Fuel starvation and fuel exhaustion

Common card · No. 433680

In an internal combustion engine, fuel starvation is the failure of the fuel system to supply sufficient fuel to allow the engine to run properly, for example due to blockage, vapor lock, contamination by water, malfunction of the fuel pump or incorrect operation, leading to loss of power or engine stoppage. There is still fuel in the tank(s), but it is not delivered to the engine(s) in sufficient quantity. By contrast, fuel exhaustion (also called fuel depletion) is an occurrence in which the vehicle in question becomes completely devoid of usable fuel, with results similar to those of fuel starvation. All modes of transport powered by internal combustion engines can be affected by fuel starvation, although the problem is most serious for aircraft in flight. Watercraft are also at risk, as a drifting vessel cannot maneuver to avoid a collision or prevent itself from running aground. On aircraft, fuel starvation is often the result of incorrect fuel management, for example by selecting...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Marc-Antony Payne, CC BY 3.0