- #14 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [spaminajam]
by typer73
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Nov 01, 2006 (6:25 pm)
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Replying to: spaminajam (Nov 01, 2006 9:54 am)
I don't know whether you did any damage, but I do know that when the last bar on the fuel gauge starts flashing, you have 1 gallon of gas left. Maybe I'm just weird, but the flashing sure gets my attention! And even though I know I can go at least 30 miles with 1 gallon, I'm searching for the nearest station just to stop the blinking! (BTW--I love the center cluster & the driver's side glove box!)
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- #15 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [spaminajam]
by robertkn
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Nov 02, 2006 (6:33 am)
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Replying to: spaminajam (Nov 01, 2006 9:54 am)
Running out of gas should not cause your fuel pump to burn out. I'm not saying that it didn't, but that would be a symptom of either a defective part or defective design. I doubt that it damaged your Yaris at all. Stop worrying and stop trying to reenact old Seinfeld episodes! 
"(BTW--I love the center cluster & the driver's side glove box!)"
Us too!!
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- #16 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [robertkn]
by spaminajam
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Nov 02, 2006 (6:50 am)
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Replying to: robertkn (Nov 02, 2006 6:33 am)
No idea what the Seinfeld comment means! But the Yaris is in the shop at my Toyota dealership and probably does need a new pump. Running bad and acting like it's running out of gas. Service manager says the pump will "cavitate" when it sucks for gas that isn't there, often burning itself out. So really hope you enjoy that glove box! Going to cost me hundreds of dollars. When it's fixed, will be trading it for something that places the gauges in FRONT OF THE DRIVER!
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- #17 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [spaminajam]
by boris13
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Nov 02, 2006 (1:24 pm)
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Replying to: spaminajam (Nov 02, 2006 6:50 am)
I don't think it takes much to adapt to the location of the gauges. Certainly, that center location could serve as a convenient excuse for driver inattention, though.
You made your point. You hate -- really, really, hate -- the location of the speedo and gauges.
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- #18 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [boris13]
by spaminajam
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Nov 02, 2006 (1:40 pm)
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Replying to: boris13 (Nov 02, 2006 1:24 pm)
It is just an excuse possibly yet in 50 years of driving "regular" cars, I have never run out of gas. NEVER! The biggest surprise was my husband. I assumed it would be the worst fight in over 40 years of marriage yet when I told him, all he cared about was I didn't get killed when I was stuck in the fast lane of the freeway. I was completely off guard by his concern for me instead of the car.
The 2nd biggest reason I am selling this car no matter how much I lose is the cheapness. I get off work and it is dark out. I get into the car, start it, turn on the lights. While the floor shifter (auto trans) is lit up, there is NO GEAR "INDICATOR" to tell me what gear I am IN! Just plain stupid and cheap the more I drive it. I test drove a Hyundai Accent that was so much nicer and better equipped but I wanted the Toyota reliability. Not any more.
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- #19 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [spaminajam]
by boris13
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Nov 02, 2006 (1:51 pm)
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Replying to: spaminajam (Nov 02, 2006 1:40 pm)
I agree with you that there should be a lighted gear indicator in the automatic versions of the Yaris. Of course, I'm getting a 5-speed manual, so I don't need to worry about that glitch.
It is an economy car. Inexpensive for Toyota to build, and inexpensive for the owner to operate. It may have less features than what most Americans have come to expect.
In my view, the Yaris liftback offers American drivers in 2007 essentially the same thing (albeit with more sophisticated technology) that the VW Beetle offered American drivers in 1960: economy, reliability, simplicity, durability. On that level, it seems to me that the Yaris succeeds.
(Remember, the VW had only a speedo and a fuel gauge, and it came with a lousy heater, but we all loved it anyway. It was a hit.)
You could have picked the Accent... but then you would have gotten much worse real-world MPG and a build quality that's (still) inferior to the Toyota (not to mention less in projected resale value). But yeah, the Accent certainly comes with more bells and whistles. I gave the Accent SE hatch a serious look before deciding on the Yaris.
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- #20 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [boris13]
by spaminajam
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Nov 02, 2006 (1:57 pm)
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Replying to: boris13 (Nov 02, 2006 1:51 pm)
Toyota reliability and that darned "cute" look of the hatch back were my down fall. The Yaris looked like it was smiling at me. NOW I know it was really just LAUGHING at me. 
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- #21 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [spaminajam]
by robertkn
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Nov 02, 2006 (5:34 pm)
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Replying to: spaminajam (Nov 02, 2006 1:57 pm)
Bummer.... Well, the burned out fuel pump thing is news to me. I've never heard of such a thing until now. (I'm going to have to look up "cavitate.") I've had cars kind of sputter and jerk when running out of gas before, but never had any damage result from it. Must be this great, new "high technology."
The reference to Seinfeld was the episode where Kramer had taken a car out to rent, or test drive or something (can't recall the exact scenario), and he and the representative at the dealership decided to see how far they could drive the car on "E". It was a very funny episode.
Sorry to hear about your disappointment, but understand. Thank you for posting with us.
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- #22 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [robertkn]
by spaminajam
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Nov 02, 2006 (6:36 pm)
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Replying to: robertkn (Nov 02, 2006 5:34 pm)
The cavitation was explained as the pump (inside the gas tank) doing like a straw in a soda bottle when you hit bottom. The gas is in fact, the "lubricant" for the pump. When it runs dry, it literally can burn itself up when it starts sucking "air".
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- #23 of 53
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Re: Ran Out Of Gas! [spaminajam]
by nippononly
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Nov 02, 2006 (7:10 pm)
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Replying to: spaminajam (Nov 02, 2006 6:36 pm)
It's not the "lubricant", but it IS the coolant. The large tank of cool gas the pump is sitting in dissipates the heat the pump is generating. Running dry, the pump will quickly overheat and probably damage itself, just as it appears yours has done. Sorry to hear the news. 
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