Yes, the fuel pump can fail when the gas tank is too low; however, it is when the fuel level drops below a critical threshold that this will occur. The pump is dependent on having fuel in the tank to lubricate and cool the pump. Also, if the fuel level is too low, the pump begins sucking in air or sediment, which can lead to it overheating and burning out. According to studies conducted by Automotive Repair Experts, running your vehicle with less than 1/4 tank of gas too often can shorten the life of the fuel pump as much as 30%!
As one example, CarCare Solutions — an auto repair chain — said around 12% of the fuel pump replacements they performed were due to owners regularly running their gas tanks too close to empty. Time to burn out fuel pumps: In these cases, the pumps were often going to burn out prematurely as they did not have enough fuel passing through to cool and lubricate the internal components of the pump. See if the fuel pump, is under more stress than it should be when the pump runs without fuel and burns out.
One big concern is that the fuel pump operates by sucking fuel from the bottom of the tank. When fuel levels become quite low, the pump starts ingesting air and debris from the tank, leading to strain on the pump itself and potential clogging or damage. According to FuelTech Diagnostics, cars that frequently run with less than half a tank of gas are 25 percent more likely to have a fuel pump fail than those that dont.
Automotive advisory group J.D. Power conducted a study, and it found almost 40% of car owners who allowed their tank to get empty and consistently drove under those conditions experienced fuel pump failures within the next 12 months. Any wear and tear on the pump gets worse as it is forced to work harder opening from a dry tank, which then increases the risk of failure.
Let’s quote Elon Musk, “Take risks now, and do something bold.” Although some insist running on low fuel is a risk worth taking to skip those gas station stops, it’s one risk that can turn out to be quite expensive when the bill for a short-lived fuel pump shows up.
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