well, just like the title says, when my gas gauge is below about half a tank, it takes a good 2-4 tries to get it started.

Also, im not sure if this would be a related subject or not, but when i get in the car there is a faint smell of gas.

there are no visable leaks (from what i can see on the ground) i also talked to my buddy about it (who has a 98 chevy truck w/ same engine and hes got the same problem...?)

any ideas on what it might be???

thanks in advanced!

 

they never put the 3.4 in the silverados he might have a 4.3? im baffled at what it could be. i'll let someone else field this one.

 

I have been thinking about this for some time now andIdo understand how the system works. On a older car it could be a damage pickup tube. But thats not really possible on your car. Next time you get thatlow on gas open and close the gas cap before you try to start it. See if you hear a sucking noise. My thinking is the the vent to the tank is clogged. As your pump takes gas away it is creating a vacuum so the pump has to fight to pull more gas from the tank. I kinda don't think thats it.Is it possible there is some other link youhave not noticed. Like it only after a longdrive? Or rain days? Sitting on a hill. These would be explainable. The best thing to do is hook a fuel pressure gage and check to find out if you have full pressure as quick with 1/2 tank as you do with a full tank. If so thenfuel gage reading is just a coincidence.

The only other thing I can think of is some liquid that is lighter then gas is in your tank. Since it is floating you do notnotice the change in the car until the level is low enough it starts to enter the pick tube. The only issue with that is that I would think as you drove it would mix everything up? Sorry no clue with the info you gave.

 

I heard that its not even recommended to drive aroudn too much with less than a half tank of gas because that can lead to the pump overheating. It is meant to be submerged in the fuel and thus be "liquid cooled" in a way. When the fuel level drops it can allow it to overheat faster leading to a decrease in perofrmance. I don't think its the case with you though.

 

Gorn: thanks alot for the input, i'll try opening the gas cap when its below half tank, i think that just might be the problem, because yesterday when i filled up it sucked quite a bit of air in. I dont know why i didnt think of that?

on a side note: am i the only one that thinks cooling an electric pump with gasoline is a BAD idea? haha

 

It is true that the fuel cools the pump. Butits the gas passing through the pump that does the cooling. Its not enough to raise the fuel temp more then a degree or so.Running under a half a tank is not aproblem. Running out of gas it not good for it. Trying to get the car to start over and over with no gas in it is the quickest way to fry a pump.

You may also want to try some fuel additive. WhatI would do if it where my car? If the tank is venting correctly I would run the tank low, under a 1/8 ofa tank the put in a tank full of the good stuff. I like the high grade Exxon and maybe some fuel injection cleanner.Wait a week a replace the fuel filter.Now you know its not crap in the tank.