Before you heckle me - no I’m not stupid, and under normal circumstances I usually would turn the car off. In this particular instance, however, my car battery died because I was away for 6 weeks, and there’s not enough gas for me to take it on the highway and get to where I need to go tomorrow (after I try jumping the car). Since if i turn the engine off there’s a large likelihood that the car will die and won’t turn back on again, turning the car off while I fill my tank isn’t a very viable option. Can I get away with it one time, or will I ruin my engine or blow up my car?
If it makes a difference - 2020 Land Rover discover (sport). If that’s not viable, what are my other options for charging my car up enough with only <30 miles in the tank so that I’ll be able to also refuel my car without the battery going out?
Thanks!
Yeah perfectly fine, I even read an article of a guy stealing a car from a rental company and kept it running for 3 weeks without shutting it off.
Jumping on this comment to say that trying to jump start a vehicle on the fuel court is far more dangerous than leaving it run.
Leaving it run has the possibility of creating a spark under some circumstances. Jumping the vehicle will absolutely create a spark when connecting and disconnecting the cables, and they can potentially spark multiple times while cranking.
Your car will be absolutely fine. It is not a true comparison, but consider it an in-flight refill.
Be super careful regarding fire hazard like: cell phones, and anything.
In any case the gas station will be pissed because you don’t respect their procedure and safety guidelines.
I have done it some 30 years ago with a car that had been submerged / flooded but could start 1 time after . It was a benz, the people at the station were not superhappy, but understood the situation.
Why are cell phones a hazard?
I have a hard time believing it, but it is to avoid static and sparks if you drop it.
But in this case, it’s a Land Rover… 3 weeks straight is about the best you can hope for it to run over its lifetime.
Serious? The engine would have heatsoaked, head would be twisted like a pretzel and the electrics would be ablaze way before then.
Wrong, not fine at all!! the fuel pump that is in the gas tank can run red hot. The only reason it doesn’t catch fire is because there is no oxygen. The three things you need to have a fire is fuel, heat and oxygen. When you open the lid/cap to a gas tank you introduce oxygen and then you have a fire.
This is why there are signs posted at all gas stations “do not idle car while pumping gas.”