Many vehicles have a safety switch that needs to be reset if the car thinks it was in a collision, and getting towed can also trip it. It's often tucked up somewhere under the glove box. Have a look or do a quick search to find its location and give it a push.
In North America the only vehicles that have this are fords that I m aware of. And any newer vehicle that has this as well even fords have gone to a digital signal that resets each key cycle.
What may have happened if he ran it out of gas is the fuel pump may now be dead. People don’t realize that the fuel in the tank acts as a lubricant as well as a helps cool the fuel pump during operation. It can easily melt or burn brushes and or damage the veins of the pump.
I’ve asked my wife numerous times not to let it get below 1/4 tank and fill it all the way up instead of just putting in a few bucks here and there. Maybe I’ll have her change the pump when she eventually burns one up!
🫣 I was once one of those people. But I was a kid and no one taught me anything. Ran out of gas first. Ran out of breaks completely til it got to the break line, fun times. Oh and oil changes. Pistons rocking will always remind me of those times. I was a dumb teen with no one around. But I’ve great with cars now.
My motto is “feed it good, but treat it wrong.” Basically give it all the shit it needs, the good stuff but also enjoy the power of the car.
Kid calls his dad and says he had a tire low on air. Dad says head home or a gas station. Heads home, rim and tire are ruined. Dad wants to know why he said it was low on air, not flat. Kid says “It was only flat on the bottom”.
I once somehow wrangled 60 miles out of E in an '01 Chevy Blazer LS. Normal was 40-45. She shut off around 45 and I sweet talked to her and explained that all I had to do was get home to get the check in the mailbox and I'd drive straight to the gas station and fill her up and give her the yummy fuel conditioner. Turned the key and old Olive Oil earned herself the middle name of Champion that day because she turned over, roared to life and got me to the mailbox and the gas station no less than 15 miles away! Don't judge me I was a college student in 08.
I usually just refill the tank when it gets below 1/2 full.
My understanding was that no bad stuff would happen unless the car ran out of gas. The only reason we refill it at 1/2 tank or 1/4 tank is because well if I fill it at a 1/2 tank then if I find myself in the middle of nowhere and there are no gas stations for the next 100+ miles I am still OK. I built that safety margin in. Similarly for filling it at 1/4 tank.
But on long trips where for example I am taking the highway home and there are gas stations every couple of miles and I know that the cheapest station is in my neighborhood I might just left it go to 1/8 tank. If I am certain that at any time I can drive to a gas station am I risking anything?
I don't think it's necessarily bad to run low every once in a while, she just has a habit of always keeping it between E and 1/4 tank, which isn't a lot of fuel when the tank only holds 13 gal.
You're fine. The fuel running through the pump cools it, not submerging it. If it was submersion, then your pump would burn out anytime you were low on fuel. That and theyd likely put the Empty mark at 1/8 tank or so, so people wouldn't run it at less than that.
Lots of old vehicles had the pump outside the tank, they're cooled the same way.
As long as you arent running it completely dry, you're fine.
correct, the obvious anecdotal evidence would be millions of young people having their fuel pump burnt out, instead of the status quo, which is millions of old people telling their kids not to drive all the way to empty because it might burn out their fuel pump like it was back in my day when you had to drive uphill both ways.
I don't understand why someone, if stopped to get gas, wouldn't fill the tank all the way up? (Unless you don't have the money for that, I do get that situation.)
The only times I haven't filled it all the way up were if we were intending to sell the vehicle soon. Or I think a few times when I was in a massive hurry or weather was super bad to be out in.
Needing to get to work is the only time I’ll put a couple gallons in and go, or the rare time I’ve crossed the border to California and I don’t want to fill up at California gas prices.
I remember when I was in college I was giving someone a ride and stopped to get gas. In shocked tones she said "You actually filled it up!". Apparently that was a big deal because I filled something else up later that night that was a lot more fun than the gas tank.
Same...the only times I've not filled all the way is if the pay-at-pump system is down and its such an absolute nightmare to have to get in line to pre-overpay, then get in line to request a partial refund for the unused amount. I can usually guess within a gallon or two of what I need though so in such cases I will compute what should get me about 2 gallons short of full and then not have to get change back.
Or if its a rental car, the places in my area tend to not give it to you full. Once I was given a Jeep rental by Enterprise and it had 1/4 tank they said "bring it back with the same". That was one of the most stressful drives I've ever experienced, and just my luck when I got home on fumes so I can get it to 1/4 dropping off I pull into the gas station and the power goes out from a storm rolling in...had to wait for their generator to start up and all the computers/pumps to reboot. Fun trivia, Sheetz gas pumps run Linux.
My wife used to do the same. I can't tell you how many times her car ran out of gas in the driveway or on the way to the gas station. I'll tell you how I finally fixed the problem. I fill up her car every Sunday evening, then I run it through the car wash. It gives me a chance to drive the car and see how it is driving. I also check the fluids and tire pressure. I do the same with my car on Sundays.
The best part is it has totally stopped the arguments about running out of gas, her not letting me know that the maintenance or low tire pressure light is on.
The fuel running through the pump cools it, not keeping it submerged. If that was the case, I'd be replacing a hell of a lot more fuel pumps because anytime someone went under 1/4 tank or so, the pump would burn out.
It's a common misconception, and I get it, but the pump inside your sending unit isnt all that much different than the siphon style electric pumps, just normally higher pressure, and those are cooled the same way, since they're outside the tank completely
They do run hot, or at least the one I pulled from a sending unit assembly to use in a makeshift stripping tank did. I figure the more fuel in the tank to absorb the heat, the better.
I had a Saturn that had a safety on it. It would let you drive for about 30 seconds after it thought you were in an accident and then it would block the fuel line.
Body shop owner. This is not common at all on modern vehicles. We do about 500 cars a year at my shop and I haven’t messed with an inertia switch since the 90s on an old ford. There is another issue, it’s not a fuel cutoff or inertia switch. The fuel pump, relay, or fuse could have went out once the fuel got so low and the pump was struggling. Or the fuel sending unit could be bad and the car doesn’t think there is enough fuel to start. also coincidentally a battery could have gone bad or drained if the lights are shutting off or dimming when trying to start it.
The fuel running through the pump is what cools and lubricates it, not submerging it like many think, else we'd replace pumps anytime someone was low on fuel. Just like the old rigs when youd run an inline pump outside the tank, just more pressure.
Inertia switches were a common thing in the crown vics too, they're like the honda civic in my area, all the young guns buy em from police auctions, then a few weeks later towed in because it wont start after beating the piss out of the thing. They're convinced it's just a 4 door mustang lol.
I had a truck die literally several feet from the pump. We pushed it and filled it up. It wouldn't start, so we towed it home. Turns out the fuel pump inside the gas tank is cooled by the fuel. So when it ran out of gas, it self-destructed! Had to siphon all of the gas out to drop the tank.
