Good evening everyone. Just troubleshooting/opinion grabbing here with you all. I will try to make this short to spare you your valuable time...
About a month ago, I turned my car (2004) on after not having driven it for few weeks and the gas light was showing. I could have sworn I had at least a few gallons in the tank. Put some in, drove to where I needed to go. Then, last week I went into the car three bars left on the gas gauge, and within 2 miles, car stalls. I got a buddy to get me enough gas to get to the gas station, put about half a tank in, and got to where I needed to go <10 miles away. Had gas upon coming home. Fast forward to tonight, gas light on, no bars on the gauge. I know there was gas in the car, so please spare the post without mentioning something about maybe having used it all.

Any ideas what could be wrong? At first, my imagination took me to a place where I couldn't help but think someone was basically siphoning my fuel (outrageous, I know...but it is the Bay Area, aka the Wild West right now), but I am at a loss...Any help/opinions will be greatly appreciated.

 

Fuel doesn't like to be stored in the car long term. Especially fuel with corn.

 

Nor does the fuel system like to be drawn down to the [exaggeration] sludge level [/exaggeration] by repeatedly running until the 20-minutre fuel light illuminates and then just adding a gallon or two or five of fuel. I'm betting this fuel contamination will all go away after a full refuel from a high traffic gas station.

Ethanol fuel is not the anti-Christ and sucking water from the atmosphere is a minor concern compared to condensation occurring in the fuel tank assisted by low fuel levels and just sitting there. We've had water in fuel tanks long before E10 was even invented.

I have a slight distrust for fuel gauges and zero the trip odometer when I refuel. I know I can usually get at least 270 miles/tank even when playing and getting only 20mpg and the car will usually exceed 27mpg. The fuel light rarely illuminates.

-- Chuck