Let's start with the fact that such a technique actually existed in practice. Moreover, even got on the book pages. Here is what O. Yaremenko wrote, for example, in the book “Your friend is a car” back in 1988: “By the way, if gasoline runs out 10 ... and take it to the gas station. Water has a higher density than gasoline, and therefore, as long as there is gasoline left in the tank, gasoline will flow into the gasoline pipeline.”
Yes, the Russians at all times managed to get out of the most hopeless situations, because the real advice of experienced people was read no worse than a detective. But is it today that someone will pour water into the tank, if the gas station is at every step, and the alarm indicator flashes in front of the nose long before the fuel pump takes the last sip of fuel? However, here is a quote from a modern forum for car owners:
“Following the advice of this forum, I decided to add water to the tank in order to raise the level of gasoline and get to the gas station. Filled with 0.5 liters - will not start. Nothing to do, went for gasoline with a canister. The problem is this: I managed to dry out in the middle of Nevsky Prospekt, not reaching the gas station for a couple of kilometers. According to the advice, I added half a liter of water to the tank. Still didn't work…”
Overflows and underflows
The physics of the process is clear: not a single gasoline pump sucks out fuel to the last drop, something will remain on the bottom. And when adding water to such a gas tank, the liquid will immediately stratify and lighter gasoline will be on top. For those who doubt - the very first frame from the photographic fixation of our experiments. Instead of a fuel tank, we took a transparent aquarium, poured gasoline and water tinted “in the color of the ocean” into it. Everything was fine in the aquarium: excess fuel returned through the “return”, and the blue water rested on the bottom, not getting into the line.
But in the tank, everything is not so! At least because in a transparent vessel we see how much water to add in order to raise the remaining gasoline from the bottom. Here special accuracy is required: if you don’t fill it up, you will sip air again, if you pour it, you will get water instead of gasoline! How to do it on real car if fuel tanks different models differ in architecture, like the buildings of Rastrelli and Zholtovsky?
But there is nothing to do, you will have to practice on the tanks, for example, on the ancient "Zhiguli" and modern from Hyundai Getz. Let's break it down and see...
Let's start with the vertical VAZ. Everything is simple and obvious here: gasoline stops touching the gas receiver tube when it remains about 400 ml.
But in the Korean tank, everything is completely different. Even experienced Zarulevo engineers examined with interest the nooks and crannies of its insides: labyrinths, bulkheads - a complex structure. But any flat tank is a capricious thing. The slightest distortion, and his inner life will change dramatically.
With a tambourine...
Well, let's start tinkering. We determine how much fuel remains in each of the tanks after the “gasoline is over”, add some water and see if it gets better.
As it turned out, raising gasoline with water is not a problem, but it is almost impossible to use the fruits of your efforts in a real situation. First, acting blindly is useless. Secondly, the rest of the fuel in a flat tank turns into the thinnest puddle, from which no pump can take a sip without swallowing water at the same time. Thirdly, the slightest distortion of the machine will bring all the work to naught: such a “flea catch” can only work in laboratory conditions.
However, why not dream? For example, the clairvoyant owner of the VAZ “classic” perfectly guesses the required level of topping up with water, then manually carefully pumps fuel into the carburetor, then starts the engine ... In this situation, we can assume that he will drive a couple of kilometers.
More cunning tricks are also known. For example, put a plastic bag with water into the tank: the fuel level will rise, and water will not get into it. On the same "Zhiguli" and other ancient cars with a tank without bulkheads and a wide straight neck, this may work, but the driver modern car not worth trying: the bag is guaranteed to get stuck somewhere halfway, and pulling it back out will not be easy ...
For those who still want to try to “refuel” with water, we advise you to first make sure that drain plug in the gas tank. For they went out of fashion with the advent of the "Zhiguli".
Of course, you can hit the road with an empty tank in your car. However, it is better to know how many kilometers your car will be able to drive after the light comes on. low level fuel, if only to avoid standing in the middle of the road. First, let's find out what the movement can threaten. vehicle with the low fuel indicator light on.
Possible risks when driving on an empty tank
The main problem in such a situation will, of course, be a high probability of simply stalling. This can cause not only a lot of anxiety (delivery of fuel from a gas station or towing a car to it), but also cause emergency on road.
Your car can stop, for example, on a busy country road, where the average speed is about a hundred kilometers per hour. In addition, stopping the engine on the go has a rather negative effect on the automatic transmission, because the engine is involved in the process of oil circulation and the formation of its pressure.
There is also such a lack of movement in practice empty tank as a risk of damage to the fuel pump or clogged filter. Why is there such a risk? The fuel pump draws fuel from above, floating like a float, and most of the particles that pollute the fuel almost always settle at the bottom of the fuel tank.
So it turns out that if the level of gasoline is low, then the gasoline pump will begin to suck in both fuel from the bottom of the tank and this garbage at the same time. The result of this can be its severe clogging or even breakage. If your plans do not include the next car repair, then try not to bring the situation with fuel to a critical one.
