Ran out of gas now it does not start

ADAN SERNA JUSTIN

MEMBER
1999 HONDA PASSPORT
3.2L
V6
4WD
AUTOMATIC
143,345 MILES

I bought this car and the fuel gauge was already broken so I forgot to stay on top of miles. I ran out of gas. Got it towed put gas and still didn't start. So changed fuel pump. Gas gauge works now and still didn't start. So I found the fuel filter it was clogged to heck, so changed that out, but still no pressure. I sprayed starter fluid but it started for 3 or 4 seconds and turned off. I checked all relays and fuses they are good. Now I am stuck on what to do next. Someone please help.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

There is going to be some type of bowl inside the gas tank that the fuel pick-up screen sits in. That bowl prevents gas from running away from the pick-up when you go around a corner. While driving, the fuel pump pumps one to two gallons of gas per minute. A very tiny fraction of that is tapped off to go into the engine. The rest goes through a spring-loaded pressure regulator valve, and right back into the tank. That gas that returns to the tank goes into that bowl to keep it full. After running out of gas and that bowl is empty, on some car models, the gas you pump in drops right into that bowl and fills it up right away. On many other models, the gas misses the bowl, so even though you put gas in, the fuel pick-up is sitting in an empty bowl. One of my minivans is like that. With my older 1988 model, after running it out of gas, pouring in a half gallon will get the engine going. On my 1995 model, I have to put in at least five gallons before the level gets high enough to spill over into the bowl and fill it.

To boil down that long explanation, put a good five or more gallons of gas in before you go looking for other causes of the no-start.