Low gas in tank, dirt in engine?

My father used to tell me not to let the gas tank get under a quarter so it doesn't get dirt from the tank in the engine, but I was recently told that if I always keep it over half, and it gets close to empty, it's going to shove a shitload more dirt into the engine than if I let it get low all the time, potentially causing damage.

How full should I keep my tank in hot climates, guys? Pic obviously unrelated from my gun porn folder.

This peaks my interest.

Bump

fucking just fill up when the gas light comes on, this isn't the 60s anymore

> Fucking fuel filters how do they work

So do I not have to worry or???

There's a fuel sock before the pump inlet to keep dirt out there, and a fuel filter somewhere between there and the engine to catch anything the sock misses. Fill up whenever it's convenient.

The fuel filter prevents this.

>how full should I keep my tank
Doesn't really matter

cavitation and overheating might be an issue however

>what is a fuel sock
>what are fuel filter(s)
Also the fuel pickup is in the bottom of the tank

Fuel pickup is in the bottom of the tank. It's always pulling fuel from the bottom. Your car should also have a fuel filter, that does exactly what its name describes. Change that occasionally, and don't worry about it.

Thanks guys!

>shitty picture of a gun with a fuckton too much HDR
>gunporn
git. gud.

Your engine won't die, your fuel pump will. Gas cools the fuel pump and lubricates it. If your fuel pump sucks up air it's bad.

Keep crying.

Much better

Came here to post this

You should keep it at around 1/4 full, depending on the car.
No, it won't pick up dirt, the filter sock will block it off. What actually happens when you run it down too far is that the in tank fuel pump, which relies on the volume of gas around it to take the heat away loses the cooling, which shortens the life of the pump. External fuel pumps don't have this issue, but it will result in replacing the in tank pump sooner if you have one and run the tank low regularly. If you don't have an in tank pump then you're good to whatever.

This pretty much.

Fuel helps to cool the fuel pump. Plus the pump has to work harder to suck up fuel from an empty tank compared to a full one (physics). So over enough time this can lead to more stress on the pump.

And the sediment thing, your fuel filter would get clogged before it does anything to the engine. But a clogged filter also means the pump need to work harder and could hurt performance.

At least this is what Veeky Forums has taught me.

>But a clogged filter also means the pump need to work harder and could hurt performance
Veeky Forums has taught you correctly, a pump trying to move a fluid past any clog will work less effectively and be expending more energy for less effect. Be it a clog in the line or in the filter, the pump will be working harder for less, if any effect and the motor will be more susceptible to simply burning out.

>shitty dadvice

No, your father and a lot of people his age are used to memes like that, but modern cars aren't as touchy as old ones.

>so it doesn't get dirt from the tank in the engine

It may be of greater importance when you go get gas at the station. Over time the dirt settles to the bottom of the gas station's huge tanks. Right after a gasoline delivery truck refills the tanks, the gas is all swirled up and the sediment is probably all floating around. Does that mean if you get gas at that time, you have the chance of the most sediment going into your car's gas tank?

That is the real question --> what actions can you take to minimize the amount of dirt entering your car's gas tank?

1. Keep threads of gas cap clean so that no dirt particles are dropped onto the intake area.

2. Wipe the gas intake area free of dirt particles. Wipe carefully so that you don't dislodge particles down into the hole.

3. If you ever drop the gas cap on the ground, be sure to clean it of dirt particles before putting it back on the intake.

4. Re-fueling the car during a sandstorm or gusty wind means dirt particles will be deposited onto the gas cap. You might choose to quickly wipe it before putting it back on the tank quickly to stop dust blowing over.

5. etcetera

How low is too low?