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2002 Saturn SL2

Question: runs out of fuel when the tank isn't empty

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Thistle, Belton, MO, April 04, 2011, 15:31
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 Rookie

After I fill my tank, I drive approximately 115 miles, and the car dies exactly as if it ran out of gas. After turning off the car and letting it sit for a moment, I could turn it back on (no problem) then drove for about 100 yards before running out of gas again. I was able to repeat this until I reached a gas station. When I filled the tank, it took only 3.7 gallons to fill, so it definitely wasn't empty. I've had this happen three times now, so it's not bad gas, water in the tank, a malfunctioning fuel gauge, or cold weather. Please help!

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  • Answer #1

    Sci-Tech (see my shops), April 06, 2011, 14:32
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     Technician

    The assumption that you are making is that the cause of the dying is lack of fuel; and while that is a likely possibility. Other possibilities are loss of spark, loss of injector signal or some other power loss. To eliminate the fuel issue, a fuel pressure gauge will be required. Check to see to fuel pressure is going away when the car is dying. If not, then check for injector signal. This will require a test light and a helper to crank the engine while check the ground side of the injector harness for signal. As you can see, there will be some specialized tools and knowledge to resolve this issue. I suggest you use this website to find a shop to check this out for you.

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