I have frequently heard people blaming engine problems on letting the fuel in the fuel tank get too low, in so doing allowing sediment to be sucked into the fuel pump, which then causes a blockage.
I personally find this very hard to believe for a number of reasons, for example -
1) The fuel will be constantly being "swooshing" around as you drive around corners, so stirring up any sediment, which will then go through the pump and filter.
2) On many cars, the fuel pick-up point is very low in the tank and, if the pump is not inside the tank, the tank outlet may well be on the bottom of the tank, so any sediment would be sucked in no matter how low the fuel is.
3) When you fill up, the fresh fuel will disturb any sediment and distribute it in the fuel, ready to be sucked into the pump.
4) I have owned a number of classic cars and have never seen any sediment in their fuel tanks when removing them from the car.
I will be interested to hear if any one has really seen this and has experience of sediment causing blockages, especially when it only occurred after letting the fuel tank get low on fuel.
My question is - Is it really not advisable to let your fuel tank get low on fuel?