I've been letting my gas run below "E" to test the limit. Almost went too far. Car was spuddering a little as I was approaching the gas station. I made it to the pump ok. The tank topped off at 16.5 gallons. Isn't this tank 17.5 gallons? Has anyone filled that much?

 

i actually ran out of gas the other week...parked in front of my gf's house. Couldn't start it up so we had to go buy a reserve tank and fill it with gas ...So busy that week I didnt even notice I was so low.

 

I've heard if you completly run out it's bad for the catylytic converter.

BTW. what city in California are you?

 

according to acura.com for the 2003 acura cl:
Fuel Tank - 17.2 U.S. gallons

 

Running out of gas shouldn't have any effect on your CC after all it is part of the exhaust system not the engine, and it works on a chemical reaction with chemicals in the exhaust to create a solid waste in the CC and a less harmfull or harmless gass to be released. If running out of gas was bad for the CC then I think leaving the car off would be bad for the CC. I could be wrong though.

 

Does the CL have a submersible fuel pump in the bottom of the fuel tank?

If so, it relies on the fuel for cooling. This type of design will never let you completely drain the tank lest the fuel pump could overheat.

Th other traditional negative is that silts and sediments accumulate in the bottom of the tank and that the likelyhood of sucking this junk into the fuel system increases as the fuel level decreases. This can lead to clogged fuel filters and, if it passes through the filter, clogged injectors.

 

Couldn't you call the roadside assistance people? I know they would bring you up to 5 gallons of gas...
Wait... I dunno if that's the Acura TLC thing or if it's the OnStar thing... hmm...

 

I think that's OnStar, TLC just brings you a dime bag and a small, cheaply-made bong.

 

Wow...the most I filled up is ~16.3 gallons. I guess I got pretty close to *putt-putt* clunck!

 

6speed,

I ran out of gas last week on my way back from the gym. Me and my buddy had to push my car uphill to the gas station. (Fortunately, it wasn't leg day)...Anyways, the car wanted to stop at 16.4 gallons, but I got it up to 16.9 before she wouldn't take any more.

I don't know about your gas light, but mine came on and 27 miles later i was out of gas.

 

I put a good 30 (estimate) miles aftre the light. The pump clicked and I added a little more and it clicked a 2nd time. I figured it was full. Sounds like Acura's 17.2 tank is not quite that.

 

Uusally, I fill a 14-15 Galons at Empty light.

However, I can pump at least 1 Galon more after the pump will click.

So if you pumped 16.4 Gal, I am sure you can pump 0.8 Gal more.

Ih you want to try it. Just keep pumping in shorts burst till the Gas reach the rim.

 

I ran out of gas in my Audi, although it wasn't my fault. I had a problem with the fuel gauge. One day it was almost empty, so I pulled into a gas station, as I sat there waiting for a pump to open up, the needle rose to a 1/2 tank....

Went to Audi, they identified the problem, but had to order the part from Germany. Of course, the next week, my wife drove the car in the morning, I drove it in the afternoon, and then we went out together for dinner. Needless, to say, neither one of us realized how much the car had been driven that day and how inaccurate the gauge was at the moment. ANYWAY, we ran out of gas, but never had any problems as a result of that. (As a matter of fact, just turned that car in off of lease a few weeks ago.)

 

You must have been running on fumes

 

I kinda remember hearing that too. I know, at least in the past when catalytic converters were new, that they also warned against starting your manual transmission vehicle by rolling & popping the clutch. I think that sort of "dirty" start (and probably the same thing with running out of gas) eats into the life of the CC. Just a guess, but the clutching-popping thing is true for sure--I think I first read it in an owners manual for one of my cars after CCs came out.

 

Maybe the tank can hold 17.2 gallons - minus the fuel pump in the tank, which takes up space. Then there is the gas lines which should have some fluid in them, leaving the total to just under 17.2 treu gallon of gasoline.

Just a thought I had about the topic.

 

My 01 CL was running on fumes to but the needle was below E and the light had been on for 40 miles. Thats a lot better than my VW Jetta VR6 which had no light and ran out of gas as soom as the needle hit E. Those germans are hard cases!
It took 16.5 gal at the pump. I probably could have put another 0.3 gal in filling it to the rim but I heard that is not good for the emissions system. My car gets 25 to 26 mpg in winter and 28 in the summer. My driving going to work is 45 and comming home 70. Most trips are 20 miles in length.