haha please don't be mean in your responses. I tried doing a search on HT and google but the troubleshooting doesnt match my situation in its entirity.

recently when my gas runs low, a notch or two above the last line, my car doesnt start. it turns and tries to catch but fails to do so. this happened twice so far. i read that the fuel filter is located in the gas tank so im thinking maybe its sediment or something like that in my fuel? i tried additional times to make it catch, and the first time this happened, i was in the process of calling triple A to get it towed when it caught and everything was good.

second time it happened, i just left it overnight and next day it worked again. im thinking maybe the sediments in my fuel clog the fuel filter, and then when i just leave it it settles down so it can catch?

im thinking of letting it run low again, then getting a siphon and taking out the last bit of gas, and filling it w/ new clean gas. pros cons? thanks in advance even if its to just let me know how retarded this idea is.

 

Has there been any damage to the bottom of the tank, like runnig over a parking lot curb stone?

P

 

hm.. i mean my car is lowered. so it does thunk a bit over speed bumps. why do you ask my friend?

 

b2k had a song that was titled, bump bump bump

 

because if your tank is dented the pickup might be damaged or the sump flattened

 

It is possible that a rubber hose in the tank connecting the pump to the fuel line is cracked and sucking in air once it is no longer under water, or fuel in your case. Also, fuel is a natural cooler for the fuel pump, once the pump is no longer submerged in water, or fuel in your case, it will heat up and stop producing good water pressure, or fuel pressure in your case.

Did I mention that you may also have water in your tank.

A good shop with an oscilloscope and an Amp Clamp can see your brushes & armature connectivity, they can see the RPM of the pump then do a little math to figure out its speed and how many Amps it is drawing. If you go for a diagnosis, do it while low on fuel, carry a 5 gallon container of fuel, after the first test, add fuel to the tank, then run a second test allowing the pump to cool down a bit.

 

It may have displaced the fuel pick-up upward even more so than the tank bottom.* (I've seen some pushed over 2.5" off the bottom of the tank's sump)
Sitting that high would uncover the pickup when the fuel lowered to the range of about 3/8ths of a tank, and it would loose pressure.

P

*The tank bottom will sometimes partially spring back from the original hit, making it look less severe.

 

listen to duane I think he's on to something

 

your fuel gauge could also be off, my 94 coupe also did this problem, replaced the sender and it read empty...