Jeeps Running Out of Gas.
I was remembering today how we ended up with our cat Ashley. My son Scott had run out of gas in his 1985 Jeep Cherokee. He was too far away from a gas station to tow him and a long way from a place to buy a gas can. I happened to remember that an old friend lived just down the road from where he was stranded.
We drove my Jeep over to his house and borrowed his gas can. Which already had gas in it! He told us to bring it back sometime later.
Scott took it back the next day. In exchange for the use of the gas can, Scott agreed to adopt one of their new kittens. His brother Will was thrilled. He named the cat Ashley.
A few years later, Will had his own running out of gas episode. No cat this time however. He called to tell me his Jeep had died in the middle of the road. In fact, it was in the middle of an intersection. I was quite a distance away so I told him to call our friend Jenny who lived nearby.
She got there and with the help of some other motorists who were blocked by his Jeep got him pushed out of the road. I was trying to diagnose the problem over the phone as I drove. I suggested several things to check while they waited.
When I arrived, I checked the fuel rail for pressure and only vapor came out. The fuel pump was also making a funny sound. Will insisted he could not be out of gas. Finally I sat in the driver’s seat and tried to start it myself. I noticed there were a lot of miles on the trip odometer and the gas gauge read E.
Despite his assurances that it had plenty of gas, I suggested that we tow it to the gas station just a block away and see what happened. Actually, I realized I could coast to the gas station with just a short tug on the tow strap.
My helpers were very concerned with my ability to time a gap in traffic and coast down the hill to the gas station on the left side of the busy four lane road. However, I managed to drive it right up to the pump and stop with no drama. After just a few gallons were dispensed I hit the key and his Jeep started right up.
We did later find an electrical problem that was causing stalling and excessive fuel consumption. But in that, instance he was simply out of gas.
Our friend Jenny, who had come to his aid, has had a couple of instances where she has run out of gas herself in her lifted Jeep Cherokee. Once, she had just dropped her kids off at her ex’s house when she ran out. I picked up her gas can from behind her apartment and brought her some fuel to get her to a station.
Another time, I was just arriving at a business appointment when she called saying she had run out of gas on the side of the highway. She had to wait there over an hour while I finished my meeting and came to check on her. With no handy gas can, we decided to tow her Jeep to the nearest station. The tricky part was negotiating two traffic lights along the way. Since we had to pass right by the sheriff’s office, I was a bit concerned about being cited for improper towing. Luckily, there were no law enforcement officers in sight.
Well, at least not until we turned into the gas station. There were three patrol cars in the parking lot and one of them almost pulled in front of us as we turned in! Thankfully they paid no attention to us. Maybe it was break time for them.
My funniest running out of gas experience has to be the time Scott and I went off roading in Livingston, Ky. Sadly this place is no longer an off road paradise, but it was then.
I knew my Jeep was low on fuel when I loaded it on the trailer but I was not worried because we would be unloading and leaving the tow rig at a truck stop at the entrance to the trails. When we arrived, we called the group and I think it was Matt who agreed to come meet us and guide us to the playground.
We unloaded the Jeep and then secured the trailer and tow rig behind the truck stop. The fuel pumps were about two hundred yards away up a slight hill. The Jeep ran out of gas about half way there!
We debated on unlocking the trailer and towing the Jeep to the gas pump or waiting for assistance and the embarrassment of being towed to the gas pump. We tried to push it, but the slope was just a little too much for the rolling resistance of the aired down tires.
We impatiently waited for Matt to arrive and tow us to the pumps. To add to an already frustrating problem, the fuel pump refused to prime. I had to use a bottle to catch some gas from the nozzle and pour it in the carb to get the old 2.8L Jeep to fire up.
I have done my best to keep the tank topped up from then on. I also top off the tank before unloading the Jeep from the trailer when possible.
If you have an entertaining running out of gas story, please share it in the comments.
To get more distance from a tank of fuel in your Cherokee, see these gas saving tips.
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