“$300 to fill up my truck again.”
Some drivers treat the low-fuel warning as an urgent directive to find a gas station. Others seem to regard it as a polite suggestion that can be ignored until the vehicle provides more persuasive evidence that it may literally be running on fumes.
Then there’s the rare breed of folks who apparently believe that the laws of internal combustion are negotiable. TikTokker and GMC Denali owner @oschoudhry is clearly a member of that club, as shown in a recent clip where we see his tanks are so dry that the filler neck is giving off smoke signals of distress.
“That’s probably not healthy for my truck. I’m gonna assume that that was burning something that’s not supposed to be burning because I let it go way too low,” he said in the clip that’s been viewed more than 816,000 times.
“That…has been on E for I don’t know how long, and I just kept driving and driving and driving. And I know you’re gonna tell me that’s bad for the fuel pump, and I’m gonna tell you I don’t give a [expletive].”
The video shows a green diesel nozzle inserted into the truck’s fuel tank, with what appears to be smoke or vapor rising from the filler neck. The owner doesn’t seem particularly alarmed, even as the strange sight continues.
“Should I be concerned? Like, you would think that this would stop by now,” he said.
Whatever is happening inside the fuel tank, the damage to his wallet is both easy to calculate and tough to comprehend. The Shell pump shows diesel selling for $8.199 per gallon, and the truck needs two separate transactions to finish filling up.
“So basically $125 and $175, $300 to fill up my truck again,” he said.
That price has become normal, but still painful, for motorists in California. According to the US Energy Information Administration, diesel averaged approximately $8.08 per gallon in California during the week of October 5, compared with $6.20 nationwide. At those prices, filling a large diesel pickup can cost about as much as a monthly utility bill.
The price brought back memories for some viewers who remembered when diesel was the cheaper option at the pump.
“Y’all remember back when diesel was cheaper than gas,” one viewer wrote, while another responded, “Whole reason I originally got a diesel lol.”
Others were considerably more concerned about the continuous smoke and the possible damage being done to the truck.
The owner replied with a detail that made his willingness to gamble with the fuel system seem even tougher to comprehend.
“This thing is brand new with 3k miles lol,” he wrote.
Let’s not forget that after spending $300 on diesel in a truck that was smoking, the owner still has to find out whether his nearly empty truck will cooperate. With the vapor apparently still rising from the filler neck, he decides to start the engine while standing outside the vehicle.
“I don’t know why it’s steaming so much, so I’m gonna stand here and start it so if it blows up, it’ll blow up in my face,” he said.
After he hits the ignition switch on his remote, the engine cranks for an unusually long time without starting. A second attempt eventually brings it to life, but not before the owner realizes just how close he may have come to running completely dry.
The extended cranking is consistent with a problem where when a diesel engine runs out of fuel, air can enter the fuel system and interrupt the steady delivery of diesel needed for combustion. Simply adding more fuel doesn’t necessarily restore normal operation immediately.
General Motors addresses this in its Duramax diesel owner’s manuals, which provide procedures for priming the fuel system after running out of diesel. The process helps remove trapped air and restore fuel delivery before attempting to start the engine.
Running extremely low can also put additional stress on fuel-system components, since diesel itself helps lubricate certain parts. The video doesn’t establish whether the truck suffered any damage, or what caused the vapor coming from the filler neck.
One viewer suggested that the extended cranking was a consequence of allowing the fuel system to run dry.
Another commenter said the Denali stayed alive thanks to a higher power: “Forget fumes it was running on the power of prayer.”
Motor1 reached out to the creator via direct message and comment on the clip. We’ll update the story if he responds.
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