Tyler clang. Be four more podcasts from my heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.