i ran out of gas earlier today, so i had to go and get a gas can and was able to get a little over 3 gallons in the tank, but when i tried starting it it would crank over but it wouldnt turn on, after about 4-6 times of trying to start it it finally started very weak, started bogging out and died again after about 4 seconds, this happened about 3 times, on the 3rd time of trying to start the car my friend said it shot about a foot long flame from the tail pipe right before it turned on as it was backfiring. and it managed to stay on and ran normal after that, didnt bogg out. my 1st question is, is it normal for it to shoot flames when it backfires, if i am running straight pipes? and 2nd question, why do you guys think it was difficult to start the car if i put over 3 gallons in the tank? would i need a new fuel pump maybe? because i think it wasnt getting the fuel into the fuel lines after i ran out of gas, or what would cause it to take so long to start the car?
hard times starting after ran out of gas
- Thread starter lui83MustangGT
- Start date
Boydster
5 Year Member
cardudeusa
Founding Member
I've heard of that happening to a few people, I would definitely throw a new fuel filter on there.
If you have repeated problems starting the car after running out of gas, the fuel pump may be going bad. The fuel pump is a gear pump similar to the oil pump in the engine. The pump depends on gasoline to keep it cool and lubricated, and running with no gas may cause damage to the pump gears.
Hook up a fuel pressure tester and see what it is doing. Fuel filter? Maybe if you are really lucky, probably the pump is on the way out.
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