2006 Sonata GL MPG
#46
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Re: 2006 Sonata GL MPG
"Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
news:%DO7g.8589$lb.781746@news1.epix.net...
> Bob wrote:
>
>> "Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
>> news:Mwx7g.8566$lb.780660@news1.epix.net...
>>
>>>Matt Whiting wrote:
>>>
>>>>Things are definitely looking up in the mileage department with the
>>>>warmer weather. I just got my second tankful of 31+ MPG. I got exactly
>>>>31 today and my last tank was 31.02. It looks like the change to
>>>>synthetic oil cost me 0.02 MPG. :-) I couldn't resist....
>>>>
>>>>With these last two tanks, my mileage average since buying the car (it
>>>>now has 5500 miles) has crept above 28 MPG. I'll be a happy camper if
>>>>the average stays above 30 for my daily commute. That should mean that
>>>>the EPA 34 highway rating is actually achievable on a long trip.
>>>
>>>My last tankful achieved 31.6 (nearly 500 miles on one tank!) so things
>>>are still improving slowly. Hey, this car may bet 34 MPG before the
>>>summer is over!
>>>
>>>Anyone run theirs dry yet to see if the tank capacity is really as
>>>advertised? I haven't run more than about 15 miles after the light came
>>>on, but have yet to put in more than 15.6 gallons, which means I should
>>>still have a couple left.
>>>
>>>
>>>Matt
>>
>>
>> Running an electric fuel pump dry is really hard on it. Even sitting
>> still with not alot of gas in the tank is a bad thing to do. They are
>> cooled by the gasoline. While the car is in motion, whatever gas is left
>> in the tank is sloshed over the pump and helps cool it. While running the
>> car out of gas once is not likely to kill the pump, it really doesn't
>> help with it's longivity.
>
> I've heard both sides of this and am pretty sure this is another urban
> legend. A fuel pump designer in another ng (I believe the Chrysler group)
> said that the fuel pump is cooled by the fuel going THROUGH it, not
> sloshing around. If the fuel pump is still pumping fuel, then there is no
> danger of overheating it. And once the tank runs dry, most folks turn off
> the key before the fuel pump runs long enough to damage the pump.
> Personally, I don't know for sure, but I've run my cars nearly to empty
> for 20 years and have had only one fuel pump failure and that was after
> 150,000 miles, which is considered to be decent life for an in tank fuel
> pump.
>
>
> Matt
I'm talking from experience on Chevy 3500 Vans. I worked for an electric
utility, and many of the vans idled for hours to provide AC power for
certain test equipment. We had a rash of fuel pump failures - mine included.
We were cautioned not to idle them if the tank was less than 1/4 full
because that would leave the motor of the fuel pump out of fuel - the intake
was still well under the fuel level. I know my Town and Country passes fuel
over the motor when it's pumping - http://tinyurl.com/h62yw - so what was
said about the fuel pump designer is definitely true about Chrysler. The
Chevy pump motor is out in the "open" in the tank. It is only cooled by fuel
around the outside of it. I don't know if that's the case with the Hyundai
pump. There's also baffles in the Chevy tank that help with the level. From
what I saw, driving the vehicle with a low tank didn't seem to kill them. It
was when the vehicle sat still even when the tank wasn't terribly low.
It's not entirely urban legend.
Also, once an engine stalls due to lack of fuel the pump shuts off after a
few seconds. It's not controlled by a pressure sensor. It's controlled by
pulses from the ignition system. Cranking the engine starts the pump for a
few seconds, and it stops a few seconds after you let go of the key. You'll
not likely cook a pump in the short term - especially with no back pressure.
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jarrod_234
Honda Civic - Del Sol - CRX
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07-05-2007 11:48 PM
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