Miata Mailing List: November 1998, Message #1304

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 "I wouldn't think this would be a problem on a newer car like the '95 where there really hasn't been enough time to build up any crud. "

This happens even to newer cars if they happen to sit on a dealers lot for a few months. My dad had first hand experience with a Honda Prelude

Francois

>>> "Nathan Ramsey" <nramsey@hevanet.com> 11/16/98 12:26AM >>>
The problem with running out of gas is that while your pump is sucking the
gas out of the bottom of the tank, it can also be sucking up any corrosion
that tends to settle to the bottom.  I wouldn't think this would be a
problem on a newer car like the '95 where there really hasn't been enough
time to build up any crud.  If this HAS occurred, you may simply have a
clogged fuel filter, clogged injector, or possibly a damaged fuel pump.  One
of the guys I work with recently had a problem like this on his '87 Maxima.
In his case, he added fuel system cleaner (like techron, or STP or
something) to the gas.  What happened is that over the years crud built up
all along the fuel system.  When he added the cleaner, all this stuff came
off in chunks and got trapped by the fuel filter and injectors effectively
strangling the fuel supply.
This may not be the case in your situation but maybe something to check out.


Hope this helps!

Nathan Ramsey
'91 silver base
Portland, OR
OR tags "PSN 4RD"
-----Original Message-----
From: Matthew Brock <mbrock@bu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <miata@realbig.com>
Date: Sunday, November 15, 1998 7:05 PM
Subject: Help!! I think I hurt my baby!


>If anyone can help me out here, or give me some info, I'd REALLY
>appreciate it.  Basically, my car was running fine until last night when
>I made the mistake of running out of gas.  It's actually the second
>damned time that's happend in a month -- I'm just so used to the idiot
>lights on modern cars that I don't bother to glance at the left side of
>the instrument cluster until it's too late!
>
>The problems started while my car was in the midst of almost running out
>of gas.  The exhaust note was noticably pronounced on the low end, once
>I got the revs up it cleared up a bit.  It doesn't really even make any
>noise unless I stomp on the gas.  It feels REALLY sluggish now, and VERY
>uneven.  Within a 10 second period it will go from sounding perfectly
>fine, to sounding like it's being choked to death.  When driving at
>speed, the power surges on and off, even though my foot is constant on
>the pedal.  I have no acceleration any more, and even when idling the
>RPMs alternate between 500-900 -- two days ago it was always ROCK steady
>at around 700.  I just don't understand what's going on.  It feels like
>someone stuck a bananna in my tailpipe.  Or poured sugar down my tank.
>But I doubt that's it.
>
>I can understand it not running right when it's almost out of gas.  I
>can understand it stopping and me having to push around when it IS out
>of gas.  But I filled the tank, the engine temp is in the middle, the
>oil pressure is ON (have a '95 with the moron-oil pressure indicator).
>I just don't know what could cause it to run SO poorly!  If anyone has
>any ideas, PLEASE respond!
>
>
>
>