diesels running out of fuel

[Wambat]

hey guys,

i got a 89 75 series diesel ute whose fuel gauge lies to me, never goes to fully full. and tells me its empty after about 300 - 350 ks, but only accepts 40 litres of fuel at that point, i have ran it under the gauge and have put a max of about 74 - 75 litres into it. so i have a two part question, 1 how large is the capacity of the fuel tank on 75 series ute.

and 2 are diesels similar to petrols when running out of fuel, do they chug and loose heaps of power(my first car would do that vl commodore) or do they keep running untill the last drop of fuel is consumed then just stop??

i am going to love day next week for their competition thats happening over next week end, and i want to roughly cost out fuel for the trip (at the moment im banking on about 6 tanks (that is also for this weeks work travel and next weeks as i am paid fortnightly)so 4 realy for the love day trip.

but i want to know if im running my tank down what its going to be like. i have a jerry can on the back, but all i would need is to run out of fuel and the primer pump not to work after 21 years of not being used, and i would be stranded. i am fairly certain my 2h is using more fuel than it should(however not blowing black smoke)

i normally get around 400 - 450 ks out of about 65 litres (if i am remembering correctly)

any help would be greatly appreciated

Alistair

[shorty_f0rty]

i have run out of fuel in my bj42 once.. it lost power and coughed/splutterd before stopping, this all happened pretty quickly in about a 100mtr stretch.

You can replace primer pumps on the diesels so before your trip it would be advised to replace this part. Alternatively if you find it does to it could not only let air into your fuel system and cause issues after refueling.

Alternatively you might be able to get without a primer pump by cracking injector lines and cranking over until diesel sprays out, repeat for each line then it should run ok on a fresh tank.

[love ke70]

ive done it a few times on my TD42.

its not really a big deal, but yeah, your going along, til it coughs splutters and your gone. not like a petrol that gives you a 5 minute warning

ive only done it once without an electric lift pump, and it sucked, i highly recommend not doing it, i couldnt get enough fuel up into it with the hand primer, would come up hard, then as soon as you go to start, fire then die in the ass. couldnt get to injector lines to bleed due to being on side of highway and my intercooler is in the way.

then my battery died.

ended up having to do it, cranking it over while my old man pumped the primer pump, that got it going, but coughed and spluttered for a good couple of minutes, even after it would sit there idling fine, then take up, cough cough.

every other time with an electric lift pump has been no dramas, pump it up to pressure, then turn it over, and hold foot flat til you clear the air and it starts, coughs a bit and your all good.

your owners manual should give you fuel tank capacity.

[80's_delirious]

its not a great idea to run it low on fuel, let alone run it out of fuel.

The injection pump in your 75s relies on the deisel going through it for lubrication and also for cooling. if you run the tank to almost empty you will be recycling heated fuel through it, if you run it out, it will be running without lube.

Having said that, I have run mine out of fuel, it first lost power about 100m from the first servo I had come accross, by the time I coasted into the driveway it had started to cough and splutter.

[Wambat]

cheers guys, i dont plan to run it out of fuel. i was more curious, as i would rather not make unnecessary stops. plus i got the jerry can so i can always top it up straight away when it starts to cough and splutter.

i dont actually have the owners manual for me 75, i think ive looked through the work shop manual i got but cant remember seeing a fuel capacity, i will look again though.

i think the 75 should be good for 550 ks easy, but obviously i am worryed that it wouldnt get there. ah well its no biggie, at least i keep the new fuel up to it, as i have been told(but wanted clarification) that they have a 90litre tank. so if thats correct ive been filling it with nearly 20 litres left in it most weeks.

[oldmate]

I used to get a good 550kays out of 70-75 litres in my old 60 series.

The 2h is an inline pump and as such relies on a completely air free prime to operate. Even the slightest air leak will cause it to sputter and die. So if it runs out of fuel it will be very obvious.

A rotary type pump may exhibit some misfiring before stalling, but it can also act the same as an inline pump and just crap out.

The important thing to remember is that when you do actually stall from running out of fuel, you will have to prime and bleed the air out of the system. On the 2h it's done with the plunger behind the fuel pump, and the bleed screw up top near the filter. You may also have to crack a couple of injector lines to get it cranking. It's more of an inconvinience, unless you happen to carry a bit of hose and a bucket to catch the diesel as it bleeds. Other wise it makes a nasty mess of the engine bay. Fortunately diesel isn't as volitile as petrol, so it will make it to the car wash without going all Jeep on you.

[Wambat]

no worrys, thanks for the info. like i said, i dont plan on running out of fuel, but i will push it a little more than normal.

[MILLSY]

90ltrs is right.

[Wambat]

cheers millsy, i then ave left 15 litres in it at the minimum when i have drained it as far as i am willing to push it

[love ke70]

cheers millsy, i then ave left 15 litres in it at the minimum when i have drained it as far as i am willing to push it

haha you need to try harder

ive put 89.2 litres in my GQ, 90 litre tank, was still running, i couldnt believe the timing haha

i think the one time i pushed it to the servo i put under 91 litres in.