I ran out of gas for the first time in 15 years

"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
09/05/2020 at 17:42 • Filed to: Disco Inferno

So... funny story. I ran out of gas a couple days ago.

I was driving back from New Mexico and was stretching between fuel stops.

Here is the thing... A long time ago I looked up on Google how large my fuel tank in the Discovery is and was informed my gas tank was 26 gallons. I’ve believed this ever since. Additionally, every time I fill up when the needle is on or past “E” I put like... 21 to 22 gallons in. This made me assume that I had a 4ish gallon reserve.

AKA I don’t REALLY need to worry when the needle is limp. In fact I have like 50-60 miles left!

Or so I thought.

I’d just taken an exit off the turnpike to get gas, needle having been on the stop for... a while. After stopping at the stop light I started to turn left....

Then the engine stopped.

I haven’t felt that sick feeling of hitting the gas and nothing happening in a looooooong time, let alone mid-double-left turn.

Shitting shit shit.

I am not ashamed to say I was instantly and excessively panicked at this point. THIS SORT OF THING DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ME! I AM ALWAYS SO CAREFUL! I somehow maintain the presence of mind to put the transmission into neutral and turn on my hazards. I tried stating the car, but it was having none of it.

Even though I was traveling uphill, I guess the sheer amount of crap in my car gave me enough momentum to continue rolling...

and rolling...

until I came to a stop JUST outside the entrance to the gas station.

In hindsight if I’d put the transfer case in neutral I might have made it.

Maybe.

I hopped out, almost forgetting my wallet, and ran into the store. After looking for gas cans and not finding any, I asked and with a chuckle the attendant showed me where they were and warned me that they were very expensive. (They were.)

I faked a laugh and told him it was the price I pay for managing to run out of gas just outside a gas station and pointed to my car.

He offered to push it.

Uhh... ok? Sure. Why not!?

So him, another guy from the station, and I walked out and pushed the car the last 100 feet into a stall.

I only had a $20 in my wallet which I was going to happily offer them, but they’d walked away before I got the chance. (I know that sounds weird but the impression I got was they didn’t want to stick around for payment.)

While filling up I did a little research. Google now says the capacity is “24.6 gallons”. The owners manual says 25 gallons, and the workshop manual says 25.5 gallons.

How much did I put in?

A grand total of 23.282 gallons.

So now we know the effective tank size is 23.2 gallons.

And I should believe my gas gauge.

DISCUSSION (30)

Just Jeepin' > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 17:51

I was almost that lucky. Mine ran out when my fuel sensor was busted and I was relying on my tripometer but forgot the shop disconnected my battery.

I miss good old analog tripometers.

Anyway I coasted in front of a house just as the homeowner came home between runs. She’s a homecare nurse, and she volunteered to drive me a mile to the nearest gas station. I gave her money for lottery tickets so I have to hope she got lucky.

She saved me a lot of hassle. I’ve given several strangers rides to and from the gas station, including one woman during a snowstorm, so I guess karma smiled on me that day.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 17:51

I was looking for your Discovery on the Google Sat image for some reason.

And trying to explain the stated and observed discrepancy in tank volume. There has to be some level that the fuel pickup misses plus any small corrugations in the tank bottom probably account for it.

I get anxious when the fuel gauge hits 1/4.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 17:54

The expensive jerry cans should fall under price gauging. Like when the Stringbean’ s coolant cap was bad and I was desperate for coolant. $16 for whatever gas station brand.

Only time I ever got close to running out of fuel was when my fuel light came on though my gauge read half tank. Turns out the gauge was bad. I needed a new dash anyways so luckily it's a cheap / easy swap.

just-a-scratch > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 18:00

This reminds me of the last time I ran out of fuel. Luckily I was still moving on a road that was no t busy. I managed to coast through a u turn and glide into the station.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/05/2020 at 18:02

I went with “throw my hands up and yell ‘British car!’” but yeah... Gas tank looks pretty conventional so... who can say.

Kinja'd!!!

Cash Rewards > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 18:10

I had a car where the gas gauge broke, but I knew how much I got on a tank, and had the gas light as backup. One day the gas light broke. Car died. No clue how. Got a tow, the garage figured it out but for some reason tried to be dicks about it. “We figured out your problem! You were out of gas! Hahaha!”

“ So how home the low fuel light didn’t go on?”

“Oh, because part xyz is broken”

“So, that’s actually the problem then, yeah?”

“Uh, yeah, you could say that".

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 18:14

“ THIS SORT OF THING DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ME! I AM ALWAYS SO CAREFUL!“

Says the person who drove with their car on E for multiple miles....

