My friend's Focus ran out of gas yesterday. She put about two gallons of gas in the take but the car won't start. It acts like it wants to start but won't. I have read that these cars have fuel pumps that have a tendency to die at the drop of a hat. Could it be that the fuel pump died after running out of gas? Thanks for your help!
Michael
You don't give the year, but early model Focuses did have some fuel pump problems, although this often manifested itself as stalling rather than completely dying. My guess is that this one is weak and getting air in it may have been the "straw that broke the camel's back". Chances are if your friend goes to a dealer, he/she will find that Ford's 10-year warrantee extension applies.
It's a 2001.
Michael
In message , mykul snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote
Or could all the crud in the bottom of the tank now be distributed around the rest of the fuel system?
Fuel pump warranty applies to 2001 as well.
Ron
"Alan" wrote
That's a good point. It may be plugging up the filter.
My guess is the pump overheated- since it has no return line, the pump must remain immersed in order to cool itself, unlike typical fuel injection systems that recycle the unused fuel from the fuel rail back to the tank. This is why the manual so strongly recommends against running out, and the low fuel warning light and 'E' indication on the gauge occur with a couple of gallons remaining in the tank.
Hopefully you'll get it replaced free under the 10-year extended fuel pump warranty...
In the passenger footwell there is a switch that resets the fuel pump after the car has been in an accident. No promises but try pushing that button after running out of gas.
F*cking funny Most cars won't start when they're out of gas.
The first thing I tried was the fuel reset switch but that didn't work. I had my friend call the local Ford dealer and tell them what was going on with the car. The dealership said the fuel pump was covered by the warranty so they are going to replace it. Thanks for every ones help.
Michael
I've heard that some electric fuel pumps(since they are in the tank) can become crapped out when you run the tank dry. Emptying the tank allows all the sediment to hit the pump at once. You can imagine now what the problem could be.
Now I would check for a blown fuse if having any problems first.
later,
tom @
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