How to find out the remaining amount of fuel
Many of the vehicles produced today are equipped with such a necessary and useful thing, like an on-board computer that will reliably tell you how much gasoline is left and how many kilometers you can drive on it until the fuel runs out completely.
Most car owners prefer the on-board computer, rather than the fuel level indicator, as they are convinced that if it reports that you can drive another 15 kilometers, then this is true.
But this is not always the case. On-board computer- this is electronics, and, as you should know, it tends to make mistakes sometimes. In our today's article, we will not go into the details of the functioning of the fuel sensor or computer. Just remember that quite often the information about the possible mileage with an empty tank can be erroneous.
Mileage
Let's now move on to the main question: "How far can a car drive on an empty tank?". To answer it, you need to take into account many factors, such as vehicle modification, driving conditions, your driving style and much more.
This is an important component that is relevant, most likely, for every driver. She not only helps to keep her wallet full, but also helps out in extreme situations. This article will help you learn a lot of new things, including the secrets experienced drivers. They will tell you how to get to the nearest gas station on an empty tank.
Fill with water instead of gasoline
Imagine a situation where we are on the road and running out of gas. There is not a single gas station around, and we are careless and forgot to take canisters with us, naively relying on standard consumption rates. ? And all this could have been avoided if we paid more attention to the car.
Still, it happens to probably everyone. And in this case, if you know some secrets, then you can not panic and not beg passing motorists for help.
Of course, the instructions for a safe exit from situations when the fuel runs out may contain bikes. For example, such legends that involve adding ordinary water to the tank. Is it possible to deceive the engine, and on a subconscious level, thinking that it is gasoline, will it continue to move on? Funny, by God!
Nevertheless, we wanted to check this version. No, we're not from MythBusters and we don't do anything like that. So, driving instructors, the most famous and venerable ones, told us that, for example, pour water into Moskvich and drive on is quite real! It is necessary to fill in, according to their assurances, only one and a half liters of water. Just enough to get to the nearest station. Our eyes widened from such information provided by experts. Although still on imported car this method will not work. This can result in a costly repair. But the most interesting was yet to come!
Fuel tank
Let's go further. It turned out that, according to the theory, water has an even higher density than gasoline. And fuel (in the sense of gasoline, not water) will flow into the gas pipeline if there is not enough fuel. Ah, well then everything is clear! Indeed, it often happens that there is gasoline at the bottom of the tank, but there is very little of it to enter the carburetor.
And some lovers of old domestic cars, for example, the same "Moskvich" or "Zaporozhets", to save fuel, they put the hose not into the tank, but into a bottle. They put a plastic container next to the carburetor, securely fastened it and let in a hose that connected to the gasoline pump. Thus, gasoline was pumped out completely and not a drop remained. But the tank is another story.
Let's look at the design of the fuel tank. An empty tank is a container that is a spherical, rectangular or cubic shape. There will always be fuel in such a tank, no matter how mechanical or electronic components try to pull it out of there. You know how some motorists try? They lift one side of the car and draw out gasoline with a hose and suction a la "inflate the lungs and cheeks."
There is another way that will help you get to the nearest gas station if you feel that the fuel is running out. It means turning off all electrical appliances, of course, except for those that are responsible for driving safety.
After that, you need to try to drive at the same speed and not change gears, since.
In addition, if the driver goes on the road to such regions where refueling is rare, then he must take care to fill in the fuel larger brand. For example, if he always filled AI-92, then he can fill AI-95. This will reduce fuel consumption and help you get to the gas station.
Video on how to save fuel:
Another method involves lowering a plastic bag of water into the tank. This will keep the water from mixing with the gasoline, but the bag will push the gasoline out. This method is just not very common, since it is difficult to remove the bag from the tank later. It can get caught on something and break easily.
Where does the fuel go
Now let's look at where fuel is spent at all? It turns out that the lion's share of the fuel is spent on overcoming various obstacles, changing energy and heating. In addition, some of the gasoline generally disappears without even doing any useful work.
In fact, it has a rather low efficiency. Where does all the gasoline go then?
Do you know that on cars with mechanical box gears need to drive correctly? No, well, having basic driving skills is very important, we know that. It's about something else. If you drive for a long time in low gears, gasoline will go twice as much. And this does not mean that you need to include high gears. No. So, on the domestic "Zhiguli" perfect transmission, at which the least fuel is consumed, is the third, and not the fourth, as some think.
In addition, fuel consumption also depends on speed. At low or gasoline, it takes much more than at average speed. Again, it is recommended to drive the Zhiguli at 60–80 km/h. And on low speed energy is spent on overcoming the friction of tires on asphalt or other pavement. At high speeds, energy is used to overcome air resistance. That's pure physics for you.
Numerous ways to save fuel would be useless if the driver did not know that air resistance is on the body of his car. That is why designers are trying to improve the body of the car, making it more streamlined. Why sports cars lower than usual and differ in their form of construction? Yes, they do not look too aesthetically pleasing, but air resistance has a minimal effect on them.
