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Ran out of Gas. Put Gas.  Now it wont Start. Driving me NUTZ! Forums > > Ran out of Gas. Put Gas.  Now it wont Start. Driving me NUTZ! Ran out of Gas. Put Gas. Now it wont Start. Driving me NUTZ!
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  #1  
Old 03-21-2010, 06:08 PM
DarkEarth50
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Default Ran out of Gas. Put Gas. Now it wont Start. Driving me NUTZ!

In my best Princess Leia voice. Please Help me! 2005 LE Crew Cab.

Ran out of gas the other night (on my way to the gas station). When I put 4 gallons of fresh fuel my truck now will not run.

I can hear a whoosh sound from the fuel pump when the ignition key is turned. I lasts about 2 seconds then goes quiet. There may be a very faint hum that is constant when the key is forward also.

All the fuses checked out. And spark is happening at the sparkplugs.

I cannot for the life of me locate the Fuel Pump Relay. I see the relays, but no chart. No charts online that I could find either. Just random relays everywhere and no reference to check/test them.

Please help this is my work truck and tomorrows Monday! Im pulling the tank tomorrow and im gonna try to test the pump somehow. Id really hate to order a pump only to find it was some fuseable link (which I cannot locate a chart for either), or something more simple.

I opened what I thought was the service port for the fuel bar and pressed the valve while a good sumaritan tried to start the truck but its as dry as a bone. I unplugged some line from the fuel tank (the one with the pinch clip) and turned the ignition on... bone dry.

I need a point in the right direction as im short on money and my truck is what earns that money for me.

Thanks for any help.
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  #2  
Old 03-21-2010, 07:19 PM
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Quote:
I can hear a whoosh sound from the fuel pump when the ignition key is turned. I lasts about 2 seconds then goes quiet. There may be a very faint hum that is constant when the key is forward also.
It's normal. The pump works for about 2 seconds to build pressure and if the engine doesn't start it will turn off. If you heard the pump making noise, most likely the relay is not the problem.

I checked the service manual and there is no information on what to do in case it runs out of gas. I never had to do anything after the engine runs out of gas. Usually you just add fuel and crank engine until the system built pressure.
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  #3  
Old 03-21-2010, 11:20 PM
xterramexico05 xterramexico05 is offline
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Default long shot...

its not a good idea to run the tank dry.... fuel pump needs the fuel around it for lubrication...... something is wrong... you can try :

turn the key to on position without starting engine for a couple of seconds... then turn to off position then to on position..... this will fill the fuel line with fuel... do it 3 to 4 times...

you might have some junk clogging the fuel line in the tank....

good luck... keep us posted......
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Old 03-22-2010, 03:53 AM
DarkEarth50
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Default Thanks for the responses.

Thanks guys. Ill be dropping the tank today and trying to get this thing figured out.

If anybody else has any tips for this problem please chime in, any help would be greatly appreciated.
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  #5  
Old 03-22-2010, 03:54 AM
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My guess is that the service port you opened was to the evap test port.Running the tank dry is not a good thing to do.Any remaining fluid that remains is water and trash and that may pose a problem.If you can hear the pump running it should start after a few repeated attemps,if not you may have to remove the fuel line at the fuel rail and check for proper fuel pressure.
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Old 03-22-2010, 01:14 PM
DarkEarth50
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Tech22 It was the service port for the evap. I guess the fuel line was that thing that I couldnt get off without the special tool.

Today I went to the truck by the side of the road and disconnected three things from the tank.

*The hose that goes to the gas cap(filler hose).

*The hose that you pinch to remove (its plastic coming out of the tank, and steel going up toward the front of the truck).

*And the half inch looking hose that removes with that zipper clip (i believe this one to be the output side of the pump).

Then, I turned the ignition on waiting to see fuel spraying all over the place from the pump. Bone dry. Pump makes noise, but bone dry.


