Anyone know why this happens? When i bought the car (90 hatch), I could run through an entire tank no problem. Now, when I get to half a tank it sputters and dies everytime like clockwork. Fill it back up and it runs perfect until 1/2 tank again. Any ideas before I drop the tank? Any parts I should have on hand?

 

sounds like ur guage may be off! did u clock the milage and see if it uses the whole tank or actually dies at half a tank?

 

are filling up with about 8 gallons? if so your guage is no good.

 

wild guess, never had a fuel pump out on a crx/civic but have other cars. Could the filter sock be clogged on the bottom half of it? just wondering if it is the same as the cars i have done.

 

i had a 4-dr whos fuel gauage was off...i'd be on E at 1/4 tank...but if this is just starting i don't think it's the guage

 

I had the same problem. It turned out to be a bad gauge. I would check that before dropping the gas tank.

 

When I fill it up at the point it is dying, it only takes 5.5 to 6 gallons. I thought the tanks on these were close to 12 gallons???

 

It is most likely a bad fuel pump, or the sock fell off, like the other guy said. Since you have to drop the tank to check, you might as well replace the pump while your at it. Good Luck

 

The gauge must be good then. You should be able to check the fuel pressure at the fuel rail with a fuel pressure gauge. If it reads low then you have a bad fuel pump.

 

i would just drop the tank, and then change the screen atleast, but really i would change the pump, sending unit, and the fuel filter its self. I bet the pump is starting to go. Cause when you have less and less gas in the tank, it has to work harder to get the fuel to the rail

 

It's not the pump.

At least in the case of my friend's car it's not the pump.

Brand new pump installed - in fact, two brand new pumps installed. But without fail, at 1/2 a tank, the car won't run/start.

The gauge isn't wrong. I'll see if I can get him to chime in as well. We have yet to figure out what the problem is.

 

Here are the facts that I have figured out so far:

-It is NOT the fuel pump, I have tried two new ones.
-It is NOT a faulty gauge. I have drained the tank and measured. It is exactly when the car has 4 gallons left every time.
-The tank looks normal when removed and inspected. The car runs perfectly normal with no fuel type issues other than "running out" at 7 gallons used.
-The sock fits exactly where it was designed to fit.
-The tank is clean, with no sediment or debris.
-Gas mileage is not affected in any way.
-My car runs perfectly other than me having to fill up early.

It is a mystery. I have had the tank off 3 times, twice to switch out fuel pumps, once to inspect the inside of the tank. The next step is for me to get ahold of a gas tank that is known to work properly and see if it works on my car.

 

haha welcome to the club, my 90 hatch does that exact same thingg, it's frustrating and i'd love to know what the deal is. if you find anything out, let me know.

 

I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is. At least what makes the most (and only) sense.

Both of you guys need to replace your gas tanks with new ones, or thoroughly clean out the old ones (which is awfully hard to do).

I bet you guys have rust issues inside the tank that is present at the fuel bowl (baffle around the fuel pump).

The fuel bowl mounts to the bottom of the gas tank and goes up about 4-5". At the bottom of the bowl is a ~1" inlet port. The fuel bowl keeps gas stored for the fuel pump while you are driving around and the rest of the gas is sloshing inside the tank.

Well when you have a full tank, the tank can enter the bowl from the top. When it starts getting lower, it can still enter from the inlet port at the bottom of the bowl.

When your tank level drops below that of the top wall of the bowl, or the pressure above the inlet port is low (probably around half a tank for you guys), there is not enough pressure to push the gas into the inlet port because it is almost entirely clogged, if not completely.

That would explain why the issue is so consistent. An electrical issue or a fuel pump issue would not be so entirely consistent. Neither would a line or return issue.

I will post a picture of the fuel bowl if I have time to show you guys.

The only reason I thought of this is because I disassembled a gas tank last week and after seeing the way the fuel bowl is set up it makes complete sense! The inlet port at the bottom of the fuel bowl was almost completely clogged with rust.

I would buy a new tank rather than trying to clean your old one. They are relatively cheap on ebay even after shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com/88-89-90-91-CIVI...3A1%7C294%3A50

The fuel bowl I was messing with was so clogged that even with a screwdriver and compressed air it was a PITA to get clean. There is no way you will be able to thoroughly clean it out with the fuel bowl still inside the tank.

 

thats exactly what happened with my car, replaced the sock and it was fixed.

 

I had this same problem with a car i bought and thought it was the float, cluster, fuse block,

but i jack up the car and BAM there was a huge dent in the tank, replaced it and it was fixed

i put a gallon in to see if it would run out on E and it did.

filled it up and runs fine.

 

Good info.

 

I agree that it has to be a physical problem with the tank. Although some have issues with the fuel pump or sock or electrical problems the symptoms would be different.
-A bad fuel pump would not be so perfectly consistent and would get progressively worse. It would also be heard.
-A clogged sock would give trouble all of the time and would also get worse as time passes (not stay 100% consistent for over a year like mine)
-A straight electrical problem would be sporadic.

I inspected my tank on the inside when I had it off and it was clean BUT would not be able to see in the area that Jonathan is talking about. I am going to replace my tank soon when I replace my suspension and struts. If that cures the problem I will make a post.

 

guys im startin ta have the same issue with my 98 torneo,but only when im realy low or on a hill racing,dragging around town or even my normal driving its goin like a rocket though,pump is quiet,its consistantly crap on the hill but consistantly mint on the flat,weird!!!! if replacing the tank worked owt for you id luv to know for sure

 

I had another tank apart and I saw where the 1 inch inlet hole on the bottom of the baffle is. Hopefully I will get to drop my tank this weekend and see if that is the problem. It must be some pretty large debris in the tank to clog that hole though?!?

 

Just an update for anyone who has this problem. i dropped the tank this weekend, and pulled the pump. Sure enough, the sock/strainer had fallen off the bottom of the pump. I was able to fish it out of the tank and reattach it to the pump. Took it for a drive and everything works fine. Now sitting at about a 1/4 tank and still running fine.