Redliner

I had heard rumors that if you keep driving with the gas light on it increases wear on the fuel pump. Any truth to this? How many miles can you go when the fuel light comes on?

Stocker

Are you going to drive less because of the level of gas in the tank? No? Still have to go to work/school and back, the grocery store, etc? Then you will end up using the same amount of gasoline, which will cost the same number of dollars. Why would you ever let it get below 1/4 tank when there are gas stations every mile in the city and every 1/2 tank in the middle of nowhere? It is an ILLUSION that you are saving money on gas by only putting in $2 worth. You will spend the same amount on gas regardless, and you are really not saving any time, either (especially if you let it run OUT and you get stranded).

The pump is cooled by the liquid gasoline in the tank as well as the gasoline it pumps from the tank. Theoretically it does lead to shorter pump life when you keep the level low.

Once upon a time, I was listening to the Car Talk radio call-in show and a guy called up and was mystified that BOTH the feul pumps on his truck with two gas tanks failed within a couple weeks of each other. The hosts cut him off and guessed -correctly, as the caller verified- that he let one tank run dry, then switched over to the other tank, as a matter of course. The lack of cooling, distributed evenly between the pumps, caused them both to die at approximately the same time.

oh, and: depending on terrain, you will have 20+ miles worth of driving when the light comes on steady.