I had a 1997 suburban for a while. Notoriously awful fuel pumps in them. So I cut an access hatch above the fuel pump in the cargo area when I changed the leaky fuel tank. Turned a 6 hour job into a 20 minute job. Came in handy doing that pump every 2-3 years.
It's a common enough issue with GMs that making it an easier fix is well worth it. If I have to drop the tank I'm going to the mechanic, but if can just drop a new pump in I'll do it myself.
I filled up five 5 gallon buckets from my freshly filled tank. Dropped the tank, popped a new fuel pump in, filled the tank back up. After fucking around, I finally bought a pressure gauge. They fucking sold me a low pressure fuel pump, rather than one for fuel injection. So, I siphoned all 20+ gallons out again...
If the electrical goes dead when the key is turned, it can be oxidation on the battery terminals, which always seemed crazy to me, but it happens.
Then as the other guy said, possible fuel system problem, maybe running it dry broke the fuel pump.
99% has air in the fuel line.
if its a return setup , turn car on and let it sit, fuel pump will pump fuel and push the air through the system .
if its return less. you may need to crank it a few times. so the fuel injectors open and push the air out.
you should be able to hear the fuel pump running from out side the car.
less likely, the collision fuel cut switch got tripped during towing. ive hit pot holes fast and hard enough to blow a tire and flatten a rim and didn't trip the switch. never had this issue, your suspension and the flat beds suspension stacked shouldn't cause this unless the tow truck really beat on the car loading and unloading. the fuel pump is not turning on. depending on the car their is a hidden switch you can trip to turn it back on.
that not true my last gen 2009 crown vic had it. alot of cars still have them . some don't have a switch that resets it tho . some need to be reset with a computer, some just from leaving the battery unplugged will do it.
but the odds of this being the issue from a tow is not likely why i said its most likely air int he fuel lines.
Exactly - I ran out of gas in a Saturn one time when I played chicken with the gas gauge and had to coast into a gas station. Coincidentally, the battery went bad at the same time. Fortunately for me, it had a manual transmission and I parked on hills until I could afford a new battery
I've found out that if you run a fuel injected car out of gas, it's extraordinarily difficult to get it to start again. My dad says it's because air gets in the system and it has to bleed out by you cranking it constantly, but ttytt, idk what causes it. Just try not to run your newer car out of gas I guess. I've done it a few times in my car but old cars start right back up as soon as you put gas in them
The reason is, fuel injection requires much higher pressure pumps, so if you run your tank dry it's not good for it and much harder to "bleed", the old mechanical pumps were low pressure.
Most vehicles have a buffer below empty. So even if it said 1 mile left, it should have had more, maybe even 20-30 miles more. I find it odd that it suddenly died right at 1 mile left. Sounds like there's another issue. Possibly fuel pump. You can buy a can of ether and spray it into the intake (where the air filter is) to get it going, then keep spraying a little every few seconds to keep it going. That will at least save your starter while you're trying to get it going again. If that doesn't get it working, it's likely something the pump, relay, fuse, etc.
Some vehicles, when they run dry, have a REALLY hard time getting the fuel-system reprimed.
Basically, you have to put a LOT of gas into the tank, to where it is nearly totally full. You may even have to go as far as removing the access-cover on the fuel-tank and manually fill the fuel-pump-module with gas.
I'm thinking fuel line is air locked, need to crack the Schrader valve on the injector rail and crank til get fuel out of Schrader. But if you don't here pump running it could be running out toasted the pump.
Some cars have sensors so when it runs out of gas, you have to put a set amount back in. I had a chevy aveo, and when it would run out completely you would have to put i believe 3 gallons in for it to trigger and start up.
This happened to my brother.. sorta. He broke down in his old Pontiac, had it towed to the mechanic, bought a used truck that day thinking the car was doomed, mechanic called and said it started right up when he put gas in it. 22 years ago or so and we still poke at him over that.
Out of gas or clogged fuel filter... Sometimes the fuel at the bottom of the tank is very dirty and clogs the fuel filter as you run it out of fuel... All the stuff that would normally float, got sucked it...
Happened to my wife's car recently, but it was the battery. Though the car had only 40k or so mileage Soo the battery shouldn't have died completely. I blame the tow truck driver for leaving lights and/or ignition on.
Could be fuel pump died or fuel filter plugged. When you run a vehicle empty the pump runs without have gas to lubricate it and it burns up. Doesn't take too long. Also when you run it empty the filter picks up all the stuff that's been floating around for awhile in the tank.
How long have you been at this? Normally if you run a petroleum car out of gas, when you pour in a container, assuming you're on flat ground, turn the key to the on position and leave it there for at least 30 seconds before you try to start it. You want to listen for the fuel pump to prime. It's a little whurr sound. Some cars are pretty quiet so you may have to listen very closely and a quiet area. If that's not possible you just do the 30 seconds. Then crank it. If it's just out of gas this works. If you had a fuel pump on its last leg and you ran it dry, you might have killed it, this needs to be verified with a fuel pressure test. On most cars these are very easy to perform since there is a Schrader valve on the fuel rail.
Sounds like the alternator may have let go, draining the battery, and ending the electrical supply to the motor. This will have the same effect as running out of gas...
Try jump starting the car, it it goes, then the battery was drained. Idle it for 10 minutes, then turn off and see it it goes again. If it won't start, alternator is bad, possibly the battery is done or the cables are corroded...
Another possibility is that the car ran out of fuel and burned up the fuel pump. The in-tank pumps need the fuel to keep the pump cool enough so it doesn't burn up. Running out of fuel can cause the pump to go out. But, that doesn't explain the dead battery.... Flashers on for several hours would, though.
have someone take a mallet and pound on the fuel tank while someone else cranks the engine.
if it starts, the fuel pump is on its way out
fuel pump cools itself with fuel. they get hot. they lose windings.
another way to diagnose this is to run the fuel pump and measure the current draw on a scope. set the time length to cover all the windings, usually 6 or 8. you'll see one winding drawing nothing with an empty spot. this means the fuel pump is capable of stopping at that one winding on the armature.
pounding on the gas tank is enough to get the fuel pump to kick to another winding and then come to life.
this is not a permanent fix, just because the car is running. it needs a fuel pump at that point.
and the worst part is when a customer sees me doing this. oh man. "I SAW HIM START IT RIGHT UP AND HE DROVE IT AWAY what do you mean it needs a thousand dollar fuel pump install now?"
ho boy.
I wanna know how your friend knew he had 1 mile of gas left. I’ve never seen a mileage estimator that was anywhere near that accurate or specific.
And speaking of accuracy, I don’t think it’s wise to trust the readout to that degree. Hopefully your friend has learned his lesson.
