Ask a Technician: Is It Safe to Continuously Drive on Low Gas?

Q. Is it bad to regularly drive my car until the low gas light comes on?

A. It’s like dancing with the devil. All right, not really—but it’s still not a good idea. Running out of gas is a serious drag and depending on where and when it happens, it can turn into a dangerous situation.

Aside from the risk of getting stranded on the side of the road at the mercy of passersby, driving your car down to the bottom of your gas tank can actually do damage your car’s engine.

Gas has small particles of dirt and other gunk that accumulate and sink to the bottom of your tank. The lower your gas level goes, the more gunk gets stirred up and mixed with the remaining gas.

If you’re driving with a low tank, this sediment is pulled up into your engine. Some of it will be caught by your fuel filter, but some dirty gas will make it into your fuel line and finally to your engine where can do some serious damage, including ruining your fuel pump.

Mucking up your engine with dirty gas is easily avoidable. Just fill it up. Try not to let your tank get below a quarter of a tank and you should be good to go. Keep reading our newsletter for more answers to your questions from the Lynch Ford Chevrolet service department.