Edionne13

Thought this was myth of some sort. Heard buddy of mine oh yeah we have gas light. For when to warm you to fill up soon. Thought he was joking I've ran out of gas once and never say an orange light. Long behold wiped my gauge to get dust off last night. Sun happen to hit the right spot and I see a little box amber casing light. Anyone ever replace this..? Bulb burnt I wanna get it working again rather than me going by miles every tank.

If it matters 93 pickup ex 3.slow

nieb15

I noticed it after swapping my gauge cluster. I do not know if I need another sensor, but mine does not work either. I'd like to get it working, not that I typically get that low, but it would be nice to have.

ET

if you end up replacing the bulb get something brighter than stock. unless it's cloudy out I can't see it light up on my 95 4Runner. It usually doesn't light up until the needle hits a few millimeters before the last line.

Punchy

Easy to find and replace gauge cluster.

Discombobulated

If you have done the sr5 swap you won't have a working fuel light, originally trucks that had the sr5 had an a extra wire to the fuel sending unit to trip the low fuel light.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

If you are so stupid as to run your tank that low .

You should have at least a 2" light and a siren to get your attention!!

wallytoo

iTrader: (1)

that's a helpful comment.

i'm so stupid, i drove my '95 legacy 300K miles in that manner. i usually waited to fill the tank until the fuel light was activated (which, in my lego, meant i had about 45 miles or so remaining). in that car, in over 13 years of driving it, i never ran out of gas.

as far as this gen toy, my 87 has a fuel light, and i've been doing the same thing, waiting for the light to be activated before fueling up. i also use the trip odometer as a helper for deciding. when it lights up in the toy, i seem to have about the same range, from 40 to 50 miles. we'll see how stupid it is.

Kytowboater

Mine never lighted up. I try not to get below half tank often.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

I have seen mine when the sun hits it but that's it. As far as running that low on fuel. It is not a good thing for any in tank fuel pump. Most of the use the fuel to dissipate some heat. I used to run my suburban and first 85 toy like that and did a fuel pump in both. Replaced them both with a frame rail mounted pump never had another problem. But every mechanic and shade tree wrench I have talked to. Said try not to run them below 1/4 tank. This should increase your fuel pump lifespan. Just what I have been told.
Hope this helps

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

On the 84-88 both guages have the Gas Light. You at least need the 3 wire float assembly and add a bulb to get it to operate. Not sure what else is needed to get it to work. I would guess the next generation has the same option but wont say for sure. Fuel keeps the pump cool so I stay above a 1/4 tank.

Non SR5


SR5


Here is the different float assemblies. I am sure the one that my finger is on is what triggers the light. The plugs are different just because one is an 86 and the other is an 88 but everything else is the same. 2/3 wire.

scope103

Yup, those "shade tree mechanics" know a lot more about designing trucks than the engineers in Tokyo!

The fuel pump is cooled by fuel going through the pump; whether it's also sitting in fuel doesn't make much difference. If it did, auto designers would sit the pump in a well so it was always covered. The truck is designed to use the entire tank.

Of course if you've got a lot of debris in your tank, keeping it above 1/4 tank might help keep it out of the intake "sock." At least if it's floating debris. And leaving your truck at the side of the road because you ran out of gas isn't doing anyone any good, so if keeping it above 1/4 tank helps keep you from running out of gas, go for it.

redbayredneck

I've never seen mine light up and I've had to put 16.5 gallons in to fill it up before (17 gallon tank) But I also just watch that handy little gas gauge and have yet to run out of fuel.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Wow everybody seems really easily offended lately. And some time shade tree mechanics do know a thing or two more than a "true mechanic". In my 99 silverado w/5.3 motor I was getting my CEL on and the codes indicated it was a collapsed lifter which can be a very expensive job. I asked several shops and 2 stealerships if Seafoam or GM's top engine clean would make a difference. All said NO. I called up my hillbilly friend who eats sleeps and breaths Chevy. And he said with those codes Seafoam probably isn't strong enough but try the GM product. Well ran it through the break booster vacuums line, let it die just like w/Seafoam and what do you know 20k miles later no CEL and great mileage. And i didn't have to do a top end. Passed emissions like a champ. Most of us here are "shadetree" mechanics. IE we fix our own gear and help out friends who can't help themselves. And yes I listen to all the shadetree mechanics on here to get opinions. I may or may not heed their advise. But experience is more valuable than just about anything else. Just my 2 cents. If you dot like someone's advise don listen to them. But don't jump on your high horse unless thy are giving out potentially dangerous advise. This board is about asking questions and sharing information. Lets try and keep it that way

Climbing down off my soap box now

SoCal4Running

I don't like running my 86 till the light comes on because it cost more to fill up

But it does have a light and yes it's pretty dim.


As far as dealer "mechanics"... I'd use the term loosely... Most of them only know what a book tells them or the computer and couldn't diagnose a problem if their life depended on it. They are good at throwing parts at a problem until they get lucky and fix it, which cost the customer a fortune in parts they didn't need.

85toy4runner

sorry wrong info

wallytoo

iTrader: (1)

i must have been very lucky. legacys have two pumps in the tank, since the tank straddles the rear driveshaft (one pump for each side, once the tank gets below about 1/2 full). i owned the car from 1999 to the present, although i stopped driving it earlier this year (rust). i put 295K miles on it in that time, and i never ran out of gas, nor did i have to replace either of the fuel pumps in the car (18 years old). i'm not sure how much more "lifespan" to expect out of the fuel pump if i never run below 1/2 full, but based on what i've experience with running the tank low, i ought to get darn near a million miles out of one doing it that way. if only the rest of the car would make it.

cobolt23

Mine gets brighter as the gas gets lower...

Edionne13

Well I have the sr5 cluster extended cab.. Never swapped. Just wondering because it won't come on after the last line. Didnt know if it was possible just replace bulb

TNRabbit

I've run out of gas 5 times over the past 13 years & NEVER had a light come on~

Once I hit E, I know I have 4 gallons left (20 gal tank).

CJM

Running it too low can cause you to clog the sock over the pump because all the debris gets sucked up. A plastic tank really doesnt have issues, but metal one will because they rust over time due to water in the gas.Over the life of the vehicle a small amount of water is present in the gas, moreso since switching to higher % of ethanol laced gas these days.

Me, I ran out of gas in a work van the gauge was busted (not my fault really) a few times, and in my T100 only once. That was caused by driving with the light on for over 50 miles at over 70mph on my may to go beat someone up. I didnt make it.But I did manage to drive another 5 miles to get off the highway on fumes..