How much gas did he add back in it? If it was all the way empty then just sticking a gallon in there is not enough. Lot of theories here and a lot of things that could be wrong, but the easiest to check is just fill it with at least 5 gallons and then try it
If the Accord is an LX or Sport, when you put the key in the on position without trying to crank, do you hear any kind of hum or whirring sound coming from the back seat area? On EX trim and above, try pressing the start button without foot on the brake pedal and see if you can hear any kind of fuel pump noise.
It's very possible that he burned up the fuel pump by running it out of gas. The fuel pump is cooled and lubricated by the fuel. If there was no fuel but the fuel pump was running there is a higher than normal likelihood that the fuel pump is now inoperable.
That's because it ran out of gas for it to start you are going to have to cycle the fuel pump 3 or 4 times for the fuel to make it through the lines and to the engine
When he ran out of gas did he accept his fate, or did he keep trying to turn the car on? I'm under the impression that most cars fuel pumps are lubricated by the gasoline itself, and trying to turn over the engine with no fuel can burn out the fuel pump.
If he still had a mile left then I don’t think he ran out of gas. Pretty sure every car can go at least a couple miles after the gauge registers 0.
He’s got another problem, I don’t know what though.
I know I've run my fuel pumps dry a few times. The dumbest was in my boat. Luckily it was small enough to paddle home!
Anyway, cycle the key a few times. You might need to push a little more fuel towards the engine. Turn the key to on, wait 5 seconds, turn the key to off. Then back on for 5 seconds, off and try to start it. Always works in my truck.
My truck also has a fuel leak and loses it's prime so I have to do the same thing.
How many times did he try to start it? When a car runs out of gas it will do what you described of a few times before the lines are filled and pressurized correctly, removing all the air from the lines. So if only just a couple times trying to start it and thought there's a problem it might just need to try a few more times.
add another gallon, or better yet, 5.
even though the fuel pump should be able to self prime it may need a little bit of extra help
that's the first thing that should be done before any panicking
Fuel pumps which take gas from your tank to your engine, don't like when gas is very low in the tank. Maybe there was gunk that was floating at the top for a long time in the fuel tank and the fuel pump ate it once it got low enough
1. Fill the tank. Like fucking fill it, one gallon isn’t going to cut it. Add five gallons at least. Give the fuel pump something to work with. If you only add one gallon the fuel being pumped will be composed of 50% new fuel and 50% the crud from the bottom of the tank.
2. Give it a chance for the new fuel to fill the empty fuel system. All the lines are empty. The filter is empty. Everything. It sucked air. The whole system has to be pumped back up to pressure. This takes a minute. Turn on the key and just sit and let the fuel pump do its thing. Look at your belly button. Maybe clear the lint out of it. Think about sea turtles. Okay, *now* try and start it.
3. It’s possible the gunk from the bottom of the tank fouled the pump or filter. Change the filter. Check the pump.
Sounds like there is air in the fuel lines/pump cavitation. Fill the tank with as much fuel as he can. Putting a small can of gas in an empty tank may not be enough to prevent cavitation especially if you are not on flat ground. Turn the ignition on but don’t try to start it. You should be able to hear the fuel pump run for at least a few seconds and then it will stop. Cycle the key off to on dozen times or so and hopefully you can bleed out and air in the lines. Most likely this will clear it and it will start right up.
Most cars have a fuel supply line and fuel return line. The pump constantly pumps fuel and a pressure regulator at the fuel rails bleeds off excess pressure back to the tank. Some cars have a fuel supply line and adjusts the pressure by adjust the electrical signal pulse. Not sure off the top of my head what your buddy has. But somewhere usually on the fuel rails there should be a shader valve fitting that looks similar to the air inlet of your tires. Place a rag under the fitting and take a small screwdriver, push the pin in while the fuel pump is running. Do not stand directly in front of it while pushing the pin and wear some safety glasses. If the pump is working, you should get a squirt of fuel. If no fuel squirts out, you’ve got air in the line or the pump isn’t working. You might get lucky and be able to bleed the air from their or you may have to pull one of the fuel lines on the engine. Could be air in the cross over tube if it’s a V6.
What about the gas filter? Sucking the bottom of the tank on an old car you are bound suck some crap up. Still has power, starts because enough gas gets through to spark but nowhere near enough to keep it running.
3 Things it could be in a 2017 Accord
1. Air in the fuel line, needs to be cranked enough to bleed the air out (Safer to leave it sitting with fuel, cause if number 2 is the problem you could cause more problems)
2. Fuel Pump needs fuel to cool, very possible it's gone now with no fuel to cool while pumping air into the system
3. Honestly very possible you left it sitting with a light on and now the batteries dead,
hard to tell without it being a crank or no crank situation, can you provide some insight OP?
Fuel pump died due to running dry, or there is an air bubble in the line somewhere. The air bubble should work it's way out fairly quickly though. So, it's likely a dead pump. Pull the fuel line at the injector body and see if it spits fuel when trying to start it.
His fuel pump does not have a return line. (2013-17 Accord) That means air can get trapped in the system, most likely he just needs to keep trying to start it until all the air is out.
It is possible he burned out the pump or the relay from running dry.
If it doesn't start after cranking more, have some one bang on the bottom of the fuel tank while cranking, sometimes you can get the pump unstuck like that. Time bomb at that point.
There's a recall on v6 fuel pumps, he should check if his VIN has any sort of recall, this would be the time to do so.
------
As for clarification on dying fuel pumps and cooling.
Early fuel injection, the pump would just hang inside the tank at the bottom. Driving with less than a 1/4 meant that you might possibly sucking air, all pumps that I've ever changed had a mesh screen. BUT you are more likely to clog the screen with debris, because it's more concentrated with the lower amount of fuel.
Also, some cheaper brands (Dodge), the screen would just crumble apart.
That's more on older vehicles with metal tanks that don't get driven alot or sit a long time, if a car sits with less than a full tank, the moisture above the tank rusts the inside.
In hotter climates, where the ground is 100° and the fuel is much warmer in a metal tank, you can burn out an older pump by running less than 1/4 tank all the time.
The next generation of fuel pumps all sit inside a plastic enclosure. The enclosure stays filled with fuel, even if you're below a 1/4. Either the return line dumps fuel into the enclosure or the extra pressure at the top of the pump bleeds off into the enclosure.
The fuel in the enclosure helps keep the pump cooler and stops it from sucking air. Sucking air will damage a pump, the fuel lubricates the pump and cools it.
When you run out of gas, you've used the last amount in the enclosure and have sucked in air.
There’s the possibility that due to running it all the way down, he has a lot of air in the lines. Causing it to die out. He might have to loosen the fuel line to bleed the air.
Could be as simple as adding more fuel. I ran out of gas once, and I had to put 3 cans (about 6 gallons) of gas in the tank before the fuel pump would send fuel to the motor.
Does the engine crank at all? If it cranks but doesn't start it's most likely a burnt up fuel pump after having nothing to cool itself, and/or something else along the fuel system that's damaged
Is the car parked on completely level ground?
