Pay attention here.
That “E” on your gas gauge DOES NOT stand for “ENOUGH”.
MMMMkay?
Now if I could just get that through to The Wifely Unit.
I swear she is as bad as my dear departed Mother was 45 years ago.
At least she had the excuse of being dead broke all the time.
My Wife?
Not so much.
She ran around all day, walks in the door 15 minutes after I got home from work and announces that her Gas Light is on.
So naturally I ask, how long has it been on Dear?
“I don’t know”.
” I went to my sisters, took The Boy to the doctor, stopped by Fred Myers (to get some damned thing) and then noticed it on my way home”.
“I was praying to just get home.”
Praying to get home so my husband can take care of this shit is what she didn’t say.
So potentially the damned thing really could be empty at this point.
I went out in the shed, grabbed the gas can for the lawn mower, put 1/2 of it in and headed out to the same gas station she passed on the way home, knowing the gas light was on.
I paid EXACTLY one more dollar per gallon than I did just last week when I filled up my truck and put 10.8 gallons of gas in a 12 gallon tank, AFTER I had just dumped at least 1/2 a gallon in at home.
She was lucky this time, “E” was just barely, “ENOUGH”.
I don’t like playing that game.
Update;
Reader Greg put a fine point on it.
Not good for the fuel pump when they go dry, either.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
Since “modern” gas pumps are IN THE TANK, they are actually cooled by the fluid they are immersed in. In Other Words, if you keep running around with low gas levels in your tank, you risk burning out the pump prematurely.
End of physics lesson.
Yep was taught that long ago, never below a quarter tank, min half tank most times. I taught my kids that but I’m sure they have forgotten.
A spare 2 gallon container is a good thing when the gauge or my thoughtless mind tells me I FU.
The last one, I was going up a steep hill on the way to work, and I saw what was going on, but rocking it back and forth didn’t get me to the top of the hill. In the dark, with no shoulder on the road, I did have my flashers on and put my headlamp on in flasher mode, and put enough gas in it to get to the nearest station.
The spare can was in my truck box in the Ranger. Not a really good option in the Outback. Roof rack, maybe. Ain’t got no roof rack yet.
All my kids and grandkids do that. Haven’t gotten thru to them yet to fill it up when it hits half a tank.
Thirty or so years ago my missus called a tow truck to drag the ’75 Ford p/u home, called me at work, said the truck wouldn’t start in the Target parking lot. Kids were with her. Out of gas.
I can’t count the number of times she locked the keys in it and other vehicles. I got so good at getting into a locked p/u up that I helped a kid and his dad get into theirs in a parking lot. The dad and his partner were motorcycle cops; kid had called dad first. They looked at each other like they’d just watched a car thief in action, master class. Didn’t say a word though as the missus and kids were with me eating snowcones on the tailgate of my p/u.
Women that pass up a gas station hoping to get home and make the hubby do the go-get-gas-fillup really piss me off. I wouldn’t have done it. I would have put the lawn-mower fuel in and then told her to go fill it up herself. Either that, or there it sits.
Driving the Oregon side of the Columbia on my way to Idaho, there was exactly one exit in 49 miles oe so. I needed gas so made sure to take that exit.
Well, I was day dreaming when I flew past that exit. Oh crap!
I drove the wrong way (zero traffic, thank God) and the wrong way up the onramp. Mission completed.
Every new vehicle, I put a 5 gal can o gas in the back and drive till the gauge is on E then count down the miles until she won’t go no more.
That knowledge will come in handy.
I would do that with older rigs with mechanical fuel pumps and carbs. Not so with electric pumps (most are now in the top of the gas tank, and a royal, expensive pain to even get at them). Fuel injection does not like to be run dry either.
My F250 has a “miles till empty” on the dash. It’s supposed to have a 35 gallon tank, and every time I’ve filled it at or near “zero miles till empty”, I’ve never put more than 26 gallons to fill it. I don’t know where “E” really is, and don’t care to find out.
Tell me about it. Replaced the in tank fuel pump in my friend’s Saab. The shop manual said under back seat right side. For some reason, the book hadn’t caught up with the changes. I had to cut a new hole on the left side where acess actually was. Two hour job turned into all day.
Anyway, I only do that once. In the western states, there are places where you’re far from civilization. You can only carry so many jerry cans.
OT, but not really…
Little bit of background.
I spent over a decade as a Deep Sea Diver.
Saturation type.
I’ve done the work at -775′ deep.
With pipelines this big.
Big enough to walk in to.
Why the fucking fuck fuck is this shit not being taken care of right the fuck now?
Remember Katrina and Rita?
I was there and did the work.
Remember the Macando Oil Rupture/Spill?
They pulled me and the rest of the crew immediatety from the water.
Where are the pictures and video?
It took no time to put any of that up.
Even if you couldn’t send in a dive team to -260′ to -320′ (which is a walk in the park for any Commercial Diver, not to mention a Navy diver) one could always send in an UAV.
Where are the real time pictures and video?
What the fuck is really happening?
I’m saying this as a professional.
None of this makes any sense.
I’m not pointing fingers as to who did this.,
Like anyone else I would also like to know.
But, as someone who has worked a long time under water, I want some simple questions answered.
No one is giving them.
-rightwingterrorist
Lawdog has the right of it, and knows whereof he speaks. Others have chimed in that also know what he speaks of:
https://thelawdogfiles.com/2022/09/nordstream.html
Followup:
https://thelawdogfiles.com/2022/10/nordstream-ii-electric-instapundit.html
Just thought all you Gentle Readers might like to be edumacated…
Not to mention why is there not more people like me simply speaking up and saying just fix the fukcing thing?
It can be done.
It’s been done before.
Many times.
It’s just a damn pipeline.
-rightwingterrorist
It took me 4 years to convince my wife it was legal for women to buy gas in GA. She would drive until it was almost empty, and started stuttering, then complain I wasn’t taking care of the engine.
Me and my Father-in-Law did not agree on many things. He was a retired Naval Officer and stuck in his ways, but he had a large family of 4 daughters and 2 boys. He taught each how to maintain a car, which is rare for women. My Mother-in-Law also was taught by him. He did this so when he was at sea they could take care of themselves.
My Dad never did it for my Sis, but me and my brother could work on cars. My Mom never would even pump gas as she would have my Dad, my brother, or me do it, but she knew what “E” was and so did my sister.
Folks,
The rule use to be, Fill up at a quarter of a tank.
With all of the potential unpleasantries, the rule has become, Fill up at three quarters of a tank, and damn sure don’t let it get below half a tank.
Benedict Arnold
The wife’s car has the “miles till empty” and she asked me to fill it up as the light was on. It read 2 miles till empty and the closest gas station is 4 miles away and the much cheaper preferred station is 6 miles away. My lawnmower gas can was empty so I put it in the trunk to fill it up as well. I made it 6 miles to the preferred gas station while driving just over a mile with 0 miles till empty. It is supposed to hold 16.2 gallons but all I could get in was 15.6 gallons.
That picture reminds me of US 90 west of Del Rio. From Comstock to Sanderson is a long, long way. And the single station in Sanderson would close at 5pm most days.
Sanderson washed away in the 50’s or 60’s and never recovered. Marathon was the next stop west heading to Van Horn and Marfa and El Paso….
Shit, I’ve been married to one of them also for 52 years. Refuses to put gas in her car and refuses to drive 2 miles into NJ where they pump it for her.
But on the other hand, she never questions what I buy or how many. Small price to pay.