2000 Toyota corolla. Ran it out of gas and now it won't start. How do I tell if it's the fuel filter or the fuel pump?
5 Answers
May be neither. It is true that if you run out of gas, the pump could fail, the gas is the coolant. But this is not a given, you can run out of gas and not automatically burn up pump on a single occasion. But if you habitually drive the car very low, than that is evidence, but not proof the fuel pump has gone bad. What the car needs is a fuel pressure test on the injector rail. If you want to do this yourself, get a fuel pressure gauge from an auto parts store Some of the just might rent or loan one. There is a schrader valve on the fuel rail that looks just like a tire valve stem. The pressure should be 40 +/-5 psi. But lets's back up a bit, does it turn over and not 'catch' or not turn over? And in my Corolla you can not hear the pump. Just because you don't hear the fuel pump does not mean it's bad. Many cars the pump can he heard running under normal conditions.
Disconnect the Neg- battery cable for about 10 minutes, this allows the capacitors to drain, re-connect and see what happens. This is a long-shot, but no harm trying, In the Corolla you don't have to be concerned with radio codes. Clock and pre-sets only
One more question - does the little red LED light on the dash stop blinking wen you put key in? You don't even have to turn the key, just insert key in ignition switch, it should stop blinking
I will check that stuff out tomorrow. It turns over but doesn't catch. I'll let you know on the rest tomorrow. Thanks sooooo much for your help.
I - or better put we, the guys here are willing to help anytime... please do not hesitate to come back with any questions.... and updates on your car. I will look for your response. And no offense when I say 'guys' I mean the women also