01 Chevy Malibu won't start after running out of gas...

Asked by Reba Aug 18, 2016 at 12:20 PM about the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I ran out of gas and now car won't start, I
put 1/4 tank gas in and still won't start, I
can hear the humming of fuel pump, I
originally thought the fuel relay but that's
not the case. What else could it be?

2 Answers

40

Try hitting your gas pedal be for attempting too start it only do it once or twice dont flood it but that worked on my car

40

Same thing happened with my wife's '00, but instead of calling me at work, she cranked it over and over until she killed the battery (like 30min!). The thing hasn't been the same since. Literally takes 2-4 long, hard tries to start it now with a new battery (it's downright embarrassing, especially when we try to drive somewhere with friends. They always joke, I'll drive since we're in a hurry ). Hard starts aren't new either, she already had the starter replaced after having trouble starting it for a few years now (not 4 tries like she has to do now, but it rarely ever started the first time). I know I'm rambling, but the worst is when she gets gas, it always stalls afterwards and takes even longer to get restarted Anyway, the no start after running out of gas was caused by getting junk and debris clogged in her fuel filter. When you run out of gas with a fuel injected car, it's likely to happen as a lot of gunk and debris can accumulate in your tank.

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