Low fuel light?

What are the odds that a 2009 Aveo, with 5500 miles has a low fuel light burned out?

It was on when i left for my test drive. That is the last time i saw it. I drove home the other night with only an 1/8 of a tank. I was about 60 miles form home.. Luckily i didn't run out of gas. but i have been wondering when the light should come on. It was below the E line, but not to the E, and the light never came on. It took 11.9 gallons to fill it.

so my question is, and i suppose this need to be an American car only cause according to my owners manual canada has different gauges, where is your fuel gauge needle when the light comes on? The book also said the light should come on with 1.6 or 1.7 gallons left in the tank, but that the tank was 12.something gallons (i forget now). So if i put almost 12 gallons in it, the light should have come on..

The light is REALLY dim. I can only see mine when it is night or I use my hand as a shade.

on my 2008 when the light comes on I have only a mile or so before I run out. I need to adjust it some how.

this was at 10 at night. i do remeber seeing it on the test drive, it was definitely not as bright as the rest of the gauges, but i think i would have seen it..?

Cyber3d, have you ever run out of gas because of it? i am curious if i have the same problem.

i dont think i want to try making an appointment with a dealer unless its empty and i have no where to go.. and with my schedule that is almost impossible.

i will need to look again, maybe the number i found is without the "reserve" ? if it is 13.7 then the light wouldn't have come on just yet. because i only got it to @ 12.. so there would still be 1.7 in there..

that would mean the gauge needle is off then because it was almost touching the E with is like 4mm below the empty line.
i guess i will have to wait out this tank and then try to get the light to come again..

maybe this is why i think i am barely getting 300 miles to a tank, you you guys say you get more.. because i am not using that last two gallons..?

I ran mine dry once, and it seems to be working as intended. It came on about 40 miles before I conked out.
When the light comes on and I refill it usually takes 10.4 gallons.
Looks like the 09's get a new larger gas tank- now its 12 gallons.
Earlier models were 11 Gal.
Your light should have still come on though.
They can check that with a scanner at the dealership I'm sure.

i remember reading in the manual for my 06, that its a 12 gallon tank, but i have never put in more then 10.

i've only had the fuel light come on once, and when i filled it up i put in 9.5 gallons, so that means that 2.5 gallons are still in the tank if the manual is right.

As per the 2007 owners manual.. I have this & dont even have the car yet. :lol:

PAGE 174...

The low fuel warning light comes on when there is
approximately 1.7 gallons (6.0 liters) of fuel
remaining in the tank.

My low fuel light was on this morning in my 08 and it took 10.6 gallons. 323 miles. You are right tho...by the time that light comes on you are really low and need to get gas soon. Don't wait for the light.

My 09s light has never come on and I run it nearly dry last night!

i am so bad when it comes to running the tank dry on my 04 sedan. i see my low fuel light more than i see the pre-start lights. typically pull into the gas station and it takes 10.5 or something in the 10 point range when i fill up. thank god i havent blown the fuel pump.

As long as there is the slightest amount of fuel, it will not cause your pump to overheat. The problem arises when you run it until it actually dies due to no fuel. Even then, I think the fuel pump could take it once or twice.

In my 2006 hatch the low fuel light does come on with plenty of warning to find a station reasonably...I figure I went 20 miles before the light was REALLY bright...

It seems to dim and get brighter, reacting with the slosh of fuel in the tank? maybe that's why is going on with yours?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aveodude

As long as there is the slightest amount of fuel, it will not cause your pump to overheat. The problem arises when you run it until it actually dies due to no fuel. Even then, I think the fuel pump could take it once or twice.

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Pretty much spot on.

The pump wont fail/overheat from running out of fuel.....ever (I used to use internal pumps to pump my race fuel from the drums into the cars) . When low on fuel it it sucks up the garbage left in the tank. Which in turn clogs the pump sock(I have even seen teh socks get ripped from small stones..scary) causing it then to overheat & fail.

Now a bit off topic, but something people may not realize.....

If a person cheaps out on their fuel & they run out of fuel. I would highly recommend taking out the pump & at the very least cleaning or changing the pump sock.
Remember people, when your fuel runs out & you suck all the garbage through your pump, it also goes through the filter & into the injectors. Back when I used to work for the dealerships I had so many cars come in for COMPLETE fuel system failure due to running out of/low on fuel(Ford, GM, Toyota & Chrysler).
Even if you buy fuel from a quick turn around, but you have a habit of running the tank very low. I HIGHLY recommend you have the sock & filters changed ALOT more often them recommend.

