As I said, stopped on the side of the road today to help several elderly ladies out.

Well they said they believed they had run out of gas (fuel injected car). By the time I had arrived, they had already had been to the gas station, brought it back, and put some in the car.
I knew that running a fuel injected car out of gas is "not good". But I didn't know how to rectify the situation. What should I have done (just trying to get my learn on)?

I offered my cell. One of the ladies called her cousin with a flat bed trailer. So, at least she wasn't stranded.

 

You probably did all that could be done without parts. Electric fuel pumps will often overheat and die when run out of fuel. Most newer cars have low fuel lights. If it was not on, the pump, or a relay, or the ignition, or computer, or a bunch of other things could have died and running out of gas was not the problem.

Without something to check trouble codes and a manual to troubleshoot with, roadside repairs that don't yield to the eyeball test can be difficult on newer stuff. They don't break down as often as older stuff did, but can be harder/more expensive to fix. Progress?

 

Hey here's a for you for stopping. I always try to stop for people if I can but hardly anybody stops for me when I need it. In today's society it's hard to find people that are willing to help others out

 

Its a come around go around thang

 

to you for at least stopping!!! way to be...

 

Congrats for stopping... here's a thought?

You didn't say what kind of car... Someone already mentioned fuel pumps burning out when they lose the cooling & lubrication that they get from the gas. But there's another posibility, not as bad. I had an '89 Saab, and the way the fuel pump was located, it scavenged the fuel from the bottom of the tank as long as it kept itself primed. But if you run it dry, the engine quits. When the ECU sees the tach signal disappear, it shuts off the fuel pump. You're thinking - OK, right? Well, the way the fuel pump was located, it needed a lot more than 5 gallons to get it primed again. Especially if it's tilted sideways, from being on the shoulder. Maybe they just needed MORE gas.