Four of the most common causes of a car not starting after running out of gas are normally related to a damaged fuel pump, clogged fuel injectors, a fuel filter that needs to be cleaned, or an engine that needs to be primed for gas.
Whatever the case may be, if priming the gas does not work, you may need to contact a mechanic to identify the source of the problem. Nonetheless, here’s a brief description of how each issue works.
Contents
Damaged Fuel Pump
Running out of gas will not only keep you from reaching your destination on time but also wreak havoc and cause unnecessary damage to critical components in your vehicle.
Specifically, when a driver makes a habit of running out of gas or driving with the fuel level too low,
Unfortunately, when this happens, the fuel pump will eventually fail and the car will not start. This is normally because the fuel pump can be easily weakened and damaged when it is overworked.
Clogged Fuel Injectors
The fuel filters’ primary function is to keep sediment, scum, dirt, and debris from clogging the fuel injectors. And most of the time, this process works fine with no unnecessary issues.
However, when the car runs out of gas, the sediments from the bottom of the gas tank can easily get sucked into fuel injectors and cause them to clog.
The fuel Filter Needs to be Cleaned
Another common problem that car owners may encounter after running out of gas is dirty fuel filters that need to be cleaned. Just like the fuel injectors may stop working after they are clogged, dirty fuel filters can also prevent start-up.
In either case, the fuel filters need to be thoroughly cleaned before trying to start the car.
The engine needs to be Primed for gas
After the driver refills the tank with fuel, everyone expects the car to start again right away. However, sometimes this is not always the way things work out.
Instead, you may need to prime your fuel pump. This is because priming the fuel pump helps to remove the clogs from the engine.
Does the car need to be restarted after shutting off due to a lack of gas?
The answer is yes. However, before you try to restart your vehicle, you need to refill the tank with fuel first. As a general rule of thumb, it only takes a couple of gallons of gas ]to refuel your vehicle before you try it. After which, you need to go to the nearest gas station to fill it up.
How to fix this problem and costs
Damaged Fuel Pump
To fix a damaged fuel pump, you need to know what type of fuel pump that has been installed. This is because cars that have manual fuel pumps may be repaired to fix the damage that has been done.
On the other hand, a new fuel pump will need to be installed if it is an electric fuel pump. Therefore, the cost can vary from one repair job to another. Here is what you can expect
- $220 to $1062 to replace an electric fuel pump
- $400 to $600 to repair a manual fuel pump.
Clogged Fuel Injectors
To repair a clogged fuel injector, a concentrated cleaning job must be done by a mechanic that is qualified. The cost of these repairs can also vary greatly from approximately $20 to $1000. The large variances between the two are normally due to the method used.
The fuel Filter Needs to be Cleaned
If the fuel filter is the problem, it normally means that the filter needs to be removed and replaced with a new one. The cost of these services can vary from about $50 to $175 for most of the cars in today’s industry.
The engine needs to be Primed for gas
As mentioned above, if the car will not start after running out of gas, there is another fix that can be performed. In some cases, the reason may be due to the car needing to be primed. The cost of this method is 0 to nothing in cost. Yet, it may take us a little bit more time.
Conclusion
Keeping your car fuel property is not a luxury for people who have funds to fill up today. Instead, putting fuel in the car can help to save you from damaging the components in your vehicle.
Some of the most common problems that car owners may experience are a car with a bad fuel pump, clogged fuel injectors, and a fuel filter that needs to be replaced.,.