It's actually surprising how far you can go once the light comes on. Mine came on and a I drove it for another day. I filled it up and put in 41.5 liters... it's only a 40 liter tank though. I guess the neck holds another 1 1/2 liters.

I didn't even know Aveos had a fuel light...

where is it located? On the center display around the clock? ('08 hatchback)

its right between the tach and speedo.

I just had mine come on this morning, you guys are right, it's extremely dim. It lit up for about 15 seconds then went off, then on again. I was able to go about 4 miles to a gas station from when it came on, but I must have used every drop because it took 10.84 gallons to fill it. Too close... :shock:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MetroAveo

I just had mine come on this morning, you guys are right, it's extremely dim. It lit up for about 15 seconds then went off, then on again. I was able to go about 4 miles to a gas station from when it came on, but I must have used every drop because it took 10.84 gallons to fill it. Too close... :shock:

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Isn't the tank 11.9 gallons? You still had over a gallon left! Generally, my low fuel light comes on when I have about a 50 mile range left. If I fill it up right after it comes on, it is usually about a 10.6-10.8 gallon fill up. The most I've put in was 11.26 gallons.

being i already replaced the fuel pump in mine, i am not going to let it get under an 1/8th tank...

I've ran out of gas before. My fuel gauge doesn't working properly.

That's why I always keep a bottle of http://www.sparefuel.net with me now :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocket182

I've ran out of gas before. My fuel gauge doesn't working properly.

That's why I always keep a bottle of http://www.sparefuel.net with me now :)

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It seems like a neat idea, but its a one time use thing that you can't refill with regular gas, right?

The way the low fuel light works is it comes on very dim then as you run lower and lower on fuel the light gets brighter and brighter. You can easily see it in the day if its at its brightest.

So if you are driving around and notice your light slightly coming on and fading out, your on the edge of your reserve tank, if its bright all the time then you need to fuel up soon.

the light doesnt just like pop on or whatever. it like fades in and out according to what the sensor is reading for fuel level like ull be driving and it fades in and then when u take a turn it like turns off. youll notice when its almost out and its bout ttime to get some as soon as possible is when u take turns and everything and it doesnt fade in and out anymore.

i wouldnt ever run it with less than 1/8th tank left, easier to fill it up than to put in another fuel pump lol

put another fuel pump. y is that? can it damage it? and why and how?

The fuel pump can get damaged when you run it dry. And you might not be completely empty, but if you park on a steep hill, all the gas could go to the other side of the tank, so when you start, the fuel pump will run dry. It may not kill it the first time, but it's definitely not good for it. After changing one in my 03 Cavalier with only around 35K after driving it down a steep hill with almost no gas in it, and paying about $200 to get it changed (which was quite cheap at the time since it was new, parts were expensive, and labor wasn't cheap either, I wasn't that mechanically inclined yet to change it myself) taught me a lesson to keep it above at least a 1/4 tank if possible.

I actually replaced the second fuel pump this week that crapped out because the people ran the cars with no gas in them. My car gets refilled when I hit 3/4 to a 1/2 of a tank, that way it doesn't cost too much to fill and I know I wont run out anytime soon

Actually, the manual calls the '06 fuel capacity 11.6 gallons. If my light is going to come on, it generally comes on when I've used about 10 gallons or so.

I wish I were getting around 300 miles on a tank, it still beats driving my Fiero!

Also, the reason that you don't want to run around with a nearly empty tank is that the fuel pump depends on gasoline both to lubricate and cool it down.

I reset the trip odo every time I fill up. My 07 LS sedan gets about 300 mi. per tank. I usually refill at about 250. My Low Fuel light works fine. I think it has come on three times since I got the car. When I see it, I fill up immediately and give myself a good slap for neglecting it. I rarely let it go below 1/4 full.

mine comes on when the needle just touch the red line,
first it dim and turns on and off sometimes,
and then after a couple more kms it stays on,,
and it costs me ~$50 to fill it up,,, @ $1.35 / liter.
the geo metro has better mpg, but it kills your shoulders no p/s)

here is when did mine fuel light turns on.
just before completely match the red "E" line
yes the light turned on, but turned off immediately, need to drive a couple more km to make it stays on
just to let you know when will it start
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...o/DSC00285.jpg