Gas is Gone

[SpeedyV]

Just caught up....

We did alert the police and an officer came out to the car. Relayed the story and they asked if we wanted to file a report and we declined. Just making them aware. Not much interest on their part.

Starter engaged but zero firing. That’s the odd part. There weren’t even fumes. What would the chances be of driving around the garage finding a spot and then, and only then, running completely out of gas?

2021 Ram Laramie with SW package does not honk when you walk away with the key.

There are a few certainties. The three of us were not in a rush and no way left the truck running. Especially pulling three bags from the bed. I got gas the day before and had over 3/4 on a 33gal tank.

This was our first trip since towing our TT to Austin and having someone put a 9mm into it while we were driving. Totally unprovoked with two kids in the back. May need to stay home for a while.

Crazy about the gunshot. Just crazy. This may be a dumb question, but is there any chance it nicked a fuel line or the tank?

 

[EJSTX]

Good thought, but the bullet entered about 3ft down from the roof of the trailer.

 

[Scap]

Just caught up....

We did alert the police and an officer came out to the car. Relayed the story and they asked if we wanted to file a report and we declined. Just making them aware. Not much interest on their part.

Starter engaged but zero firing. That’s the odd part. There weren’t even fumes. What would the chances be of driving around the garage finding a spot and then, and only then, running completely out of gas?

2021 Ram Laramie with SW package does not honk when you walk away with the key.

There are a few certainties. The three of us were not in a rush and no way left the truck running. Especially pulling three bags from the bed. I got gas the day before and had over 3/4 on a 33gal tank.

This was our first trip since towing our TT to Austin and having someone put a 9mm into it while we were driving. Totally unprovoked with two kids in the back. May need to stay home for a while.

The zero firing part leads me to believe it was somehow left running. The residual pressure in the fuel rails should have allowed it to fire up and run for several seconds.

Certainly, it is a head scratcher, and I hope you can find out what happened.

 

[Andymax]

I'd bet if the truck wouldn't start it would have to be that the truck was left running...I have to seriously doubt that even a powered siphon pump would not draw all the gas out of the lines, etc, which would likely allow the truck to start and run for a few seconds, you would think.

You seem really confident that you shut the truck off, but I also know from experience that air travel can be stressful and I can see myself being distracted by other details to do something like this. Will be very curious to know if you get airport security footage.

 

[ShortStack]

Check with the airport authority as there is likely video of it. Since 9-11 they video everything at airports.

That is exactly what I would do. Since there is only one way in and one way out they for sure have a clear picture of the car, the plate and possibly the driver.

 

[LakesAZ]

I have left my truck running, well not running when I left it as I have etorque start stop, and returned about 1/2 hours later it was running. It did not shutoff when I walked away with the key fob in my pocket. So if you have start stop the engine will shut off and you might think you turned it off, lock the doors and walk away.

 

[BNeal]

My wife and I went to lunch one day and when I returned to my truck... it was running - the entire time we were in the restaurant. I felt like an idiot, but it's easy to do if you're distracted.

 

[BNeal]

I have left my truck running, well not running when I left it as I have etorque start stop, and returned about 1/2 hours later it was running. It did not shutoff when I walked away with the key fob in my pocket. So if you have start stop the engine will shut off and you might think you turned it off, lock the doors and walk away.

Hmmm... I don't think the truck will auto turn off once you put it in park for that very reason.

 

[Aseras]

you should be able to hook up a OBD2 adaptor and read your run hours and if it ran out of gas it should have a freeze frame stored with mileages. If the miles didn't change you'd know it was from running out.

 

[Aseras]

Hmmm... I don't think the truck will auto turn off once you put it in park for that very reason.

If it's is started with the start button, it will not turn off by itself. Even in park.

 

[SpeedyV]

If it's is started with the start button, it will not turn off by itself. Even in park.

What @BNeal was referring to was the claim by @LakesAZ that a person could walk away from a vehicle with the stop-start engaged (meaning the vehicle is in Run but the engine is temporarily stopped by the system). This can only happen in Drive, so walking away isn’t possible.

 

[834k3r]

Sure, I can see that happening, but it's probably rarer than fuel being stolen. I've never personally seen anyone forgetting to turn off their car. But I know of several incidents of fuel being stolen, especially if they know cars are going to be sitting there for a while, like an airport.

