How Far can you drive after fuel guage light appears?

[danfl70]

I filled up my 08 CR-V after the fuel light came on when there was only 1 fuel gauge bar remaining. The info screen's estimated mileage remaining was 18 miles. It only took 12.7 gallons to fill up, which meant that 2.6 gallons were left. Now, even if the pump shuts off before completely being filled up, there would be at least about 2 gallons remaining, which is enough to drive quite a bit farther than 18 miles.

How far can one realistically drive in the city after the fuel gauge shows one bar remaining? And does it completely stall after the one fuel gauge bar disappears? I know that Honda's fuel gauges are notoriously pessimistic so that you won't stall your car too often (my 96 civic did the same thing), but being that the tank is already smaller than most of the competition, I would like to fill it up with a little bit less than 2 gallons remaining.

Thanks.

[davos]

I would strongly advise against running your gas tank dry (Seinfeld's Kramer style)
And here is the reason - in most modern cars fuel pump is inside the tank (not sure if it the case with CRV) and gas surrounding it is also working as coolant. If you keep running dry you are just reducing your fuel pump life (due to overheating). And when repair bill comes due it will set you back several hundreds dollars. Granted it will not happen overnight, but why to take your chances. You would not drive intentionally through potholes, just because it probably would not damage your suspension, would you.:confused:

[2RedV's]

It isn't really the running dry part that overheats the fuel pump. It's that when people do run out of fuel, they tend to leave the key in the ON position, sometimes for several minutes, or longer. The fuel pump at this point is running continuously with no coolant (fuel). It then burns itself out. No fire risk, but still...

[lazypineapple]

i am not positive about Hondas , but most cars these days the fuel pump will not run if the engine is not running and the key is on,, but some igntions are energized, thats bad on coils
due to the relay , ignition must be pesent to keep relay inergized,
safty reasons,

you don't want to run your pump dry,
my light come on saying 18 - 25 left to go,
and when i fill up it takes about 12 or so gal.
it's easier to drive to the gas station than to walk:eek:

[2RedV's]

The fuel pump runs when you turn the key to the ON (run) position. It is a good idea when starting your Honda to turn key to ON, pause for 1-2 seconds, and then start the engine. This not only allows the fuel pump to kick on (you can hear it if you listen carefully) but allows the immobilizer and computer to agree that you have a valid key... Gets talked about a lot by newbie Honda owners.

[matjames]

I'm running a 2002 CRV with 161,000 miles on it. Never run out of gas! Manual says 15 gallon fuel tank. My experience shows that I have at least 55highway miles after my fuel light comes on. Even then the most I've filled the tank is 13.6 gallons.

[Peacemaker1911]

On my '07 EX-L towing a 5x8 loaded Uhaul trailer I got about 35 miles over the "0" miles left. I had no choice, I missed a fuel station coming from California to Texas, and I had to drive until I came to the next gas station.

[Honda 367]

If at all possible, filling up as soon as possible when the light comes on would be wise. When the indicator shows one or two bars, it would be the time to fill up right away. Why take risk if you don't have to?

[Todd05CRV]

Rule of thumb with Honda's is 80-100km (50-60miles) after the light comes on. On a 60L tank, there is usually 10L remaining when that light comes on...