t-town_ep

!!!!!! Issue has been solved by using an Airtex fuel strainer from advanced auto. Part # FS121 originally designed for an 1988 CRX DX !!!!!!

1991 EF STD Hatch, D15B1 4spd DPFI
Problem:
When the gas gauge gets close to 1/4 tank, the car starts to stall at stop lights and when making right hand turns, and even when going down hill.
Well I searched and searched and searched, I did everything that I found on all those other threads about my issue. At first i thought it was the fuel filter sock, because if broke off of the fuel filter, but when I bought a new one and put it on, i still had the same issue.
What I have done so far:
New fuel filter sock
Replaced intank rubber hose that connects to the fuel pump and also put hose clamps on it.
checked all the lines for any sorts of cracks or leaks.
checked the tank for rust and any sort of unusual-ness. (tank seems fine)

I'm stumped, not really sure what else to do, maybe a new tank? or maybe a new fuel pump? its driving me nuts!!

Please chime in if you have had this problem and were able to fix it in the past!

Thanks,

Lee

green91

IF i had to guess, id say the fuel level sending unit is bent or something and is throwing off the gauge reading. only way to know for sure would be to drop the tank and look at the fuel level when it starts cutting off.

acmoc

when it reads 1/4 tank and you fill it up. How many gallons fill it up?

sumdewd

If you don't have a problem with your fuel gauge, this will likely fix your problem.

I made an account just to reply with how I fixed my stalling problem whenever I had a half tank or less. First off, all of the aftermarket filter socks are worthless and don't match up or even go the right direction. The filter sock in a Civic/CRX needs to go forward, even the exploded diagram for the fuel pump shows it going to the front of the car:



Only the FS121 filter sock for the 1988 CRX DX is the one that stopped my problem, and I have a 90 Si. Like you, I tried a new fuel pump, new gas tank, new fuel line and nothing fixed it except for buying the fuel sock.

This is the sock that I am using now:
http://www.amazon.com/Airtex-FS121-F.../dp/B000ZN044Y

I can drive 280 miles and fill up for 10.5 gallons without stalling. I haven't dared to go any farther. My gauge sits in the middle of the red mark when I fill up.

Either buy the FS121 filter sock or buy the whole OEM pump assembly. I've been driving for a year now and filling up with 10-11 gallons with zero issues.

If I am breaking any rules, let me know. I am fairly new to posting here.

PS: I don't have a Walbro pump, I have a generic parts store replacement fuel pump. I'm not sure if the Walbro pump is different and won't let you use the FS121 sock.

t-town_ep

When it gets to that point, it takes about 8.3 gallons to fill it back to full, but today it started acting up again except it started at just a little bit below half a tank instead of at 1/4 tank.

sumdewd: thank you very much for the advice sir! I will be buying one of those shortly! :D

anybody else wanna chime in?

EF8DayDreamer

my car dies if the gauge shows an eigth of a tank but that's cuz the grounds pulled to the gauge cluster . But you may wanna check that. Just a thought

acmoc

I would avoid a walbro if you dont need it, they're really loud
Does Honda still sell the fuel pump assembly?

t-town_ep

yea i have no need for a walboro, i know that the auto stores sell the full pump assembly, but they are not cheap!

I will also check that as well EF8DayDreamer.

t-town_ep

bump issue seems to have gotten slightly worse, it now starts to stall at a little under half a tank. anybody have anymore inputs? i really would like more feedback before i take the tank out again, thanks!

sumdewd

Mine actually got worse when the original sock fell off. The new sock works because it extends forward into the built in baffle inside of the tank, instead of going to the left or right like the ones they sell for our cars. When you install the new sock, make sure you get the little clip on the sock correctly or it'll just fall off again. I will try to find pictures later today if I have any, I believe I might!