If you factor in likely causes, leaving his engine on is definitely less likely than his fuel being stolen at a long-term parking lot. That being said, it's worth asking the OP for sure.

Occam's Razor applies.

As to the lack of residual fuel, I imagine it was pretty warm in the garage. Could the residual fuel (the thieves couldn't reach/didn't get) evaporate and vent? Especially if the trip was several days?

 

[BowDown]

Occam's Razor applies.

As to the lack of residual fuel, I imagine it was pretty warm in the garage. Could the residual fuel (the thieves couldn't reach/didn't get) evaporate and vent? Especially if the trip was several days?

The garage is an open air garage, no walls

 

[BowDown]

I'd bet if the truck wouldn't start it would have to be that the truck was left running...I have to seriously doubt that even a powered siphon pump would not draw all the gas out of the lines, etc, which would likely allow the truck to start and run for a few seconds, you would think.

You seem really confident that you shut the truck off, but I also know from experience that air travel can be stressful and I can see myself being distracted by other details to do something like this. Will be very curious to know if you get airport security footage.

I agree.
If you indeed parked at Terminal D, I highly doubt anyone siphoned off 33 gallons and no one saw them. When you park in the terminal parking at DFW, security comes around and marks the tires of all cars in the terminal with chalk. 1 line means the car was there one day, 2 lines days ect. This is done constantly in every terminal all day and night and Terminal D is busy as F, you couldn't pee in a corner and not be seen

 

[BowDown]

My wife and I went to lunch one day and when I returned to my truck... it was running - the entire time we were in the restaurant. I felt like an idiot, but it's easy to do if you're distracted.

I dropped my wife off at this same terminal D a few years ago. I thought I turned the car off (Jaguar XF) when I got out.
I locked the door and walked away only to return 1/2 hour later to the car running, locked but running. Its easy to do

 

[Dr. Cheeseburger]

I bet $10 you left it running

 

[devildodge]

My Jeep has the stop start. Pulled into a store one day. Stop/start shut it off. Talked to the wife second before putting it in park. In my mind the car shut off. Got out walked in. Spent some time in the store and came out to a running Jeep...key fob in my pocket. So...i left it running.

I ran my truck out of gas a few weeks ago. It still started the one last time. It shut off while warming up...then would not start.

I too am guessing the truck was left running.

 

[SpeedyV]

My Jeep has the stop start. Pulled into a store one day. Stop/start shut it off. Talked to the wife second before putting it in park. In my mind the car shut off. Got out walked in. Spent some time in the store and came out to a running Jeep...key fob in my pocket. So...i left it running.

I ran my truck out of gas a few weeks ago. It still started the one last time. It shut off while warming up...then would not start.

I too am guessing the truck was left running.

I know it can happen, but I'm a little surprised that you didn't hear/feel the Jeep restarting the second you started shifting to Park. By the time you started opening your door, the sound of the running engine would have greeted you.

Now, I've hit the Start/Stop button at least once before remembering to shift from D to P on this truck, and that was very noticeable (self-rotating shift dial, warning lights and sounds, etc.)

 

[Eighty]

Lol, this discussion reminds me of an old Jeff Foxworthy routine:

And talking about losing stuff actually, I think it’s very big of me, as a man, to admit that I do lose things. ‘Cause you know what men normally say. “Somebody stole it.” I do that a lot. Walk around the house, “somebody stole the remote control!” My wife’s like “that’s right, Jeff. Somebody broke into our home, passed up the jewelry, and stole your remote control. Not only that, but they got the case to the Doobie Brothers cassette. We’re wiped out.”

 

[mikeru82]

My Jeep has the stop start. Pulled into a store one day. Stop/start shut it off. Talked to the wife second before putting it in park. In my mind the car shut off. Got out walked in. Spent some time in the store and came out to a running Jeep...key fob in my pocket. So...i left it running.

I ran my truck out of gas a few weeks ago. It still started the one last time. It shut off while warming up...then would not start.

I too am guessing the truck was left running.

I've tested this and found that when the engine shuts off because of the stop/start system, it starts back up as soon as I shifted into Park.

I know how easy it is to leave the engine running. Happened to me one time when I went to dinner. We spent almost two hours inside, only to return to find my truck still running. I couldn't believe I left it idling for that long, and the wife wouldn't stop giving me crap about it because I normally let it idle very little.