Threxx

Well my dumbass was driving down the highway and my low fuel light came on... I really prefer to use Amoco or Chevron 93 octane fuel and nothing else. And usually when my low fuel light comes on I have 80 or so miles until I run out. Well I couldn't believe it... exit after exit went by with nothing but "Bobby Joe's Gas and Grits" type hole-in-the-wall stations. I've been leary of those places since my dad got gas at one on a road trip that fried his fuel pump. Well about 40-50 miles went by and I decided I was going to have to give in and pull into the next station no matter what it was. I'm going 80 MPH and all of a sudden my car lurches. My heart stopped for a second as I looked at the road ahead of me... nothing as far as the eye could see (very long straight road)... so I kept driving... lowered my speed to about 45 MPH (for better milage), turned off my A/C, and got really really careful with the throttle. I got another good 3 miles without another hiccup with not ONE single exit and then my car lurched 5-6 times and the motor died. I rolled to a stop on the side of the road. I tried to crank it one more time just to see if I could get another half mile or so out of it. No dice.

So I called Lexus customer care and they said since I was in such a remote location it would take 1.5-2 hours before they could get anyone out there. So I started walking.

Lucky for me an older couple was nice enough to pull off to the side of the road and ask if I needed any help. They drove me down the road to the nearest gas station (4-5 miles!!! good thing I got a ride or It'd have taken me a couple of hours). Crap, they didn't have any gas cans for me to borrow or buy. So I bought a gallon jug of windshield washer fluid, poured it all out, then rinsed out the jug with some water and filled it up with gas. Went back to my car and started it up, it acted like nothing ever happened... except the check engine light was now on. So I drove down the road to the gas station and filled up (another generic country gas station... 91 octane is all they had out of some old fashioned looking pumps).

Well the check engine light is what really concerned me. I drove the rest of the way to my destination (another 120 miles or so) and it stayed on the whole time. It seemed to run fine (didn't seem quite as powerful but that was probably just the generic low octane gas)... but that light was still bothering me. I even stopped the car and restarted it to see if it would clear. No dice. Well once I got all the way to my destination I got out at a resteraunt. An hour later I came out and started the car. The check engine light was still on, but oddly enough after about 20 seconds it went away (I know the light comes on every time you start the car... but only for a split second, not 20 or so). Anyhow, I drove another 5 miles and it seemed to run fine and no check engine light. I haven't driven it since.

So my question is, what could I have damaged by running my car out of gas? I've heard that some fuel pumps are cooled by the gas in the tank, so if you run out of gas your fuel pump can overheat and fail or be damaged. Is the GS4's fuel pump designed like this? Is there anything else that I could have damaged? What would the check engine light be coming on for and then going away?

I know I should just bring it in to the dealer, but I'm too worried about it to wait and I won't be back in town for a few days.

Help! Give me something... bad news, good news, whatever.

Oh and I know that one common cause of check engine lights is the gas cap not being on all the way... I made sure of that as soon as I saw it come on, no dice.

martialart

well i am not sure about your question for the water pump, but i do know the check engine light is a safety measure when you run out of gas, it is just telling you ... HEY YOU RAN OUT OF GAS, YOU NEED TO CHECK IT OUT. So it means you should take it in to the lexus dealership and make sure nothing went wrong. And they will turn off the check engine light off.

bluelex

as far as the check engine light when u have gas in the car try disconnecting the negative battery term and it will reset u'r engine light..

Threxx

The light went away after a few hours of driving and then letting it sit for an hour and starting it back up. I'm just worried about what it meant while it was on. I don't want the fuel pump to prematurely fail in 30k miles and only then find out that the check engine light from way back when came on because I damaged the pump.

I guess I'm just paranoid- and when a check engine light comes on my 40k mile pristine prized lexus I get worried. It's like a mother and father and their newborn baby develops a tiny cough... they usually flip and think it might be the end of the world.

bluelex

its understandable, at least u care some don't..my brother says i'm paranoid when i do stuff like that cus he drives no matter what the dash says... so better safe than sorry as they say....

LS4fun

I think you car is fine....running out of gas is not the end of the world!
Just remember to watch that gauge!

mooretorque

The fuel pump is cooled by gasoline on most cars; therefore, your concern is valid. However, the problem of overheating is very unlikely to crop up with just this one episode. It's the folks who chronically run almost to empty who run into early failure.

No reason not to maybe touch base with your Lexus tech (VVT-i could probably tell you if you really need to take it in) but "check engine" light likely came on because of abnormal firing as those last few drops of gas were burned. The ECU is evidently smart enough to realize that the abnormal combustion is no longer occuring and has reset itself, but that's just a guess.

I'm betting everything is fine!

Maeve

iTrader: (2)

You are doing just fine. You engine light on is probably only the sensor. It's telling you to check the fuel injector and fuel pump. They might have dirt that was sucked when you are draining the fuel tank. It's possible. But believe me you didn't damage any major parts in your car. Get some fuel injector cleaner (Chevron has it - mix w/ the gasoline) and go to the dealer to check the engine light status/reset the code.
Goodluck.