Gas light turned on for the first time!!! How long...

[Mattie Num Nums]

until I am dead in the water

This is my first tank. I know the Insight has a 10.6 gallon tank, I have 430 miles on the tank currently, and the car is telling me I can go another 32. Its 30 miles exactly to get home and I want to squeeze as much as I can out of the car. How much longer do I have before the tank runs dry do you think? My dash is telling me I am going 51.8MPG.

Thanks!!!

[jdstew]

So - this might bring a laugh. My low gas light came on Monday on my way to my customer's site. I reset Trip B to see how far I could go. For some reason I figured I had one gallon left - easy math: 60.2 mpg on this tank, so no problem getting to site, then home (50 more miles), right?

Heading home, I'm showing 33.2 miles from where the light turned on, and GasBuddy is telling me the cheapest gas in my vicinity is this exit. What the heck, 27ish miles short of dry, I'll fill up. I take the off-ramp, engine auto stops as I wait for traffic, I take left turn from stop-sign and my Insight ICE is not responding - feels like it's out of gas. That can't be. I pull to the side and re-start it. Make it up the overpass to the gas station - stalls once more - drift into the gas station - I pump in 10.5 gallons.

Two mistakes: 1) I thought the tank held 10.9 gallons; 2) I thought the light meant one gallon left.

My guess is when I took the left turn from the stop sign, the cup and a half or so of gas in my tank slid away from the pickup tube and wahlah, no gas for a few seconds...

Lesson Learned: When light comes on, I have less than 30 miles (assuming 60MPG) before I'm on fumes.

[Mattie Num Nums]

Originally Posted by jdstew

So - this might bring a laugh. My low gas light came on Monday on my way to my customer's site. I reset Trip B to see how far I could go. For some reason I figured I had one gallon left - easy math: 60.2 mpg on this tank, so no problem getting to site, then home (50 more miles), right?

Heading home, I'm showing 33.2 miles from where the light turned on, and GasBuddy is telling me the cheapest gas in my vicinity is this exit. What the heck, 27ish miles short of dry, I'll fill up. I take the off-ramp, engine auto stops as I wait for traffic, I take left turn from stop-sign and my Insight ICE is not responding - feels like it's out of gas. That can't be. I pull to the side and re-start it. Make it up the overpass to the gas station - stalls once more - drift into the gas station - I pump in 10.5 gallons.

Two mistakes: 1) I thought the tank held 10.9 gallons; 2) I thought the light meant one gallon left.

My guess is when I took the left turn from the stop sign, the cup and a half or so of gas in my tank slid away from the pickup tube and wahlah, no gas for a few seconds...

Lesson Learned: When light comes on, I have less than 30 miles (assuming 60MPG) before I'm on fumes.

How much was the car estimating you had left in the tank when the light flipped on? Was it accurate? I am the type of person that flips out when the gas light turns on

[jdstew]

Originally Posted by Mattie Num Nums

How much was the car estimating you had left in the tank when the light flipped on? Was it accurate? I am the type of person that flips out when the gas light turns on

Oops - just noticed this was the 2ndGen thread. I'm new to InsightCentral, as well as new to my car. I've had my 2000 Insight manual for little over a month. So, my info is likely of no value to your new Insight... Sorry.

[Willie Williford]

Per the government, which regulates a LOT of what goes into the manufacturing of the vehicles...........1 gallon.
They can't control how we drive, but they are geting there.....so it's up to your foot as how many miles you have left! (or The nut behind the steering wheel)
HTH
Willie

[circa1986]

Originally Posted by Willie Williford

Per the government, which regulates a LOT of what goes into the manufacturing of the vehicles...........1 gallon.
They can't control how we drive, but they are geting there.....so it's up to your foot as how many miles you have left! (or The nut behind the steering wheel)
HTH
Willie

I don't think this is correct.

Otherwise I would run out of gas in 2 blocks of the gas light going on with my other vehicle!

[arjay]

Just thought I should mention (and you may already be aware of this) that in-tank fuel pumps are typically cooled by the fuel in the tank, so if you regularly run your tank down to near empty there is the potential to shorten fuel pump life. It is best to refill when tank is near 1/4 full.
Just sayin'!

[Mattie Num Nums]

So the light came on, it told me I had 28 miles left. I put in 8.5 gallons.

[Cobb]

The range estimate is based off of your current mpg. Ive gone to zero and still had gas. Basically the pointer becomes level with that solid line below the E.

The pump is in the tank and cooled by the gas, so its not good for that reason and the fact trash settles to the bottom of the tank to run it dry could get caught up in the screen.

I either fill it up for long drives or buy 2.5 gallons at my local wawa, then get a coupon and get something discounted good to at inside the store.

[circa1986]

Yum, I wish we had Wawa here!