Also, I didn't order mine from amazon. I ordered it online from advance auto. You just have to select 1988 CRX DX as your vehicle and it'll come up. Special order only, though.

t-town_ep

ok i will be sure to do that, because i ordered mine from advanced auto for a 91 civic. hopefully this will fix my issue because it really stucks! thanks a lot man.

incucivic

i have the exact same problem on my 88 DX. i replaced the tank, pump, and level sensor with no luck. i even tried running it without the "sock" on the pump and it still stalls when braking with 1/4 tank or less.

has anyone considered any other potential causes? even seemingly impossible stuff like maybe the EVAP system not venting the tank?

this is my 6th EF and its the first one thats ever done this. its also the first automatic, and im trying very hard to rule that out as part of the problem. i drop it into neutral whenever im stopping just to see if the problem persists and it still wants to stall.

sumdewd

The sock is needed in order for the pump to reach further along the bottom of the tank. The sock also puts the pump's fuel pickup closer into the baffle inside of the tank so it stops the fuel from sloshing around at the pickup, subsequently causing the stalling when stopping and turning etc. If you run without a sock, I guarantee that you will have problems. As I've stated in the thread, specifically the FS121 filter sock is the only one that has worked for me. Every other sock left me stalling at half a tank when turning and stopping. I bet most 4th gens have this problem due to the sock falling off or being replaced with the incorrect one.

incucivic, I doubt having an autotragic is the problem. If you suspect the EVAP lines, try running with the gas cap loosened. But give the new filter sock a shot if you're out of ideas.

JOE BD-0

+1

t-town_ep

I will be getting the filter sock tonight! hopefully it checks out to be just that!

pimpwagon

this is a case where the original honda parts will work best for sure. sumdewd is right on the money with this one. i had to mess with the hose length and sock direction with a cheap replacement fuel pump kit. so damn annoying!

t-town_ep

awesome, thanks for the input pimpwagon!

incucivic

yeah, i put the sock right back on after it didnt improve. im gonna order the one you listed and hopefully be done with this issue.

thanks.

tonylovesjdmEF9

i had this sort of problem before because i used a aftermarket oem fuelpump with the strainer and what happend was that the strainer fell off in the tank. the problem was since the gas was lower than the fuel pump and i didnt have the strainer the pump wouldnt pick up gas so i got a oem one and strainer made sure it staid on and no more problem

t-town_ep

yea im really need that oem style strainer, i hate how all these aftermarket parts are never the same as oem

James89DX

Wow. My buddy also has an '90 Si with the EXACT same problem. It has baffled us for 3-4 years now. His car will act as if it's run out of gas almost exactly at half a tank on the spot. The first time it happened a few years ago his car had half a tank of gas and it died and we couldn't get it to start back up. We tore that thing apart trying to fix it and finally begrudgingly ended up taking it to a Honda specialist who also couldn't get it started after a few days working on it. He finally added a bit of gas and then it started.

Since then we've checked/replaced the gas gauage, installed a new fuel pump, dropped the tank several times inspecting the inside of the tank and the baffle mechanism which all seems to be in perfect shape. We were just this weekend about to install a brand new fuel tank and fuel pump assembly as a last resort.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this thread. We'll order that sock and give it a try instead!

I sure hope this works. It really sucks for him not being able to go more than 175ish miles at a time in his car. Thank you for creating an account to post. We hadn't been able to find a similar situation to his in the past several years of Internet searching off and on and yet you have the exact same car and same situation.

HondaDread

Sumdewd is right on the money. My EF did the same thing. It was that sock and tube that the P.O. had installed. Got a used tube, put the new sock on, now 1/4 means 1/4 and not empty.

t-town_ep

^^^ thanks a lot for the response, hopefully this will help others in the future as well!

James89DX

Would just like to update this thread. We put that new Airtex sock on my buddies '90 Si today, put about an 1/8 gallon of gas in the tank and the car started right up and ran just fine. Previously, the car wouldn't even START let alone run with less than half a tank of gas.

Kudos to sumdewd!

sumdewd

Glad to hear it, James! My car's sitting in the middle of the red mark at 280 miles right now lol. By the way, if it EVER starts that problem again, the sock probably fell off. That happened when my dad and I forgot the tiny metal clip on the bottom.