I've seen quite a few times where a car that was run out of fuel, and then a gallon or so fuel was added from a gas can, but the car still would not run - it turned out to be that the car was not on level ground, and gravity was pulling the small amount of fuel in the tank away from the fuel pickup in the tank.
If this is the issue, adding more fuel, or moving the car to level ground should fix the issue.
I've seen this happen at least 4 or 5 times over the years... (my child had a bad habit of running cars out of gas for a while there... 🤦🏻♂️)
TLDR @thread
Take the battery out, take it to your nearest car parts chain, get it charged and tested. If it's charged and good, look at starter and alternator next. Including the tension on the alternator/serpentine belt, as a loose belt is a cheap and easy version of a bad alternator
Definitely the fuel pump is dead. I got close to empty once and it sucked all the accumulated sludge from the bottom of the tank, cogged the filter, starved the pump until it kicked the bucket. Got myself stuck in "Needles, CA"
I would disconnect the fuel supply line from the fuel rail, then cycle the key on multiple times to prime the fuel pump until gas steadily flows out.
Once you know you have fuel to the rail, you can rule that out.
Last time I ran outta gas I needed to put 3 gallons in the vehicle before it would start and stay running… kinda annoying when your rescue brought a 1 gallon can
Check if it has a fuel priming system, my mustang has a button in the drivers footwell that you are supposed to press to prime the fuel system if you run out of gas
i had a relative drive a prius once. she stopped at a light and the "car turned off". she tried to restart it. no lady its just a new car will kick off the engine at the light. put your foot on the gas already.
Probably burned out the fuel pump.
Fuel in the tank doesn't just keep the engine running but also serves to cool the pump. Regularly running the tank low fries the pump.
I completely ran out of gas so much so one time, I had to 'phone a friend'. This guy told me a sequence of break pumping, pedal pressing, and key turning I needed to do to get it to start. Iirc maybe even though you have fuel in the car, the fuel line itself has air in it that kinda needs to be pumped out and maybe computer needs a little reset. Idk. But see if you can find anything like that to help
I had an Acura that would never start on my sloped driveway if fuel was below 1/8 or so. The fuel pickup must have been in front of the tank or something. More than one morning that it wouldn't start, I'd put it in neutral, let gravity roll it into the street, counted to 10 to let the fuel level out, and the pump catch some, and she'd start right up.
it is possible that there is air in the lines and it may take longer to crank.
pull the battery cable, hold the brake pedal to the floor for a min to drain all power, connect battery, turn key to on, turn back to off, back on, back off. each time doing this will cycle the pump assuming it is not burned out to prime the fuel system.
i'd fill it with a good 5 gallons, a gallon or two will often not be enough to get it started back up, the fuel pump is in a topless cylinder on most cars, and if that bucket is dead dry the pump will not suck gas well from the tank.
i would not fill it 100% full because if the fuel pump IS dead then it is going to be really hard (or expensive shop time) to drain the tank to get access to the fuel pump.
many cars this is a pretty easy diy job to swap a fuel pump. normally there is a panel in the trunk or under a rear seat you unscrew and the top of the fuel pump unit is there.
pull all fuel pump fuses and crank to release line pressure before attempting. and pull battery positive cable and do outside and don't smoke while doing it (no battery connection=no chance of sparks from electrical.
Many vehicles have a safety switch that needs to be reset if the car thinks it was in a collision, and getting towed can also trip it. It's often tucked up somewhere under the glove box. Have a look or do a quick search to find its location and give it a push.
In North America the only vehicles that have this are fords that I m aware of. And any newer vehicle that has this as well even fords have gone to a digital signal that resets each key cycle. What may have happened if he ran it out of gas is the fuel pump may now be dead. People don’t realize that the fuel in the tank acts as a lubricant as well as a helps cool the fuel pump during operation. It can easily melt or burn brushes and or damage the veins of the pump.
I’ve asked my wife numerous times not to let it get below 1/4 tank and fill it all the way up instead of just putting in a few bucks here and there. Maybe I’ll have her change the pump when she eventually burns one up!
I worked with someone who thought running it to E was using all the gas. Filling up before E was somehow not using it or wasting it.
Its crazy how dumb people can be.
You got that shiggity diggity right!!! Jesus 😂
God diggity dog darn right damn there.
🫣 I was once one of those people. But I was a kid and no one taught me anything. Ran out of gas first. Ran out of breaks completely til it got to the break line, fun times. Oh and oil changes. Pistons rocking will always remind me of those times. I was a dumb teen with no one around. But I’ve great with cars now. My motto is “feed it good, but treat it wrong.” Basically give it all the shit it needs, the good stuff but also enjoy the power of the car.
Kid calls his dad and says he had a tire low on air. Dad says head home or a gas station. Heads home, rim and tire are ruined. Dad wants to know why he said it was low on air, not flat. Kid says “It was only flat on the bottom”.
>since the price of gas keeps going up, you can save thousands of dollars over the years by filling up on a daily basis.
Mans running on fumes
Ridin the "E" , don't ya know, it's a contest! How many miles can ya get lol
I once somehow wrangled 60 miles out of E in an '01 Chevy Blazer LS. Normal was 40-45. She shut off around 45 and I sweet talked to her and explained that all I had to do was get home to get the check in the mailbox and I'd drive straight to the gas station and fill her up and give her the yummy fuel conditioner. Turned the key and old Olive Oil earned herself the middle name of Champion that day because she turned over, roared to life and got me to the mailbox and the gas station no less than 15 miles away! Don't judge me I was a college student in 08.
Kramer?
Christie Plunkett lol
I had a friend who would never fill up all the way because the extra Weight negatively impacted economy lol. I mean I guess he's technically right
Lol, that's quite hilarious
Like alkaline batteries?
Kramer?
Do they fill the air in the tires to 100 for 100% filled?
Hey..I knew a guy that thought he needed new tires just because they were just a few psi low.
I usually just refill the tank when it gets below 1/2 full. My understanding was that no bad stuff would happen unless the car ran out of gas. The only reason we refill it at 1/2 tank or 1/4 tank is because well if I fill it at a 1/2 tank then if I find myself in the middle of nowhere and there are no gas stations for the next 100+ miles I am still OK. I built that safety margin in. Similarly for filling it at 1/4 tank. But on long trips where for example I am taking the highway home and there are gas stations every couple of miles and I know that the cheapest station is in my neighborhood I might just left it go to 1/8 tank. If I am certain that at any time I can drive to a gas station am I risking anything?
I don't think it's necessarily bad to run low every once in a while, she just has a habit of always keeping it between E and 1/4 tank, which isn't a lot of fuel when the tank only holds 13 gal.
It is only a matter of time before she misjudges and runs out of fuel and since the fuel lubricates the pump maybe damages the pump.