So i believe the pump is getting signal and power. But there could be something wrong with the pump itself. Any suggestions?

Im yanking the whole tank down tomorrow (needed a breaker bar for the strap bolts, now I have one). And possibly taking the fuel pump to a trusted mechanic for a look over.

I found the pump for sale for 260. at Courtesy. And my local dealer (including the one I bought the truck from) refused to price match.

Which is typical with the customer service ive gotten the whole time ive owned this thing what a bummer i love the truck. But ive got some nightmare CS stories about it. Broken window motors, engine ping, with zero service while in warranty. Just turned away every single time. Now its dead on the side of the road my only help has come from here so thanks guys.

I have to add some deductive reasoning I came up with. Please correct if im wrong. Being it that my fuel guage on my dashboard works (it went up when I poured gas in the tank, and still shows a quarter tank). Given this, is it safe for me to assume that the fuses and relays are functioning correctly by sending and receiving signals to the fuel pump? And that its most likely the pump mechanism itself that is not working?

Could it be anything else? like a computer, or a timing sensor issue? Do those things die when fuel runs out?

Last edited by DarkEarth50; 03-22-2010 at 05:04 PM.
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  #7  
Old 03-23-2010, 02:30 PM
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I dropped my 05 tank and replaced the sender (which essentially simulates running out of fuel since you have to disconnect the lines) - no problems with pumping fuel once it went back up.

You may not be covering the inlet of the pump with enough fuel so it will prime. You don't say what the horizontal position of the truck is but it should be "rear low" for best pump pick up performance.
jlg
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  #8  
Old 03-23-2010, 04:54 PM
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Default ran out of gas?

before you drop the tank (lots of work and heavy). Disconnect the fuel line at the injector manifold to see if you have flow (volume) and if you have a pressure gauge, measure the pressure. To disconnect the line, you need a common service tool that separates the fitting and it should be available at a good auto store (not chain brands).

Your truck does not have a conventional fuel filter so it is possible that the pump sucked up some debris and plugged the screen.

My first question would be "did you really run out of gas" or did something else happen.

Also, per the other comments, it is never good to run low or out of gas. It is very hard on the pump. The reason is that when the pump is immersed in the fuel, the fuel acts as a cooling medium and keeps the pump from over heating.
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  #9  
Old 03-23-2010, 04:56 PM
DarkEarth50
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RKM Read bottom paragraph plz.

K im back with even more knowledge now that i've dropped the tank and pulled the pump.

Jesus this thing looks brand new, I also think it rediculous that they say you have to replace the whole thing when you can clearly see that the motor for the pump is an easily removable unit. It even has a quick connect electrical harness. (not the one outside the tank, but actually on the motor itself).

Does anybody make an aftermarket replacement motor for the fuel pump assembly??? I DAMN Nissan for making people "buy the whole unit" at 370. retail.

So before I order a new Fuel Pump. I realized today I need to do some further testing.

- I need an easy test for "spark" can anyone help?
- Also I want to test fuel flow to the injector bar.

On the second point, Am I correct that I need to use that "fuel line tool" to remove where the hard line reaches the fuel bar towards the front of the engine? Some guy told me Advance Auto sells the tool for like 3 bucks.

Im going to make damn sure its the fuel pump, Then im gonna order one from Courtesy.

Thanks for the help guys. Cant wait to post up the resolution to this problem.


In response to the above post, the tank is nearly half full and the pump assembly is in the middle of the tank. I see your point, but its definitely not happening in this case. Truck is on pretty level ground (otherwise I would not have jacked it up,crawled under it and wrestled the tank out lol).


RKM, i just missed your post by SECONDS!. You actually answered one of my questions (regarding the fuel line tool). So thanks. In all the confusion I've actually asked myself your question "did I actually run out of gas?" . Please tell me in your opinion what else it may have possibly been? It was way low (almost to where I was expecting to run out, i was on my way to get gas). When it sputtered and shut down. When I tried to restart it, it seemed to idle super rough, sounded like one cylinder for about 5 seconds. Then nothing, lots of cranking and no more starts, sputters, nothing. Now im at this point. Please help man! haha.

