[Norm201]

I'll be more than happy to report when my pump fails so you can say "I told you so!".

I would think a gallon of fuel is more than enough to keep the pump cool and many pumps sit outside of a fuel tank and never overheat. What is the engineered operating temperature range of an in tank automotive fuel pump BTW?

Be careful what you wish for. It might come true. In today's car I believe all fuel pumps are in the tank and never outside as before. One gal of gas is not sufficient to keep a pump cool for very long. True the pumps are designed to work without a lot of gas surrounding them but you will certainly reduce the life of the pump with prolonged practice of running the tank low. How long? who knows but I bet it will be lot shorter than those who keep at least a quarter tank at all times. That's why the low gas warning. It's not just a convenience.

 

[Norm201]

I refuse to accept your premise (in bold) above as factual until someone gives me the actual temperature range the pump was designed to operate within. Even better, it would be nice to know how often the pump cycles cruising at 60 mph and how much heat is generated during that cycle. Without that, were all just blowing smoke.

I only have one data point on my side and as we all know, one point is meaningless. In any case - I always ran my Protege5 until there was only about a gallon of fuel left and it had 160k miles on it when I sold it.

Well, I agree I too would like to see the data points and specs. But until we do see those items, you do the testing and experimenting and I'll stay tuned. I'll play by the rule of error on the safe side.

 

[Norm201]

The fuel pump on my Escort went out at 80-something-thousand miles. I figured it was the cheap gas I was using but this one guy said the same thing about the fuel pump that D1JL said and also claimed that I should fill up at half-a-tank. I don't think I'll ever really know what the cause was.

Anyway, I wouldn't know my miles to empty since I have an S model and it doesn't tell you those types of things. However, I find myself refueling at 300 miles regardless of what the gauge says. It's just habit since no car I had before would go much past 300 on a tank.

Even the Car Talk guys, Click and Clack recommend not letting the tank go dry. If they say so then its good for me.

 

[Norm201]

I usually fill up at the 1/4 mark or when the low fuel warning first comes on.

 

[Norm201]

This should settle the argument and I stand corrected

Today's fuel pumps are immersed in the tank for a good reason and need fuel surrounding it. Two main reasons. Prevent vapor lock and prevent fire hazard by virtue of the fact that liquid fuel is not combustible.
Rather than paraphrase I'll "lift" the article from

Fuel pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In many modern cars the fuel pump is usually electric and located inside the fuel tank. The pump creates positive pressure in the fuel lines, pushing the gasoline to the engine. The higher gasoline pressure raises the boiling point. Placing the pump in the tank puts the component least likely to handle gasoline vapor well (the pump itself) farthest from the engine, submersed in cool liquid. Another benefit to placing the pump inside the tank is that it is less likely to start a fire. Though electrical components (such as a fuel pump) can spark and ignite fuel vapors, liquid fuel will not explode (see explosive limit) and therefore submerging the pump in the tank is one of the safest places to put it. In most cars, the fuel pump delivers a constant flow of gasoline to the engine; fuel not used is returned to the tank. This further reduces the chance of the fuel boiling, since it is never kept close to the hot engine for too long.
The ignition switch does not carry the power to the fuel pump;....

I previously stated that Tom & Ray of Car Talk said its not good to run your tank to empty. I stand corrected. They don't seem to think it makes a difference. See

Is it really OK to let your gas tank run down to empty? - NWautos

Also from
Running on Empty - ABC News

By JOHN STOSSEL
June 5, 2008


So why do cars say "empty" when there's still gas left? Ford said it's about providing a "comfort zone" for the driver -- you don't want to have the light go on and all of a sudden, you're dry. GM said that customers in the United States want that reserve, and they provide it. Chrysler said some drivers, German customers, for example, want to know exactly how much gas is in the tank, but Americans like to have a buffer.

However, do a Google search titled "is it safe to run a gas tank to empty" and you will see testimony from many saying its not a good idea.

I'll continue to error on the side of safety. Especially since a fuel pump can cost between $400 and $1000 repair. Is it worth it?

 

[Norm201]

I bow to your greatness Norm201. Great investigative work.

Thank you kind sir.