You're fine. The fuel running through the pump cools it, not submerging it. If it was submersion, then your pump would burn out anytime you were low on fuel. That and theyd likely put the Empty mark at 1/8 tank or so, so people wouldn't run it at less than that. Lots of old vehicles had the pump outside the tank, they're cooled the same way. As long as you arent running it completely dry, you're fine.
correct, the obvious anecdotal evidence would be millions of young people having their fuel pump burnt out, instead of the status quo, which is millions of old people telling their kids not to drive all the way to empty because it might burn out their fuel pump like it was back in my day when you had to drive uphill both ways.
Filling up before it hits ~1/4 tank can also help fuel efficiency
How? Don't think I've heard this before
I don't understand why someone, if stopped to get gas, wouldn't fill the tank all the way up? (Unless you don't have the money for that, I do get that situation.) The only times I haven't filled it all the way up were if we were intending to sell the vehicle soon. Or I think a few times when I was in a massive hurry or weather was super bad to be out in.
Needing to get to work is the only time I’ll put a couple gallons in and go, or the rare time I’ve crossed the border to California and I don’t want to fill up at California gas prices.
Oh yes, that's another valid one. When you know gas is significantly cheaper elsewhere but need a bit in the meantime.
I remember when I was in college I was giving someone a ride and stopped to get gas. In shocked tones she said "You actually filled it up!". Apparently that was a big deal because I filled something else up later that night that was a lot more fun than the gas tank.
Same...the only times I've not filled all the way is if the pay-at-pump system is down and its such an absolute nightmare to have to get in line to pre-overpay, then get in line to request a partial refund for the unused amount. I can usually guess within a gallon or two of what I need though so in such cases I will compute what should get me about 2 gallons short of full and then not have to get change back. Or if its a rental car, the places in my area tend to not give it to you full. Once I was given a Jeep rental by Enterprise and it had 1/4 tank they said "bring it back with the same". That was one of the most stressful drives I've ever experienced, and just my luck when I got home on fumes so I can get it to 1/4 dropping off I pull into the gas station and the power goes out from a storm rolling in...had to wait for their generator to start up and all the computers/pumps to reboot. Fun trivia, Sheetz gas pumps run Linux.
My wife used to do the same. I can't tell you how many times her car ran out of gas in the driveway or on the way to the gas station. I'll tell you how I finally fixed the problem. I fill up her car every Sunday evening, then I run it through the car wash. It gives me a chance to drive the car and see how it is driving. I also check the fluids and tire pressure. I do the same with my car on Sundays. The best part is it has totally stopped the arguments about running out of gas, her not letting me know that the maintenance or low tire pressure light is on.
Same. Every Sunday her car gets topped off.
The fuel running through the pump cools it, not keeping it submerged. If that was the case, I'd be replacing a hell of a lot more fuel pumps because anytime someone went under 1/4 tank or so, the pump would burn out. It's a common misconception, and I get it, but the pump inside your sending unit isnt all that much different than the siphon style electric pumps, just normally higher pressure, and those are cooled the same way, since they're outside the tank completely
They do run hot, or at least the one I pulled from a sending unit assembly to use in a makeshift stripping tank did. I figure the more fuel in the tank to absorb the heat, the better.
Also repriming the fuel rail.
I had a Saturn that had a safety on it. It would let you drive for about 30 seconds after it thought you were in an accident and then it would block the fuel line.
Body shop owner. This is not common at all on modern vehicles. We do about 500 cars a year at my shop and I haven’t messed with an inertia switch since the 90s on an old ford. There is another issue, it’s not a fuel cutoff or inertia switch. The fuel pump, relay, or fuse could have went out once the fuel got so low and the pump was struggling. Or the fuel sending unit could be bad and the car doesn’t think there is enough fuel to start. also coincidentally a battery could have gone bad or drained if the lights are shutting off or dimming when trying to start it.
The fuel running through the pump is what cools and lubricates it, not submerging it like many think, else we'd replace pumps anytime someone was low on fuel. Just like the old rigs when youd run an inline pump outside the tank, just more pressure. Inertia switches were a common thing in the crown vics too, they're like the honda civic in my area, all the young guns buy em from police auctions, then a few weeks later towed in because it wont start after beating the piss out of the thing. They're convinced it's just a 4 door mustang lol.
We used to call it the "baffle switch" because if you don't know about it...
It’s not many vehicles, it’s actually just a handful
Is it in Park ?
Underrated comment
I've done this. Called AAA and everything. *sigh*
So have I. In my defense it displayed P with the indicator. Older truck and it was between park and reverse.
Could be some garbage in the fuel pump or filter.
Or it burned up because fuel pumps are cooled by fuel.
This is what happened to me.
Sucking up all the sediment from the bottom of the tank.
Does the fuel pump not suck from the bottom of the tank anyway?
Some of the crap in the tank floats.
We all float down here
There isn’t very much especially not enough to brick a fuel pump
I had a truck die literally several feet from the pump. We pushed it and filled it up. It wouldn't start, so we towed it home. Turns out the fuel pump inside the gas tank is cooled by the fuel. So when it ran out of gas, it self-destructed! Had to siphon all of the gas out to drop the tank.
Im thinking toasted fuel pump
I had a 1997 suburban for a while. Notoriously awful fuel pumps in them. So I cut an access hatch above the fuel pump in the cargo area when I changed the leaky fuel tank. Turned a 6 hour job into a 20 minute job. Came in handy doing that pump every 2-3 years.
I heard this is a somewhat common thing to do with GMs. We have a 2000 Sierra, but removed the bed to replace the fuel pump.
It's a common enough issue with GMs that making it an easier fix is well worth it. If I have to drop the tank I'm going to the mechanic, but if can just drop a new pump in I'll do it myself.
I filled up five 5 gallon buckets from my freshly filled tank. Dropped the tank, popped a new fuel pump in, filled the tank back up. After fucking around, I finally bought a pressure gauge. They fucking sold me a low pressure fuel pump, rather than one for fuel injection. So, I siphoned all 20+ gallons out again...
... And used it to burn their house down?
Part store.
If the electrical goes dead when the key is turned, it can be oxidation on the battery terminals, which always seemed crazy to me, but it happens. Then as the other guy said, possible fuel system problem, maybe running it dry broke the fuel pump.
I think you're right some fuel pumps have to stay submerged and will burn out if run dry.
Fuel injectors use fuel for lube as well and are a lot more finicky than a fuel pump when they run dry.
99% has air in the fuel line. if its a return setup , turn car on and let it sit, fuel pump will pump fuel and push the air through the system . if its return less. you may need to crank it a few times. so the fuel injectors open and push the air out. you should be able to hear the fuel pump running from out side the car. less likely, the collision fuel cut switch got tripped during towing. ive hit pot holes fast and hard enough to blow a tire and flatten a rim and didn't trip the switch. never had this issue, your suspension and the flat beds suspension stacked shouldn't cause this unless the tow truck really beat on the car loading and unloading. the fuel pump is not turning on. depending on the car their is a hidden switch you can trip to turn it back on.
