How many miles can a truck drive after the low fuel light comes on? I have a 2002 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4, with a 25 gallon fuel tank and the 5.4L engine. Just curious

 

i've gone about 50 with it on and filled up and took 23.5 gallons. I also have a 25 gallon tank. so id say 50-70 is safe. That was on the highway with cruise set at 75

 

does anyone know aprox. how much gas is in the tank when this light comes on?

 

i've heard 3 gallons but it really depends on if your truck is sitting level or not. I can have 1/4 tank, come to a fast stop and it will set the light off.

 

I think 50-70 maybe alot if you have oversized tires and a lift or just mods of any kind so just take that into consideration also

 

I would say about 25 to 40 miles, for sure not more than 40
Trust me I know, my started shaking and missing at about 35 miles

 

hm... well i made it 50 miles with 1.5 gallons left

 

my light comes on when my "km till empty" says 80km .. so that would be about 50 miles. I too have the 5.4L.

 

it may be good to know how far,in case of emergency,but you should never let your tank get that low,you uncover the fuel pump,which can heatup,and can cause failure...the fuel is what keeps it cool

 

I don't think it's a good idea to ask what somebody else's truck does when it's your own Low Fuel Light that's on.
What if I told you I can go 175 miles after the Light comes on, how does that help you?

You know you have a 25 gallon tank.
When the Light comes on pull into a station and "Fill Up".
Your tank now has 25 gallons.
But wait! Look at the pump. How many gallons did you put in?

25(Full Tank) - (whatever the pump says) = (the number of gallons in your tank when the light came on)

Part B:
Reset you trip odometer before you leave the pump.
The next time you fill up.
Divide the miles on the trip odometer by the number of gallons you purchased.
(this only works if you fill up)
The answer is your MPG.

Now you know two things.
How many gallons are left when the light comes on
and how many miles you can go because you know your mpg.

Afterall your first question was, "how many miles can a truck go after the light comes on?"

The only people who truely know the answer to that are those who have run out of gas.

 

Well... Let's see...9.8mpg... multiplied by approximately 3 gallons... time to get to the pump!!

 

Some of this thinking is really funny!
The amount left in the rank is usually between 3 and 5 gallon.
How far you can go to run-out, is a function of the mileage the motor gets.
Empty running is one thing, towing a load is another.
Not even close. If running empty and you get 14 mpg then you might expect 14 x 5 gal = 70 miles but don't press your luck unless you have 5 gal along to find out.
Also, the dash micro processor determines when the lamp comes on and where the needle position is plus any inaccuracy.
The gas gauge is not updated for level on an instant continuing basis either but done in time intervals. That's why you can't see the gas gage rise while filling the tank until the motor is started and the dash gets the new level signal..

 

ha yea the only reason i went 50 miles was because there was NO gas station until that mileage. I was getting really worried.

 

Keep in mind, just because you have a 25 gallon tank does not mean you have 25 gallons to burn. The fuel pump can not pump every last drop...in fact I would be surprised if it can pump out the last gallon.

Mike

 

ok here's mine. 98 f150 ext.cab, loaded
low fuel light at 446 miles, gage holding
on red at 461, filled up at 465,held 23.9 gal