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-   -   At what point does the 'low fuel indicator' come on? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/167461-what-point-does-low-fuel-indicator-come.html)

Dear Friends,

How many kilometers can a car clock after the low fuel indicator lights up. It would be nice if we can get exact data for all available models.

We all are aware that many criteria's decide the efficiency of a car, fuel consumption's are different for every car based on the engine capacity, condition of the road, driving behavior, condition of the vehicle, quantity of the reserve fuel etc.

What I am looking for is an average data for each models, which would give an approximate mileage after the fuel low indicator lights up. This could help give an idea to commuters when to refuel. On many occasions I have been in this awkward situation searching for a reliable petrol pump to refuel with fuel running out on deserted highways.

P.S Mods I tried searching for similar threads, but failed to find one, please forgive me if this is a repeat .
Thank you,

Rather than Kilometers I can tell you in liters. For my Chevrolet Sail UVA, the diesel will be around 7 liters when the light comes up which translates to a driving range of 77KM - 105KM, keeping in mind that the car will not give more than 15KMPL mileage. This mileage figure is mandate for your driving range.

Thanks

I can also give you the figure in liters for my Punto. The low fuel light switches on when 7 ltrs of fuel is left in the tank. Given the notorious efficiency of the 1.4 Petrol, that roughly equates to about 70 kms in Bangalore traffic.

I drove my swift for 30 kms after the indicator. A friend said he drove close to 40 after the indicator. Neither of us drove till the car totally died so maybe we get > 40 kms in swift

5 litres or 50 km of driving is the outer limit of "safe" I would follow. There may be 1-2 litres left even after that but you'd be literally running on fumes. Not good for the car.

Something that frightens me most every time I read the Civic's manual - "When the indicator comes on, there is about 0.9 US gal (3.5L) of fuel remaining in the tank before the reading reaches E."

So, that transforms to about 30 kms in city traffic. Not too great I guess.

An excellent thread!

The elite i20 doesn't get a real time fuel efficiency indicator, or a distance-to-empty indicator.

Neither does the user manual indicate how much fuel is left in the tank when the low fuel light comes on :Frustrati

Considering this level of stupidity in an otherwise nicely thought out, well designed car, I've stopped wondering how much fuel is left in the tank or how many KMs will I be able to drive with the low fuel indicator.

The moment the indicator goes past the quarter tank mark, I rush to the nearest Shell outlet, and tank up.

However, there was this one time when I was low on fuel, with the indicator on for about 10-15 Kms before I was able to tank up.

I would guess the i20 goes a max of 40-50 Kms with the low fuel indicator, and you're really on fumes after that.

I do remember the Chevrolet Optra has a low fuel warning light at 10% tank capacity, which is 6 liters.

Drove 60kms after the indicator in my verna crdi. I think, there will be some fuel which will be unused all the time.

So even if there is 7 liters after indicator, all might not be used and car might stall before that..

When the low-level indicator blinks, my XUV 500 will have 5 litres of diesel in the 70 litre tank apart from the dead storage, translating into 45 km in city traffic and 80 km on a highway.

What an opportune moment to share my views :) I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic yesterday afternoon at Bannerghatta road in Bangalore as soon as the dreaded low fuel indicator came on. ( We are a lucky few who have DTE on our Petrol Chevy Beats , but it does not show anything less than 60 kms range). Out in the blind, I drove about 7 kms to the nearest petrol bunk. Guess what, my car drank 30.52 liters of liquid gold!!!

Cutting the long story short, it's 5 litres for Beat petrol, assuming the tank capacity to be 35 litres

It’s not really a good idea to drive with the low fuel warning on and is best to tank up before that. I think it’s a known fact that the bottom of the fuel tank there is dirt/gunk which will cause havoc with the car’s engine, fuel pump etc. I think one can safely assume min 30 to 40 kms before the car stalls after the low warning comes on. Such situations are best avoided and the practice to drive post the warning light should only be followed in emergency cases.

Modern fuel pumps are fitted directly inside the fuel tank. When the tank is near empty the pump has to work harder to draw the fuel from the tank and dispense it to the engine. On a tank which has more fuel than the min ie above where the low fuel warning comes the fuel flow into the pump is smoother as the added weight of the fuel allows inflow better. Also the pump remains cooler since it remains submersed inside the fuel so it operates better.

A very important point.

Never drive with low fuel in the car. I have always maintained a rule that the car should get refueled as soon as only 2 bars remain in indicator.
Very rarely do to unavoidable circumstances does the low light come up. I drop whatever I am doing and immediately rush to the petrol bunk.

Just to add another angle for the discussion: Is the fuel pump Always submersed? If so, what is the minimum fuel required for the pump to stay that way? This will give us usable quantity of fuel after the light comes on.

For my Polo TDI 1.2, when its 70 Kms to empty, the Low fuel indicator comes on. Sometimes I've seen it come on at 60. So its not really consistent and stays in the range of 60-70 Kms.

I've done 65 Km's in my i20 Crdi (2011), post the low fuel warning lamp came up, this was in bumper to bumper traffic in Bangalore. My wife remembers the SA telling at the time of delivery, that the reserve fuel capacity is 5 ltrs.