Last edited by DarkEarth50; 03-23-2010 at 05:08 PM.
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  #10  
Old 03-23-2010, 05:11 PM
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rkmengineering rkmengineering is offline
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I have a very simple philosophy. go with the cheapist and easiest plan first.


the fuel line tool that you will need is a plastic or metal split ring collar that goes around the fuel line. What it does is to "gently" expand a coil spring to move it out of the way of the locking collar. The "cheap" tools typically do not have the strengh or bevel edge for them to work properly, and if you break the connection it will be $$$$. You may also need to buy the locking clip that is th safety for the fitting. It may break when you try to remove it. If you try the 3 buck Chuck version, be carreful and do not force it.

Also, if you do not have the CD service manual, It has the correct procedures and most importantly, the safety warnings. I suggest that you buy one. They are not expensive and will save you a lot of time and frustration.
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  #11  
Old 03-23-2010, 05:37 PM
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rkmengineering rkmengineering is offline
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Sorry to hear that you already dropped your tank.

Do you have access to an OBDII code reader? If you do, plug it in and see if any error codes that ar not emission or fuel related. I assume that you disconnected the battery before you removed the tank. (a good safety practice) and you may have to re-attach the cable. Make sure that you remove the fuse to the fuel pump otherwise, it will energize the pump wires and possibly spark. (not good with an open fuel source).

If it comes back with errors, use this site to find out what they are.
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Old 03-23-2010, 10:34 PM
DarkEarth50
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I've definitely been taking the "check the cheapest thing first" approach thats why I havent ordered the darn fuel pump first. Im afraid to order one until I can completely rule out the other stuff.

OBD 2 was done about 5mins. after she went down (I happened to have one in the car). No codes with the ignition turned forward and dashboard lit up. Some guy told me it doesnt read codes without the engine running though so Im not sure I got a good reading. Even though the scanner clearly stated "No Codes".

Tomorrow, I plan on putting everything back together (pump,tank and all connections) fresh charged battery also and doing a spark test at the spark plug (still need to figure out the easiest way to do this).

Im also going to disconnect the fuel line at the injector bar test that we're discussing.

If it passes Spark, and shows bone dry on the bar. I'll order a fuel pump.

Dropping the tank and all associated fittings was actually pretty easy for me, having the right tools and helping a friend do his ford explorer last summer really helped in the confidence dept.

I've been follow very strict safety standards concerning the Batt/Gas/Fuse combo. I've got enough bad luck, no room for dumb luck.



Just sold one of my beloved firearm barrels I was saving for a custom build (400.) to fund this folley I fell into.


Thank you so much for the input. You guys are truly all i've got as far as getting this thing sorted out on my own. If I end up putting a new fuel pump in it and it STILL doesnt start, I have a well referred and trusted mechanic about a mile away that i'll give up and turn the truck over to.
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  #13  
Old 03-24-2010, 04:21 AM
CHALLENGER
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you don't have to put it back together for a spark test.connect an extra plug to one of your plug wires and ground the plug to the engine block, bracket, ect. have someone crank it over and watch plug contacts for blue spark.don't touch plug while cranking or it could lite your fire
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Old 03-24-2010, 12:09 PM
bobflood bobflood is offline
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I usually pull a plug wire, stick a Phillips screwdriver into the boot and hold it next to the engine, then look for the blue spark to jump to engine while someone else cranks it. Agree completely with comment not to touch the metal - you will not enjoy it!
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  #15  
Old 03-24-2010, 12:26 PM
CHALLENGER
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I have just sprayed chemtol b12 into a vaccum line on throttle body it should try to fire up if you have spark.I have actually driven vehicles into the garage spraying into a vaccum line.
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