# OOPS...Ran out of gas.



## fiendelico (Jul 29, 2005)

I ran my 1991 Maxima out of gas. Now it won't start after I put more fuel in. Do I have to prime the injectors? I remember hearing this may be a problem on EFI's in the late 80's and early 90's. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Cold (Jul 21, 2005)

fiendelico said:


> I ran my 1991 Maxima out of gas. Now it won't start after I put more fuel in. Do I have to prime the injectors? I remember hearing this may be a problem on EFI's in the late 80's and early 90's. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.


yes that is correct that sucks but i have never done this but thats what u need to do


----------



## rvanders37 (Jan 1, 2005)

fiendelico said:


> I ran my 1991 Maxima out of gas. Now it won't start after I put more fuel in. Do I have to prime the injectors? I remember hearing this may be a problem on EFI's in the late 80's and early 90's. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.



you probably sucked debris from the bottom of the tank into the fuel filter and now it's clogged and won't let fuel get to the injectors. replace the fuel filter and all should be good to go.


----------



## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

Err, have you ever opened up your fuel tank? There's no debris in there. that's a misnomer left over from the 60s and 70s when tanks were just big metal cans dug into holes in the ground... I've opened up about 10 gas tanks in the last year (all on 10+ year old cars), and all of them are completely spotless inside.


anyway, there may still be some air in the fuel lines.

turn ignition to on... let sit until fuel pump stops (you should he a small motor in the back). turn ignition off and wait about 20 seconds. turn ignition on again to run fuel pump..
do that a few times and it should get fresh fuel to the injectors. easily by then.

If you don't hear the fuel pump running, try removing the back seat and listening... it's directly below the center of the back seat..

It's possible you're damaged the fuel pump, as they use the fuel running through them to keep them cool. when they suck air, they can overheat and ruin themselves.... on a 10+ year old pump, I wouldn't be surprised if running it out of gas was all it took to cause the old pump to finally give up.


there's my $0.02.


----------



## mille-16i (Jun 16, 2004)

also on your fuel line there is a shrader valve looks like a tire air stem use a pen to push down the valve stem and see if you get feul right away after you have cycled the key you should get a good shot of fuel if not look into other things like fuel filter of bad pump.


----------



## rvanders37 (Jan 1, 2005)

Matt93SE said:


> Err, have you ever opened up your fuel tank? There's no debris in there. that's a misnomer left over from the 60s and 70s when tanks were just big metal cans dug into holes in the ground... I've opened up about 10 gas tanks in the last year (all on 10+ year old cars), and all of them are completely spotless inside.
> 
> 
> anyway, there may still be some air in the fuel lines.
> ...


so matt with your logic there is no need for a fuel filter. or any need to ever change one. and what do you suppose the stuff is in those filters when they are removed? think your responses through.


----------



## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

The filters catch teeny tiny stuff that's not usually seen by the naked eye..

There are also filters on the fuel pumps themselves at gas stations- several of them.

Your fuel pump also has a sock filter on the end of it to catch the large stuff..
Every few years, yes they CAN get clogged and need replaced, but you're not going to see a handfull of sand in the bottom of your tank or anything that would cause the filters to get clogged if you run it out of gas- that stuff just doesn't happen like it did in the 60s.


----------



## mgh (Apr 1, 2004)

rvanders37 said:


> you probably sucked debris from the bottom of the tank into the fuel filter and now it's clogged and won't let fuel get to the injectors. replace the fuel filter and all should be good to go.


Not to start a "pissing contest" but explain how by running the fuel out in a gas tank will allow the pump to pick up more trash that is on the bottom of the tank.

Does the bottom of the tank automaticly rise and get closer to the suction tube of the fuel pump, or could it be that the suction tube of the fuel pump is of a floating type and moves with the level of the fuel.

I could understand that the lower the fuel gets in a tank the more the fluid will slosh around and stir up more debris, but would the fuel just being a 1/2" are so from running out of fuel make that much difference in the sloshing of debris in the tank.

Fuel pumps and pumps that move any kind of fluid are not designed to run dry for any length of time without fluid. The fluid is what keeps the electrical windings cool, without this external cooling of the electric motor, it will in fact burn up and stop working.

Another problem of running a pump without fluid is a thing call cavitation, this is where air being sucked in by the pump etches the pumping blades or gears whichever is has. This in turn will not allow the pump to make a good pumping seal even though the pump is running it's azz off.



rvanders37 said:


> So Matt with your logic there is no need for a fuel filter, or any need to ever change one, and what do you suppose the stuff is in those filters when they are removed?


As Matt had stated the fuel pump has a pre-filter to protect the fuel pump. The fuel pump has a larger tolerance for trash, but the injectors have a smaller tolerance, hence the secondary fuel filter. I don't believe Matt avocated not using fuel filters, I believe what he was trying to say was it would be highly unlikly that the fuel filter would be causing the problem.

I would not suspect the fuel filter unless it hasn't been changed in quite some time, if this is so, change it also.

LATER


----------



## rvanders37 (Jan 1, 2005)

mgh said:


> Not to start a "pissing contest" but explain how by running the fuel out in a gas tank will allow the pump to pick up more trash that is on the bottom of the tank.
> 
> Does the bottom of the tank automaticly rise and get closer to the suction tube of the fuel pump, or could it be that the suction tube of the fuel pump is of a floating type and moves with the level of the fuel.
> 
> ...



plus changing the fuel filter is by far the cheapest thing that he could do. afterward he should check the fuel pressure. if the pressure is good the pump is good. that test too is very easy and cheap to perform. start simple and cheap.


----------