In addition, the quality of the body coating affects the air resistance. Yes, don't be surprised. The better your car, the less air resistance will affect it. The hatches, windows and even the antenna that are open during the movement also increase the resistance. In addition, it is recommended not to put anything on the roof, and the mirrors of the car should only provide a normal view, and not be too huge, since they can also provide unnecessary resistance.
Those drivers whose car is endowed with air conditioning can be advised to turn it off if there is no urgent need. A stove can also take a lot of fuel. Therefore, the driver is advised to pay attention to all this if he is interested in saving fuel.
Underfilling of fuel at the station
Okay, you say. This seems to have been sorted out. And what to do if the gas station is underfilled, huh? How to be in this case? We will do everything to save, snatch more and more from the components of our comfort, and we will be fooled?
Unfortunately, underfilling of fuel at gas stations is a reality modern life in Russia. Almost every motorist is faced with such a problem. It is very relevant today and it is quite difficult for a person who is not technically savvy to deal with it.
But you can determine the underflow immediately. On two main grounds. If we run full tank and we know that it holds only 50 liters of gasoline, then the information of the tanker that he filled in 55 liters of fuel will be false.
The second method implies the presence of a canister. In practice, it has been proven that many gas stations deceive, perhaps not on purpose, drivers by pouring little gasoline. But it will be impossible to fill a smaller amount of fuel into a canister, especially into a container with a scale.
What are gas station owners doing to pour fuel honestly? Do they do it at all? Of course, not everyone is so dishonest. There are many ways gas station checks. Services specially created for this purpose are engaged in verification. They use 10-liter canisters to take fuel. And therefore, often at many gas stations, the delivery of gasoline is correctly configured for only the first ten liters. Then the underflow starts.
cunning gas station owners can deceive and special services. For example, having developed special program refueling management. When the check arrives, they turn on normal mode where underfilling is not possible. After that, as everything is checked, another mode is switched on, which does not add fuel.
Therefore, the driver would like to advise the following:
- refuel on your own, and do not trust this matter to the station staff;
- carefully check the plastic sight glass when refueling (if it is defective, air will enter your tank along with the fuel).
Look like that's it. All of the above tips can be put into practice, as they are tested experienced drivers with experience.
Have you ever wondered how far your car can travel after dashboard does the low fuel warning light come on? Indeed, sometimes it can be fun to experiment to find out how far you can go on the last liters of fuel.
But you shouldn't do this if you don't want the fuel pump to fail. In the provided video, where its author completely disassembled the fuel pump, he explained how it works. Having understood the device and principle of operation of the fuel pump, it will become clear to you that a low level of fuel in the tank does not contribute to long term services fuel pump.
The fuel pump pumps fuel from the gas tank to the engine. This is key and required component for car operation. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for this part to fail, and most often without any warning. As a result, many drivers more than once became hostages of the situation when the fuel pump flew at the wrong time and in the wrong place.
For example, it is not uncommon for a pump to fly on a highway. Naturally, after a pump failure, you cannot continue driving. The most interesting thing is that most often the fuel pump fails at the moment when there is little fuel left in the tank. Why is this happening?
Don't forget to turn on subtitles and their translation if you don't know English.
The main causes of fuel pump failures are usually associated with low fuel levels in the tank. In this case, the fuel pump is under increased load. First of all, the mesh in the pump and the electric motor suffer.
As you can see in the video clip above, the fuel pump motor is cooled by fuel.
So, to cool the pump electric motor, fuel enters through a strainer, and then passes through a round pump impeller (as in the photo below). Next, the fuel passes through the fuel pump motor in order to cool the copper winding, thanks to which the pump motor works.
Starting the car with low fuel means that in fuel tank will predominantly accumulate various gases(oxygen, etc.). Accordingly, they will also enter the fuel pump motor along with the remaining fuel.
Unfortunately, gases accumulated in the fuel tank and passing through the pump motor have low heat transfer coefficients compared to convective fluids. As a result, gases are not able to remove heat from the pump motor windings as efficiently as gasoline or diesel fuel does.
As a result of a low fuel level in the tank, the fuel pump motor can overheat, melt the winding, which of course will lead to pump failure.
In addition, the fuel still acts, as does the lubricant for the fuel pump. Therefore, starting the car on an empty gas tank will cause excess gases to pass through the fuel pump. This may lead to premature wear rotating parts of the pump.
In addition to the problem of overheating and premature wear of the pump when the car engine is running on an empty tank, a fuel pump running when the fuel level in the tank is low can suck in sediment that is at the bottom of the gas tank.
This is especially true in older cars, where a metal tank was usually used, which corroded over time, as a result of which rust particles could appear on the bottom of the tank.
Also, sediment at the bottom of the fuel tank may appear from low-quality gasoline or diesel fuel. As a result, by starting the engine with the minimum fuel level in the tank, you run the risk of various sediment particles entering the fuel pump.
These deposits in the fuel tank can clog the fuel pump. After getting dirty fuel filter, the engine will not be able to receive enough fuel, causing your machine to stop running.
Please note that the filter may not become clogged immediately, but over time. In this case, the fuel flow rate fuel line will gradually slow down until the fuel pump filter is completely clogged.
