Running out of gas in your car is a much more serious event than many people think. It can cause damage to your car that may cause hundreds of dollars (if not more) to fix.

When you run out of gas in your car, there are a number of parts of the vehicle that can be damaged. For example, running a car without gas can damage the fuel pump, fuel filter, or push dirt through out the fuel line of the vehicle.

To help protect yourself against risk of running out of gas, consider filling up your tank anytime your fuel indicator falls below 1/4 a tank.  For additional information about running out of Gas, try clicking on some of the links on this site.

When your car starts to show signs of being empty (pressing the gas pedal does nothing and the car is slowing) pull over as soon as possible and shut off your engine. A fuel pump can burn up very quickly with no gas left in the tank.

After you've left your car, walked a fuel miles, purchased a small gas can, filled it up and walked back to your vehicle, you'll need to be careful about getting the gas back into your car.

Gasoline is a strong chemical that isn't the best for car paint... try your best to keep the gas going into the tank when filling up your car with a gas can.

After you've put a gallon or two (more the better) into your vehicle, you can get ready to start your car. But wait, before you do anything you'll want to check a few things. Find your car owners manual and check to see if it has special instructions about starting your car after you've ran out of gas. Sometimes a vehicle will have a fuel injection reset button that you may have been set after your car ran out of gas.

Depending on the type of car you drive (check before taking any action), you may need to prime the engine by providing some fuel to the carburetor, or turning your car own and off a few times for the fuel pump to push fuel into the engine.

After you've check up on your car manual's instructions for starting the car after running out of gas, give the car some gas by pumping the gas pedal and then turn the key to start the ignition.

If all is well, your car will start right up. If you continue to struggle, something may be damaged in your vehicle and you'll need to check with a mechanic. Pick up the cell phone and call a tow truck. If you're still having trouble, consider methods suggested on other pages linked from this site.

image above by: Pat Hawks