I have looked up many other threads but have t found anything quite the same as the issues I am experiencing. I recently dropped the gas tank out of my car and put it back in just fine. I have done this two times before so I doubt that is the problem but I'm keeping my possibilities open. After putting the tank back in, I drove about ten miles to work with no problem. Then on the way home I started having these issues. About 7 of the ten miles home the car started to sputter and I lost all power in the engine. Under any attempted acceleration it seemed to strangle the engine even more and it almost dies. I pulled over, shut the car off and then turned it back on and was able to drive home but I noticed a few things. When the engine went over 3000 rpm I lost all power again and it would it accelerate. If I went back under it was fine for a while. I went around the block, so maybe a total of 5 miles since I had turned it off and it went so low I could not accelerate under any rpm limit. I shut it off and turned it back on and it drove up to the house with no problem. Ever since it seems like I can take shorter and shorter trips with it. I can barely go a mile without this happening. And every time turning it off and back on temporarily fixes the problem. The engine sat an idled for a half hour with no problem, it only seems to do it when there is a load on the engine. I am kind of stumped. Does anyone know what could be causing this? Thank you
I thought it sounded like fuel pressure too but I just replaced the fuel pump a few months ago. Could it be problems with the in-line filter because I did not replace that?
Is it a 4 or V6? I ask because the V6 is much easier to check for low fuel pressure, the 4 cylinder doesn't have a schrader valve and requires you to make a tee to put the gauge inline.
It is a v6, how do I check that and where? Do I just need to buy the right gauge and it will tell me? And I just got the inline fuel filter out, it is quite dirty and the gas that goes in comes out brown and does not flow through well at all. I will be buying a new one of those soon and see how that helps.
change the fuel filter first. On the V6, there is a port for a fuel gauge. It is located at the front of the engine, almost at the centerline of the block. You will see a cap on a Schrader vale on the fuel rail. It's not the easiest thing to describe the location, maybe someone will post up a pic but it sounds like you certainly need to change the fuel filter first.
Ok, I will be changing that when I get the part tomorrow probably. I did find the valve you described too so I will check the pressure after the filter is back in.
And I just got the inline fuel filter out, it is quite dirty and the gas that goes in comes out brown and does not flow through well at all. I will be buying a new one of those soon and see how that helps.
I think you mentioned having the tank dropped a few times, was your tank rusty inside? Brown gas or flakes and stuff in it? I had a tank that plugged a filter every few months, eventually I replaced the tank. Thats probably rare though.
The first time I dropped the tank it was quite dirty since the car had been sitting for 12 years. I cleaned and flushed it and it was fine. After dropping it last time there were only some rust flakes in the tank which I imagine came from the return line considering the tank was cleaned. Those pieces wouldn't fit through the original in tank filter though so I doubt that is the problem. The inline filter has not been replaced in I don't know how long, maybe never, so I will replace that and if I have the problem again with the filter clogged then I will have to look into that.
