Help, car ran out of gas

[braindeadracefan]

My buddy's new 97 Firebird ran out of gas (he just picked it up today, lol) and he put in 1/4 tank and it still won't start. I know that running out of gas can kill the fuel pump, but we're hoping that's not it. Is there anything else that needs to be done?

[MN6WS6]

It might have blown the fuse, so you might want to check all the fuses. Also, sometimes it's not just the fuel pump that fails, but the wiring can burn too. It would not shock me if the first thing your buddy does is a fuel pump swap. I say it as if he'll do it because once he gets an estimate from the dealer, he will become a fuel pump replacement specialist REAL quick, cause the dealer is in excess of $500 to do one (usually closer to the $700-$1000 range).

BTW, 1/4 tank is the MINIMUM for most GM cars, because the fuel pump uses the fuel as coolant, and it needs 1/4 tank or more to keep the pump submerged and cool.

[Ken(Bone Breakin Chevy)]

and if he has to do the swap, please find the tutorial on how to do it from the trunk, cus let me tell you, that i did mine by droping the rear end, the exhaust and the tank. It was a PITA!!!! Then one of the hoses fell off and i said forget that and cut the hole. It literally took an hour that way.

[Rob B (shoebox)]

If you suspect the pump, check the pressure with a test gauge.

[MN6WS6]

Well, I did mine the so called "hard way" out the bottom and it only took 3 hours, and I had never done it before. The hardest part is getting the filler neck out, but once you get over the fact that you have to bend it to get it out and bend it to get it in, then it's not that bad. Still, 3 hours of hard work though without a lift.

And no offense to anybody, but cutting a big friggin' hole in your car to do a fuel pump just doesn't seem right, especially if your car is rare like mine is. Now a cookie cutter car I could see, but I'm not one to hack a hole in something when you could spend a little more time and do it the way it ought to be done.

[SteveH95Formula]

The hole would be under the carpet where no one expcept you would know it was there unless they looked under the carpet themselves. No big deal though ether way.

[Red20170]

no offense to anybody

None taken The biggest thing is your clean up. I made a trap door with a lock and rivited hinges on it. It looks silly to leave a big hole there. Not to mention the safety issues.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Well, I did mine the so called "hard way" out the bottom and it only took 3 hours, and I had never done it before. The hardest part is getting the filler neck out, but once you get over the fact that you have to bend it to get it out and bend it to get it in, then it's not that bad. Still, 3 hours of hard work though without a lift.

And no offense to anybody, but cutting a big friggin' hole in your car to do a fuel pump just doesn't seem right, especially if your car is rare like mine is. Now a cookie cutter car I could see, but I'm not one to hack a hole in something when you could spend a little more time and do it the way it ought to be done.

You have a good point about not cutting a hole in one of the rarer cars if it's otherwise stock or can be returned to stock, but that has got to be about the only time it makes sense to do it the hard way.

[EquatorHeat00]

I've run out of gas about 5 times, and always filling up the tank when theres no more then 1 gallon left in the tank everytime for 6 years now. Still have the original fuel pump I believe since I have never replaced it since 1999 when I bought the car.

[MN6WS6]

Rick, you are one of the lucky ones. I'm not saying that they fail every time you let the gas get low, but they last longer when you operate the car as it should be operated. My van, for instance, was owned by a rental company for a short time, then by a portable X-Ray company. They had the policy that "1/4 tank = empty" and you were required to fill up then. The factory fuel pump in my van died at 269,401, which is when I bought it because the dealership wanted almost $1,000 to do the job. I did it in the front yard in 1.5 hours by myself, and it does require dropping the tank (no way around that one, you'd have to remove 3 rows of seats, side panels, and all the rear carpeting, not to mention cutting the hole, and it would take you twice as long to do that than it would to just drop it from underneath in the first place).

The fuel pump needs fuel to stay cool. Some last a long time when run dry, some don't, it just varies like that. But for the most part, the fuel pumps last significantly less time when run dry repeatedly.