Also did Kinja kill quoting?

Josh - the lost soldier > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 18:31

Man, that is incredibly lucky! Glad nothing bad happened to you!

I don't personally have a "ran out of fuel" story, but I have one courtesy of my brother. One day, while driving his Corolla on a busy four-lane highway in the middle of Alabama, his fuel light came on. Mind you, said Corolla had a very faulty fuel gauge and once the light appeared, you were basically out of fuel. According to him, not even two minutes later the engine stopped and he was screwed. Since he was in the middle of traffic when this happened, he couldn't pull off onto the shoulder. In his panic, he managed to call his "roadside assistance" (i.e., me) and I arrived with a small jerry can of gas. When I saw the car, it was in the second lane from the left with its hazards on; my brother somehow made it to the median without dying. While he was trying to figure out how to refuel the car where it was, a police officer showed up. They helped us move the car to the median so he could refuel and made a decent blockade for us to get back onto the highway. That was one interesting experience I'd love to never have again.

Cash Rewards > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 18:37

Also, learned this trick here, from McMike I think? Grab a snapple from the fridge, buy it, drink it, fill it with gas.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 18:41

Yeah the reserve on tanks from various manufacturers can vary wildly. I know in all of the Hondas I’ve had you can go quite a ways with the light on if you are careful. Good to know reality though. I think I will fill my jerry can for the M37 when I drive it places, I can always dump it in the truck and fill it again later. A flathead 6 is not what you would call fuel efficient.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/05/2020 at 18:43

It is better for your fuel pump to have more gas in the tank with modern vehicles, and I am the same way. With my work I never really know if I’m going the usual 15 miles or going 65 to another location we often install shows. I hate stopping for gas early in the morning.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Josh - the lost soldier
09/05/2020 at 18:52

Good thing it wasn't a Ford. Once took me about an hour to figure out how to fill up my brother's out of gas car so I could get out. That trick capless fuel filler needs a special kind of funnel included with the car.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
09/05/2020 at 18:53

Only on mobile. We used to be able to there.

Taylor Martin > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 19:20

THIS SORT OF THING DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ME! I AM ALWAYS SO CAREFUL!

Leaving the needle on empty for an extra 50 miles, even if the needle is a big liar, doesn’t sound particularly careful to me... I guess you’ve made a big discovery.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/05/2020 at 19:23

My partner’s Jeep is the the same :-/

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 19:23

Theme week: Out of Gas, Oppo Edition?

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/that-didnt-go-as-planned-1844961880

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
09/05/2020 at 19:23

Touche

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Taylor Martin
09/05/2020 at 19:23

Haha indeed.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Dead_Elvis, Inc.
09/05/2020 at 19:25

Ouch! Glad my walking was very minimal. It was hot out and I had five figures of work stuff in my car...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 19:30

Makes the one or two times you refill it from a can very frustrating. I had to double funnel it.

shop-teacher > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 19:33

At least I was only pushing a scooter. And the temperature was quite nice out. As I was walking it I thought to myself, "Well, I paying the stupid tax now!"

Josh - the lost soldier > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/05/2020 at 19:44

I've heard those capless fillers are a right pain in the you-know-where, but I can say that I've never had the (mis)fortune of trying to fill one on empty. I had a rental Focus with the capless filler and, for some reason, it kept shutting off the gas pump. Ford and its idiosyncrasies, I guess...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Josh - the lost soldier
09/05/2020 at 19:50

I've never had that issue but the fact that my ordinary funnel was unable to be used and the funnel that came with the car wasn't deep enough to pour into is basically the root of the problem.

Just Jeepin' > Cash Rewards
09/05/2020 at 21:53

Dubious legality, however.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/05/2020 at 23:03

Doesn’t show how the bottom of your tank looks. I bet some corrugations or something can trap a gallon.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/05/2020 at 23:05

Pro tip: Women can also use that funnel to pee into bottles.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > VincentMalamute-Kim
09/06/2020 at 01:07

Now that you said that it kind of feels it was designed to do that first as it is a pretty terrible regular funnel.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/08/2020 at 10:24

Hope it didn’t do any damage to your fuel pump! I boneheadedly did this in my M3 years ago, and it led to me having to replace my fuel pump ( and fuel sender). I learned my lesson, though, and don’t let it go much below a quarter tank now.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/08/2020 at 10:48

Always possible but I hope not too. Extra fun is the fuel filter is integral to the pump on this car, so either way the pump is designed to fail anyway.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
09/08/2020 at 10:53

Brilliant!