Ran out of fuel and now sometimes doesnt start...
 

We put a new (used) fuel sender in the car and it apparently doesnt read exactly like the old one and the kid ran out of gas. Even after getting it towed and filled, it wouldnt start so we primed the fuel system and it started; easy peasy.

Next day it started and he went to work. Then in the afternoon he went to get a haircut and it wouldnt start afterwards. I went up there, primed it again it again and it started.

Any ideas? It has a Walbro (to support the Tii conversion) and we replaced the fuel filter several years ago. He said that when it ran out of gas he tried to get it to start in bursts for 3 or 4 minutes total.

Couple of thoughts here. If he ran the tank dry, and that fuel filter is already a few years old, it wouldn't hurt to replace the filter. Whatever crud that was at the bottom of the tank is likely in the filter now, clogging it up.

Another possibility to consider is that when you guys did the work to change out the fuel sender, it's possible the fuel pump wiring may have been bumped, damaged or distrurbed enough to result in the intermittent hard starts. 20+ year old wiring is likely pretty brittle & corroded as-is, so you might want to take a look at the integrity of the wiring & connectors and check our the fuel pump circuit per the FSM.

Cool, Pete. Thx!

I agree with Pete that it could be an electrical issue. I had a similar issue (although not exactly the same) and it turned out to be the ground wire going out of the tank.

The ground wire coming out of the tank is the ground for the pump, sender, and sensor for the idiot light. Once I cleaned and tightened the pins in the bulkhead connector my fuel pump worked perfectly and my fuel gauge was more accurate.

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Ditch the whinebro and put a denso in. Walbro's have a habit of of just dying. Running them dry won't help thier lifespan either.

Something else to consider is - was there any boost present when the tank ran dry? That could easily kill an engine.

Third, I have to disagree with the crude in the bottom of the tank theory. Crud is going to sink, so regardless if the tank is full or empty, it's always going to be at the bottom of the tank. Also, any larger chunks wouln't be able to get through the pre-filter anyway

True that the heavier, larger particle size crud will sink to the bottom and won't get past the pump's prefilter. But since the pickup is located at the lowest point in the tank, why would any rust particulates suspended in the fuel - the small stuff that can pass the pre-filter easily and give the fuel a rusty color - not make it to the main filter?

That's assuming that the tank is rusting out. If the car was driven regularly (especially if running premix) the tank generally doesn't rust out. It's when they sit that they get the rusty varnishy fuel. But like I said, if you're running it regularly, then you're basically flushing the tank once a week and the fuel doesn't get to that point. Not to mention, if it's suspended in the fuel, it's suspended throughout the level of the tank, not just at the top or the bottom. Water on the other hand..... especially thanks to ethanol, if it sits, will seperate and head straight to the bottom. HUGE problem in the marine industry.