Running out of gas

[Rotus8]

I am wondering if anyone has run a speed3 totally out of gas. What happens? Does it damage anything? I had a friend a number of years ago with an Alpha Romeo, one of the early fuel injection motors. He ran out of gas one day and it cost him $1500 to replace several parts. The injection pump was lubricated with the gas flowing through it and it was trashed by running it dry for only a few seconds.

The high pressure fuel pump in the speed is driven by the engine and I am curious to know what it is like when there is no fuel.

This car has such a tiny tank, I am paranoid about running out. I want to calibrate the gas gage and how far you can go after the trip reads 0. I am considering making a test with a spare can in the back, but I don't want to damage anything. Please let me know if you have any experience.

 

[Mspeed3]

yah why such a small tank? I've gone 35 miles after light came on but it depends on the type of driving you're doing

 

[SharkDiver]

I am wondering if anyone has run a speed3 totally out of gas. What happens? Does it damage anything? I had a friend a number of years ago with an Alpha Romeo, one of the early fuel injection motors. He ran out of gas one day and it cost him $1500 to replace several parts. The injection pump was lubricated with the gas flowing through it and it was trashed by running it dry for only a few seconds.

The high pressure fuel pump in the speed is driven by the engine and I am curious to know what it is like when there is no fuel.

This car has such a tiny tank, I am paranoid about running out. I want to calibrate the gas gage and how far you can go after the trip reads 0. I am considering making a test with a spare can in the back, but I don't want to damage anything. Please let me know if you have any experience.

You should be getting about 300 miles per tank.Depends on how you drive.Why do you want to run it out of gas?Dont do that..When the light comes on stop and get gas.No real point on waiting unless you are going to sell the car the next day.

 

[Rotus8]

You should be getting about 300 miles per tank.Depends on how you drive.Why do you want to run it out of gas?Dont do that..When the light comes on stop and get gas.No real point on waiting unless you are going to sell the car the next day.

Well, I live in a rural area where there is only one station within 20 miles of my house and their prices are 20% higher than in town. So, it takes a bit of planning. Also, I don't want to buy gas every three days so I try to use every tank to it's fullest. For me, the light comes on in a little over 200 miles (yes, I have a heavy foot).

 

[camrycev6]

200 miles!! Wow. I have driven mine very hard for a tank or two here and there and never got a light until about 250 miles. (Mine kicks in about 280 normally) At any rate, I drove mine 55 more miles once after the light came on and I never ran out. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about it if you did run out. I find it hard to believe Mazda (but not Alfa Romero) would produce a car that "blows up" when it runs out of gas. There certainly isn't anything in my owner's manual about making sure that doesn't happen. (I would think there would be a warning...) And yes, I actually read my owner's manuals from cover to cover. Geeky I know...but I don't want to miss anything.

 

[Rotus8]

200 miles!! Wow. I have driven mine very hard for a tank or two here and there and never got a light until about 250 miles. (Mine kicks in about 280 normally) At any rate, I drove mine 55 more miles once after the light came on and I never ran out. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about it if you did run out. I find it hard to believe Mazda (but not Alfa Romero) would produce a car that "blows up" when it runs out of gas. There certainly isn't anything in my owner's manual about making sure that doesn't happen. (I would think there would be a warning...) And yes, I actually read my owner's manuals from cover to cover. Geeky I know...but I don't want to miss anything.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I didn't see anything in the documentation either and I have read cover to cover the owner's manual, service highlights, service manual, and electrical manual (uber geeky) and am impatiently awaiting my engine manual. I'll just have to try it one of these days.

 

[iracemine]

yeah why not grab a gas can and go for a drive after the light goes on and come back and tell us how far (wasent that a seinfeild episode?). but it wouldent hurt to ask a dealer, just make sure you get his name.

 

[Mocoso]

I wouldnt run it out of gas... while it prob wont blow anything up and I dont know the details of the fuel system in the MS3 a lot of cars depend on the fuel to cool the fuel pump and the engine itself isnt going to like fuel starvation - if yer going to run the tests take a spare can, enable the trip computer if you havent already, and stop and add gas when the trip computer tells you you have 5-10 miles left.. just calibrate it to that - i.e. if you have 5-10 miles range left on trip assume you ran out of gas

 

[Rotus8]

I wouldnt run it out of gas... while it prob wont blow anything up and I dont know the details of the fuel system in the MS3 a lot of cars depend on the fuel to cool the fuel pump and the engine itself isnt going to like fuel starvation - if yer going to run the tests take a spare can, enable the trip computer if you havent already, and stop and add gas when the trip computer tells you you have 5-10 miles left.. just calibrate it to that - i.e. if you have 5-10 miles range left on trip assume you ran out of gas

Well, I have run the trip down below 0 several times and the maximum I have filled is 12.9 and it's supposed to hold 14.5.

 

[MadOzodi]

I broke 300 miles on a tank of gas for the first time yesterday. 322.1 miles on 12.558 gallons. I will only use BP Amoco Ultimate from now on! Every other 93 octane gasoline from other companies have yielded me 287.4 miles max on several tanks of gas. I always drive with the light on for a while just to get a better feel for how much gas I have left and how far I can go once the light turns on. I think the most I've ever pushed it was 12.9 also.

 

[SharkDiver]

I was so low on gas a few weeks ago I had to add 13.2G.I only went about 35Miles after the light came on.

 

[Bakrauf]

Are you all talking about the Speed 3? 200 Miles? WOW. I hit 350 miles on my last tank and the needle was just a hair under the last E mark. I have the MS CAI and I think that helps the gas mileage a lot.