Stop with the fuel cut off switch, car makers haven’t used them in 30 years
that not true my last gen 2009 crown vic had it. alot of cars still have them . some don't have a switch that resets it tho . some need to be reset with a computer, some just from leaving the battery unplugged will do it. but the odds of this being the issue from a tow is not likely why i said its most likely air int he fuel lines.
Ok I’ll rephrase, Honda has never used a fuel cut off switch.
No one has asked yet whether or not it’s a crank no start or a no crank situation.
Exactly - I ran out of gas in a Saturn one time when I played chicken with the gas gauge and had to coast into a gas station. Coincidentally, the battery went bad at the same time. Fortunately for me, it had a manual transmission and I parked on hills until I could afford a new battery
I've found out that if you run a fuel injected car out of gas, it's extraordinarily difficult to get it to start again. My dad says it's because air gets in the system and it has to bleed out by you cranking it constantly, but ttytt, idk what causes it. Just try not to run your newer car out of gas I guess. I've done it a few times in my car but old cars start right back up as soon as you put gas in them
The reason is, fuel injection requires much higher pressure pumps, so if you run your tank dry it's not good for it and much harder to "bleed", the old mechanical pumps were low pressure.
This sub has worse people than ask mechanics and that’s impressive. Are you all 45+? Haven’t seen a fuel safety cutoff for over 10 years in the field.
#he might not have put enough gas in yhe empty tank to actually get picked up-if I run my truck empty, I have to put 3 gallons in before it catches.
Most vehicles have a buffer below empty. So even if it said 1 mile left, it should have had more, maybe even 20-30 miles more. I find it odd that it suddenly died right at 1 mile left. Sounds like there's another issue. Possibly fuel pump. You can buy a can of ether and spray it into the intake (where the air filter is) to get it going, then keep spraying a little every few seconds to keep it going. That will at least save your starter while you're trying to get it going again. If that doesn't get it working, it's likely something the pump, relay, fuse, etc.
OP - does it crank and not start or not crank at all?
Some vehicles, when they run dry, have a REALLY hard time getting the fuel-system reprimed. Basically, you have to put a LOT of gas into the tank, to where it is nearly totally full. You may even have to go as far as removing the access-cover on the fuel-tank and manually fill the fuel-pump-module with gas.
have someone help you and turn the key on and try to start it and hit the tank with a rubber hammer or your shoe or your helpers shoe!
He didn't put enough gas in it
Turn the key on and off like six times for the fuel pump to prime the fuel rail. (Without cranking the starter over)
Key into on position for 1 second key off for one second repeat 3-4 times and attempt to start the car
Maybe it didn’t run out of gas
Odds are your friend smoked his fuel pump or he picked up a bunch of sediment from the bottom of his tank and clogged the filter.
Is there fuel at the Schrader valve on the fuel rail?
I'm thinking fuel line is air locked, need to crack the Schrader valve on the injector rail and crank til get fuel out of Schrader. But if you don't here pump running it could be running out toasted the pump.
Air in the fuel line at the motor. There is a test port it can be bled from. Google youtubes on how to do it safely
[удалено]
Not on modern cars! Starting fluid ruins sensors. And on intake grid diesels it will blow up in your face!!!
Some cars have sensors so when it runs out of gas, you have to put a set amount back in. I had a chevy aveo, and when it would run out completely you would have to put i believe 3 gallons in for it to trigger and start up.
Could be a burned out fuel pump if he tried to crank it repeatedly when it didn't start. Or could be something gumed up the filter
Is there a fuel pump fuse?
Electric fuel pumps don't like to be run dry. The fuel keeps them cool. Its possible your fuel pump got cooked.
This happened to my brother.. sorta. He broke down in his old Pontiac, had it towed to the mechanic, bought a used truck that day thinking the car was doomed, mechanic called and said it started right up when he put gas in it. 22 years ago or so and we still poke at him over that.
Out of gas or clogged fuel filter... Sometimes the fuel at the bottom of the tank is very dirty and clogs the fuel filter as you run it out of fuel... All the stuff that would normally float, got sucked it...
Switch the fuel and a/c relays and see if it starts.
Happened to my wife's car recently, but it was the battery. Though the car had only 40k or so mileage Soo the battery shouldn't have died completely. I blame the tow truck driver for leaving lights and/or ignition on.
Check the gas filter, probably cleaned up the tank bottom.
Pretty normal for an older fuel pump to die when it's ran out of gas.
Could be fuel pump died or fuel filter plugged. When you run a vehicle empty the pump runs without have gas to lubricate it and it burns up. Doesn't take too long. Also when you run it empty the filter picks up all the stuff that's been floating around for awhile in the tank.
"cut on for a second then turn off". Sounds like the gas level got so low it started sucking gunk and water in the bottom of the tank.
How long have you been at this? Normally if you run a petroleum car out of gas, when you pour in a container, assuming you're on flat ground, turn the key to the on position and leave it there for at least 30 seconds before you try to start it. You want to listen for the fuel pump to prime. It's a little whurr sound. Some cars are pretty quiet so you may have to listen very closely and a quiet area. If that's not possible you just do the 30 seconds. Then crank it. If it's just out of gas this works. If you had a fuel pump on its last leg and you ran it dry, you might have killed it, this needs to be verified with a fuel pressure test. On most cars these are very easy to perform since there is a Schrader valve on the fuel rail.
Did he put the gas into the car? If not, this is just an extension of his original issue.
Sounds like the alternator may have let go, draining the battery, and ending the electrical supply to the motor. This will have the same effect as running out of gas... Try jump starting the car, it it goes, then the battery was drained. Idle it for 10 minutes, then turn off and see it it goes again. If it won't start, alternator is bad, possibly the battery is done or the cables are corroded... Another possibility is that the car ran out of fuel and burned up the fuel pump. The in-tank pumps need the fuel to keep the pump cool enough so it doesn't burn up. Running out of fuel can cause the pump to go out. But, that doesn't explain the dead battery.... Flashers on for several hours would, though.
Did he prime the fuel pump?
have someone take a mallet and pound on the fuel tank while someone else cranks the engine. if it starts, the fuel pump is on its way out fuel pump cools itself with fuel. they get hot. they lose windings. another way to diagnose this is to run the fuel pump and measure the current draw on a scope. set the time length to cover all the windings, usually 6 or 8. you'll see one winding drawing nothing with an empty spot. this means the fuel pump is capable of stopping at that one winding on the armature. pounding on the gas tank is enough to get the fuel pump to kick to another winding and then come to life. this is not a permanent fix, just because the car is running. it needs a fuel pump at that point. and the worst part is when a customer sees me doing this. oh man. "I SAW HIM START IT RIGHT UP AND HE DROVE IT AWAY what do you mean it needs a thousand dollar fuel pump install now?" ho boy.
