i ran out of fuel today... - General - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• i ran out of fuel today... by BlackTieTD on 17 Aug, 2004 14:25
• you would think that with a diesel, you'd have enough range that you'd remember to fill the tank before you run out of fuel. NOT ME! today i remembered just as the car was feeling a little low on power and drove to the nearest gas station..... NO DIESEL! so i drove about 2km down the road to the next one, and about 500 meters away, the car starts cutting out, so i shut it off and coast....... 100 meters away and the light is green, maybe i'll make it! wait for traffic behind me to pass, get out and run pushing the car and steering......hit a red light and i have to jump in and stop the car. so here i am, about 20 meters from the diesel pump, out of fuel. i walked into the gas station pay booth and exchanged the kindest of words with attendant who wouldn't hear of any solution other than me buying his $8 5L gas can (of which i have at least 4 at home)... filled up an old washer fluid bottle with diesel (highly illegal, LOOK OUT! DANGER!) and problem solved.
  
  anyone else have a similar story?
  
  and on a related note... any possible damage caused by running these cars to dead empty? i've heard camaros and corvettes fry their $500 plastic fuel pump if you run them dry....
• #1 by TDIMeister on 17 Aug, 2004 14:45
• Are those 4 or more other Jerry cans momentos from the other times you ran out of fuel?    :lol:
• #2 by BlackTieTD on 17 Aug, 2004 14:49
• lmao  :lol: yyyeahh....  :oops:
  
  
  NO! bastard  :roll:  :lol:
• #3 by KMD on 17 Aug, 2004 19:27
• Had the same thing happin only I was out in the middle of nowhere. Good thing I had cell phone coverage  
  I used to forget to fill up all the time because the bunny gets such good mileage...Untill I ran out   And now the old girl is just sitting in my back yard with a big hole in the floor and various shades of primer. Motor is still running strong thou.
  
  KMD
• #4 by AntonUK on 17 Aug, 2004 19:57
• Its quite lucky that our pumps have automatic air bleeding! Pain in arse on some cars where it doesnt, had it happen to me at night once..I said never again run low feul...now with the luxury automatic bleed I feel like a king....yes sad.
• #5 by cheng on 17 Aug, 2004 21:06
• bentley says that the early bunnys had a priming pump on the filter housing that could be used for just such an emergency, but I have never seen one.
  they probably discontinued it because it wasnt nescessary with these pumps.
  
  after aquiring several fuel cans of my own, I now have AAA plus.
  best $100 a year I ever spend.
  last time I didnt even have to get out of the car, it coughed on the freeway, I coasted to a stop, used my cell phone, and napped untill someone knocked on the window.
  
  yea its hard to remember these minor things when you get 400+ miles to a tank of fuel
  
  Ken
• #6 by cheng on 17 Aug, 2004 21:35
• yea yea yea rub it in
  
  is that custom or can you buy those?
  
  k
• #7 by BlackTieTD on 18 Aug, 2004 09:28
• ok good, i'm not the only one  :roll:
  
  i have CAA plus coverage (200km tow, or 120miles) but i like to reserve that for when i am really in a jam.... like when the head gasket blows and i need to get the car to hamilton to put in a turbo diesel engine!
  
  i've learned to love a self-priming pump!
• #8 by QuickTD on 18 Aug, 2004 09:36
• Quote

  i've learned to love a self-priming pump!

  
  
  You have not lived until you've experienced an electric transfer pump. My lincoln Mark VII turbo diesel had a VE pump and an electric booster pump. It was Sweet. If you ran it out of fuel or changed a filter you just had to turn the key on, wait 30 seconds or so and crank it. It fired nearly instantly every time. I still have the electric transfer pump. It's a cylindrical thing with a barb fitting on each end, looks like a fuel filter with wires sticking out of one end. According to the label it puts up 5-7psi. I'm thinking of putting it on my ride, I love the convenience.
• #9 by RAMMSTEIN on 18 Aug, 2004 12:36
• A body car can do this: Click for high res pics.
  That's 1405.9 miles on a stock 95 litres tank FYI:
  
  How much I've put in.
  
  Full to the brim!
  
  
  Filling up every 2100 km (1300 miles) in summer and 1600 km (1000 miles) in winter is feat only performed by B4V's. :twisted:
  
  This tank was my best: 4.15l/100 km, 56.73 US mpg, 68.125 IMP mpg.
  
  Don't try this at home, performed by professionals on closed course. :wink:
• #10 by Mikeyworks on 18 Aug, 2004 16:31
• I'm seriously considering putting one of these on my Caddy, either on the veggie oil system (not too far off) or the main tank, or both:
  
  
  
  
  (pic is clickable)
  
  Mikey
• #11 by RAMMSTEIN on 19 Aug, 2004 12:51
• Mikeyworks, that pump is for gassers, isn't it? :?:
• #12 by Centurion on 24 Aug, 2004 06:41
• Well - it was a cold day in November - I was up at 1:30 in the morning - My usual time to start the day - I didn't remember to check the fuel guage as I coasted down the hill and jump started the cold engine.
  
  I had a 11 mile run to the nearest OPEN diesel stop.
  
  As I was running by the Tourist Buereau[sp?] The engine sputtered - I still had about 4 miles to go - I shoved in the clutch - let her coast - then when she got down to 25km/h I dropped the clutch got her running - and floored it till she was back at hiway speed -
  
  BUT I had a really sick feeling - I ran her outta fuel on the hiway - with a circle ramp to go - I shoved her in third and ran the battery - she went up the ramp - finally - I had to cross a bridge to get into the station adn tank up. Battery was dead by then - but since it had been a quick kill - I knew the battery would rebound - but not start the engine.
  
  Luckily - the station was on a street with a 2 km down hill section - 5% - truck gear down type area.
  
  After filling her up - I rolled her down the hill - floored it -and kept dropping the clutch till I got some fuel flowing.
  
  The engine hit after the third dropping of the clutch - and before I had to go down the second and steeper section of the hill.
  
  She smoked - rattled like a banshee - but she ran! even idle - she was happily feeding!
  
  And I made sure I had a gallon jug of anything she could burn from then on!
  
  Cheers! C
• #13 by 89VWdieselGolf on 24 Aug, 2004 11:20
• Quote from: "AntonUK"

  Its quite lucky that our pumps have automatic air bleeding! Pain in arse on some cars where it doesnt

  
  whoa! 1.6's have an auto air bleeding system?!? i thought that was un heard of in a diesel. my ford pick-up doesnt have that and it rly is a pain in the arse to have to bleed it manually.....that gives me confidence to see how far i can rly go on a tank of fuel. maybe now i can get more than 550kms to the tank (600 if im lucky)
  
  Jeff
• #14 by Centurion on 24 Aug, 2004 14:30
• Your running a 55 liter tank right!?
  
  I normally will go 700 km between fills - normal rippin.
  
  When on the hiway - at 110 km plus whatever I can get away with - I will refill at 600.
  
  When I have time on my hands -80km to 90 km/hour I can push it to 800 km, but I still have fuel cause the pump kicks at 48 liters.
  
  Cheers - C