ran out of gas ,and now the sc wont run

1990tbirdsc

Registered User
i just bought a 1990 sc auto from kevin peralz ..i dont know if anyone knows him but anyway ,,,, i ran it out of gas yesterday ...HOW STUPID AM I .... then the starter went out ...so i got a new starter ,,, and i kept cranking and cranking and it kept sputtering but didnt stay running ..so i let it sit and used a little starting fluid and it started for a second and kept backfireing and running reallly rough and deffinatly didnt sound to good ,,, i just got a new fuelfilter and thats not the problem ..and the fuel pump is working fine ,,its not the crank sensor because the shift light is off when i crank it over ,,,,,,,,,,,but i dont know what else to check or do ?... :confused:

it will not stay running ... it will sputter and bearly run for a second and backfire alot then die ...... HELP MEE ,,,
 
After 16 Yrs of gas in that tank... it may have had some build up at the bottom that possibly was ingested into the fuel line/injectors...

I would blow out your fuel line and check your injectors.
 
priming pump

Maybe you know about this already-----. When you run out of fuel, there is a slight process to go through to get the fuel back up to the fuel rails. When you turn the key on, the pump only runs about 1 sec. then shuts off. That is part of a safety feature. All it is supposed to do is re-pressurize the rails, providing you have fuel in the lines. If you have run out of fuel, the startup pump of ~ 1sec is not enough to pick up fuel, fill the lines and repressurize the rails. After you run out of fuel, you need to turn the key on and off, about 1 second on, the turn off. Repeat the procedure numerous times (10-15 or more if needed). The pump does not run continuously until it detects the engine is running (I think someone said ~400 rpm). It detects engine running from one of the ignition leeds. As stated, you could well have other problems, but this is a basic starting point.

YB
 
Ran Out Of Gas And Now The Sc Wont Run

starting tomarrow i am going to start breaking everything down and check the injectors ... its getting fuel through the filter because when i turn the key on fuel squirts out ... but obviously it not getting to the engine ....and it already has a new filter on it ,, i dont exactly know how to check the fuel pressure though before i take everything off ,, >??
 
Did you reset the circuit breaker on the fuel pump? It's in the trunk on the driver’s side. Whenever you run out of gas the breaker pops to keep it from pumping continuously with no gas.

Take a look at page 20-22 of the owner's manual attached.
 

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I don't think the car ran out of gas. Whatever happened when you thought it ran out of gas, is probably what's wrong with it now.

How long was this car sitting before you bought it ? How far did you drive it after buying the car before it quit running ? Were there any check engine lights ?

Check the balancer...shift light or not, because I think that's what is wrong.

David
 
I agree with David. It didn't run out of gas, it broke. The back fireing shows the crank sensor is still alive enough to give an errant signal once in a while. stop cranking it, and go get a new balancer.
Danny
 
yes it did run out of gas ........ the gas gauge was on empty ,,,, and no the fuel pump did not shut off becaue the red button is still down ,,,does anyone know what sisze injectors are in the sc ,,,, or what is a good upgrade ,,,
 
ALSO .... i dont think it could be the crank sensor because everyone is saying if the sensor is bad then it wont fire at all .... but it is fireing its just not staying running
 
Ok then. If the gas guage was on emty it must have been out of gas. And if you say it can't be the crank sensor because it back fires and won't stay running then I guess it couldn't be that either. Well then good luck, I can't think of anything else.
Danny:eek:
 
Do a fuel presure test at the fuel rail. There is a schrader valve on the fuel rail to hook up the presure tester. Just because it's getting fuel to the filter, doesn't mean the injectors are getting fuel. Also, the cam sensor could be bad. Unplug that and see if it will crank. It may to a few tries as the computer will be guessing which injector to fire. If it cranks then, you know you need a new cam sensor.
 
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inerta switch

The red switch in the trunk is the inertia switch and is designed to open the fuel pump circuit so that the fuel pump does not continue to pump fuel (could be going into the passenger compartment or under the car where it could ignite and burn your a~~ up!) in the event of a collision. That switch has nothing to do with the re-pressurizing of the fuel rails after running out of fuel. My suggestion to use the repressurize procedure was done because you indicated you were sure you ran out of gas. That is only a possible starting point. There have been other suggestions from some people whe know these cars. You should probably start with the easiest first and go from there until it runs correctly. LOL

YB
 
1990tbirdsc said:
yes it did run out of gas ........ the gas gauge was on empty ,,,, and no the fuel pump did not shut off becaue the red button is still down ,,,does anyone know what sisze injectors are in the sc ,,,, or what is a good upgrade ,,,

For an upgrade some have gone to the 42's..... but here's the caveat. You just can't throw in bigger injectors and expect things to run right. You either need to get a chip done or buy a C&L maff with the right size sampler tube on it.

Frit
 
Well did you figure out what is wrong? I know you said it couldn't be the balancer, but maybe you should just try to wiggle it just once for kicks. My gas guage sits on emty alot, and I have yet to run out of gas. Oh well, I got tired of waiting and thought I'd ask.
Danny
Oh wait, I just found the new thread you started so never mind.
 
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