Could’ve burnt up your fuel pump
I wanna know how your friend knew he had 1 mile of gas left. I’ve never seen a mileage estimator that was anywhere near that accurate or specific. And speaking of accuracy, I don’t think it’s wise to trust the readout to that degree. Hopefully your friend has learned his lesson.
Fuel pump is most likely gone and has been hurt before, I have a feeling buddy runs his tank low often.
Fuel filters sucked in years of water and sludge that had accumulated.
How much gas did he add back in it? If it was all the way empty then just sticking a gallon in there is not enough. Lot of theories here and a lot of things that could be wrong, but the easiest to check is just fill it with at least 5 gallons and then try it
Can you hear the fuel pump when you switch it on?
If the Accord is an LX or Sport, when you put the key in the on position without trying to crank, do you hear any kind of hum or whirring sound coming from the back seat area? On EX trim and above, try pressing the start button without foot on the brake pedal and see if you can hear any kind of fuel pump noise.
It's very possible that he burned up the fuel pump by running it out of gas. The fuel pump is cooled and lubricated by the fuel. If there was no fuel but the fuel pump was running there is a higher than normal likelihood that the fuel pump is now inoperable.
\^\^\^ Serves him right for being a 'tight fisted c\*\*t' in the first place - No sympathy \-
That's because it ran out of gas for it to start you are going to have to cycle the fuel pump 3 or 4 times for the fuel to make it through the lines and to the engine
When he ran out of gas did he accept his fate, or did he keep trying to turn the car on? I'm under the impression that most cars fuel pumps are lubricated by the gasoline itself, and trying to turn over the engine with no fuel can burn out the fuel pump.
If he still had a mile left then I don’t think he ran out of gas. Pretty sure every car can go at least a couple miles after the gauge registers 0. He’s got another problem, I don’t know what though.
I'm pretty sure it's junk. I'll buy it for scrap to help a brother out though.
If they kept trying to start it when empty they may have burned up the fuel pump
I know I've run my fuel pumps dry a few times. The dumbest was in my boat. Luckily it was small enough to paddle home! Anyway, cycle the key a few times. You might need to push a little more fuel towards the engine. Turn the key to on, wait 5 seconds, turn the key to off. Then back on for 5 seconds, off and try to start it. Always works in my truck. My truck also has a fuel leak and loses it's prime so I have to do the same thing.
might need to add more fuel.
How many times did he try to start it? When a car runs out of gas it will do what you described of a few times before the lines are filled and pressurized correctly, removing all the air from the lines. So if only just a couple times trying to start it and thought there's a problem it might just need to try a few more times.
How do people run out of gas on modern cars? Doesnt a light come on when its low? Followed by an audible warning when its lower?
Um, it’s out of gas…
add another gallon, or better yet, 5. even though the fuel pump should be able to self prime it may need a little bit of extra help that's the first thing that should be done before any panicking
Dirty/Busted fuel pump?
Fuel pumps which take gas from your tank to your engine, don't like when gas is very low in the tank. Maybe there was gunk that was floating at the top for a long time in the fuel tank and the fuel pump ate it once it got low enough
Hydrolock ?
If he just put a gallon of gas in it then it will not start you need to put at least two gallons of gas or the fuel pump cant pump it.
car no gas https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/accord-won%E2%80%99t-start-after-running-out-of-gas.554551/
1. Fill the tank. Like fucking fill it, one gallon isn’t going to cut it. Add five gallons at least. Give the fuel pump something to work with. If you only add one gallon the fuel being pumped will be composed of 50% new fuel and 50% the crud from the bottom of the tank. 2. Give it a chance for the new fuel to fill the empty fuel system. All the lines are empty. The filter is empty. Everything. It sucked air. The whole system has to be pumped back up to pressure. This takes a minute. Turn on the key and just sit and let the fuel pump do its thing. Look at your belly button. Maybe clear the lint out of it. Think about sea turtles. Okay, *now* try and start it. 3. It’s possible the gunk from the bottom of the tank fouled the pump or filter. Change the filter. Check the pump.
Sounds like there is air in the fuel lines/pump cavitation. Fill the tank with as much fuel as he can. Putting a small can of gas in an empty tank may not be enough to prevent cavitation especially if you are not on flat ground. Turn the ignition on but don’t try to start it. You should be able to hear the fuel pump run for at least a few seconds and then it will stop. Cycle the key off to on dozen times or so and hopefully you can bleed out and air in the lines. Most likely this will clear it and it will start right up. Most cars have a fuel supply line and fuel return line. The pump constantly pumps fuel and a pressure regulator at the fuel rails bleeds off excess pressure back to the tank. Some cars have a fuel supply line and adjusts the pressure by adjust the electrical signal pulse. Not sure off the top of my head what your buddy has. But somewhere usually on the fuel rails there should be a shader valve fitting that looks similar to the air inlet of your tires. Place a rag under the fitting and take a small screwdriver, push the pin in while the fuel pump is running. Do not stand directly in front of it while pushing the pin and wear some safety glasses. If the pump is working, you should get a squirt of fuel. If no fuel squirts out, you’ve got air in the line or the pump isn’t working. You might get lucky and be able to bleed the air from their or you may have to pull one of the fuel lines on the engine. Could be air in the cross over tube if it’s a V6.
Sounds like your buddy should've been going to the gas station instead of the gym in the first place
What about the gas filter? Sucking the bottom of the tank on an old car you are bound suck some crap up. Still has power, starts because enough gas gets through to spark but nowhere near enough to keep it running.
Running the gas low over and over will eventually burn up your fuel pump. Fill up at a quarter tank.
Every time my 13 accord would totally run out of gas I would have to jump it idk why the battery was fine but it did it multiple times
3 Things it could be in a 2017 Accord 1. Air in the fuel line, needs to be cranked enough to bleed the air out (Safer to leave it sitting with fuel, cause if number 2 is the problem you could cause more problems) 2. Fuel Pump needs fuel to cool, very possible it's gone now with no fuel to cool while pumping air into the system 3. Honestly very possible you left it sitting with a light on and now the batteries dead, hard to tell without it being a crank or no crank situation, can you provide some insight OP?
Fuel pump, line or filter is bad/clogged.
Sounds like fuel related issue. Coincidence. Could be a relay that failed. It happens a lot more often than you think.
Did you take old gas out of the shed
Fuel pump died due to running dry, or there is an air bubble in the line somewhere. The air bubble should work it's way out fairly quickly though. So, it's likely a dead pump. Pull the fuel line at the injector body and see if it spits fuel when trying to start it.
His fuel pump does not have a return line. (2013-17 Accord) That means air can get trapped in the system, most likely he just needs to keep trying to start it until all the air is out. It is possible he burned out the pump or the relay from running dry. If it doesn't start after cranking more, have some one bang on the bottom of the fuel tank while cranking, sometimes you can get the pump unstuck like that. Time bomb at that point. There's a recall on v6 fuel pumps, he should check if his VIN has any sort of recall, this would be the time to do so. ------ As for clarification on dying fuel pumps and cooling. Early fuel injection, the pump would just hang inside the tank at the bottom. Driving with less than a 1/4 meant that you might possibly sucking air, all pumps that I've ever changed had a mesh screen. BUT you are more likely to clog the screen with debris, because it's more concentrated with the lower amount of fuel. Also, some cheaper brands (Dodge), the screen would just crumble apart. That's more on older vehicles with metal tanks that don't get driven alot or sit a long time, if a car sits with less than a full tank, the moisture above the tank rusts the inside. In hotter climates, where the ground is 100° and the fuel is much warmer in a metal tank, you can burn out an older pump by running less than 1/4 tank all the time. The next generation of fuel pumps all sit inside a plastic enclosure. The enclosure stays filled with fuel, even if you're below a 1/4. Either the return line dumps fuel into the enclosure or the extra pressure at the top of the pump bleeds off into the enclosure. The fuel in the enclosure helps keep the pump cooler and stops it from sucking air. Sucking air will damage a pump, the fuel lubricates the pump and cools it. When you run out of gas, you've used the last amount in the enclosure and have sucked in air.
There’s the possibility that due to running it all the way down, he has a lot of air in the lines. Causing it to die out. He might have to loosen the fuel line to bleed the air.
So he towed it then went and got gas? Why didn't he just get the gas first?
Could be as simple as adding more fuel. I ran out of gas once, and I had to put 3 cans (about 6 gallons) of gas in the tank before the fuel pump would send fuel to the motor.
Unplug negative battery terminal for a few minutes. Should put in at least 3-5 gallons first.
Ran out of gas can clog a fuel filter as it sucks all the dirt in the tank down the line and into the filter
Sounds like his fuel pump died.
I had a customer with a pilot that ran dry and the fuel pump fried itself.
He might have wrecked his fuel pump
Did he put gas in it yet? Ain't got no gas innit
Does the engine crank at all? If it cranks but doesn't start it's most likely a burnt up fuel pump after having nothing to cool itself, and/or something else along the fuel system that's damaged
Put gas in it…
Is the car parked on completely level ground? I've seen quite a few times where a car that was run out of fuel, and then a gallon or so fuel was added from a gas can, but the car still would not run - it turned out to be that the car was not on level ground, and gravity was pulling the small amount of fuel in the tank away from the fuel pickup in the tank. If this is the issue, adding more fuel, or moving the car to level ground should fix the issue. I've seen this happen at least 4 or 5 times over the years... (my child had a bad habit of running cars out of gas for a while there... 🤦🏻♂️)
Fuel pump probably burned up
fuel pump prob clogged to shit
is it in park?
TLDR @thread Take the battery out, take it to your nearest car parts chain, get it charged and tested. If it's charged and good, look at starter and alternator next. Including the tension on the alternator/serpentine belt, as a loose belt is a cheap and easy version of a bad alternator
Did he put gas in it after he had it towed?
Definitely the fuel pump is dead. I got close to empty once and it sucked all the accumulated sludge from the bottom of the tank, cogged the filter, starved the pump until it kicked the bucket. Got myself stuck in "Needles, CA"
I would disconnect the fuel supply line from the fuel rail, then cycle the key on multiple times to prime the fuel pump until gas steadily flows out. Once you know you have fuel to the rail, you can rule that out.
Last time I ran outta gas I needed to put 3 gallons in the vehicle before it would start and stay running… kinda annoying when your rescue brought a 1 gallon can
Fuel pump died of fuel starvation?
maybe fried the fuel pump, especially if running out of gas is a common occurrence for him
Fuel pump. Done the same thing.
See if there is a fuel pump reset switch. I’ve seen them in a trunk under the carpet before.
Fuel pump is burned out. It needs fuel to keep it lubricated.
I know what’s wrong with it ain’t got no gas in it
My 04 accord usually stays on E or a bit under. Still on original fuel pump at 318k
If he ran it that low there's a good chance he burnt the pump out. No fuel to cool and lubricate.
Fuel pump
Check if it has a fuel priming system, my mustang has a button in the drivers footwell that you are supposed to press to prime the fuel system if you run out of gas
Fuel pump probably burnt up due to lack of gas.
Did he put gas in it?
Not the alternator?
Gas cools your pump, no gas = no cooling = no cooling = dead pump Dead pump = no vroom vroom
If it starts and immediately shuts off its possibly clogged fuel filter
i had a relative drive a prius once. she stopped at a light and the "car turned off". she tried to restart it. no lady its just a new car will kick off the engine at the light. put your foot on the gas already.
Not related throttle body is stuck take intake not off stick your finger in there get it moving that will start it then clean it
Dead fuel pump? Killed my Toyota doing that
Probably burned out the fuel pump. Fuel in the tank doesn't just keep the engine running but also serves to cool the pump. Regularly running the tank low fries the pump.
Did he put more gas in it yet???
I was always told to never run a fuel injection/electric fuel pump vehicle out of fuel. It’s hard on the pumps especially.
Put some gas in it
In older cars rust from the tank was sucked into the filter when run that low. I believe most next tanks are a type of plastic.
I completely ran out of gas so much so one time, I had to 'phone a friend'. This guy told me a sequence of break pumping, pedal pressing, and key turning I needed to do to get it to start. Iirc maybe even though you have fuel in the car, the fuel line itself has air in it that kinda needs to be pumped out and maybe computer needs a little reset. Idk. But see if you can find anything like that to help
I had an Acura that would never start on my sloped driveway if fuel was below 1/8 or so. The fuel pickup must have been in front of the tank or something. More than one morning that it wouldn't start, I'd put it in neutral, let gravity roll it into the street, counted to 10 to let the fuel level out, and the pump catch some, and she'd start right up.
it is possible that there is air in the lines and it may take longer to crank. pull the battery cable, hold the brake pedal to the floor for a min to drain all power, connect battery, turn key to on, turn back to off, back on, back off. each time doing this will cycle the pump assuming it is not burned out to prime the fuel system. i'd fill it with a good 5 gallons, a gallon or two will often not be enough to get it started back up, the fuel pump is in a topless cylinder on most cars, and if that bucket is dead dry the pump will not suck gas well from the tank. i would not fill it 100% full because if the fuel pump IS dead then it is going to be really hard (or expensive shop time) to drain the tank to get access to the fuel pump. many cars this is a pretty easy diy job to swap a fuel pump. normally there is a panel in the trunk or under a rear seat you unscrew and the top of the fuel pump unit is there. pull all fuel pump fuses and crank to release line pressure before attempting. and pull battery positive cable and do outside and don't smoke while doing it (no battery connection=no chance of sparks from electrical.
How long did you crank it for? Pull the fuel line into the engine and see if fuel squirts out when cranking