fuel issues....

civic98ek

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Just looking for some opions...i have a 98 ek stock d16y8 motor... when my gas gets below a quarter tank the engine cranks longer and sometimes barely starts... thought about changing my fuel filter to see if that might be the problem. im the 2nd owner of this car not sure if the fuel filter was ever changed. any more suggestions to what the problem might be?

thanks, Laura<3
 

Cobl18

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I just swapped out my fuel filter today with 165,000 miles on the car and i could stills see through it. It never hurts though t change it though. mine does the same thing it might just be what it does, it is harder for the fuel pump to pull fuel from the bottom of the tank rather than when its full.
 


civic98ek

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yeah true. just wasnt sure if it was a serious issue or not. dont really wanna replace a fuel pump. ill change the fuel filter along with my oil this weekend and see what happens.
 

Cobl18

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sweet, just make sure you have a 19mm wrench and a 14mm wrench to get those nuts off or you might break the fuel line or the fuel filter.
 


civic98ek

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im mostly concerned about rust.. not that my cars all rust its just that its 14yrs old and was all stock when i bought it so every mod ive done has ended in broken or striped bolts. lets hope for the best!
 

Cobl18

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lol my bottom bolt on the fuel filter had some rust i cleaned it up a bit with a brass brush. was much easier to get on there.
 

JohnS.

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From what I've read, you generally don't need to replace the fuel filter. I replaced mine a few thousand miles ago and didn't notice a different at all and my car had around 219k at that point.

Do you park on a hill? If you do, that'll make your car harder to start when you're low on fuel as well. 2 good habits to keep in mind too: 1. Don't constantly let your fuel get very low, it's hard on your fuel pump 2. Let your fuel pump prime before turning the car on (don't just go from key in straight to starting in 1 shot).
 

civic98ek

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i dont park on a hill and usually dont let my gas get low... the last couple weeks ive had bills to pay so i havent been able to really keep my gas up but i used to fill it as soon as it got to half. like i said i really dont wanna replace a fuel pump so i was just wondering if this was a major issue. my car usually starts right up and doesnt crank long but when the gas gets low it seems to crank forever before starting. i understand that the fuel pump has to work a little harder to get fuel from the bottom of the tank but its still a quarter tank of gas its not like theres no gas..
 

JohnS.

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i dont park on a hill and usually dont let my gas get low... the last couple weeks ive had bills to pay so i havent been able to really keep my gas up but i used to fill it as soon as it got to half. like i said i really dont wanna replace a fuel pump so i was just wondering if this was a major issue. my car usually starts right up and doesnt crank long but when the gas gets low it seems to crank forever before starting. i understand that the fuel pump has to work a little harder to get fuel from the bottom of the tank but its still a quarter tank of gas its not like theres no gas..
Are you sure it's at a quarter tank and not lower? Perhaps your fuel gauge isn't reading the proper level?

The absolutely most certain way to check how much gas you have is filling up until your tank is full. Then subtract how much you filled up from 11.9 (since that's what our rated capacity is).
 

civic98ek

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ive driven with my gas extremely low before and still havent seen a gas light. it floats alot so its hard to tell if its really a quarter tank..
 

Cobl18

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maybe your gas light doesn't work? mine doesn't I'm just to lazy to figure out why it doesn't.
 

civic98ek

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yeah thats what i thought too. idk i guess i shouldnt be too concerned about it it was just something different that my car did that i wasnt used too. better safe than sorry
 

Cobl18

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yeah and I would think if it was your fuel pump it would be a hard start regardless if you had a full tank or a almost empty tank.
 

epic_civic

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I have a 98 cx and when my fuel is below 1/4 it does the same, i found out that if i let the fuel pump prime (turning your key to accessories) you will head almost like a vacuum sound and then a click, once you do that it should start up without as much hesitation as before. It took me a while to figure it out, but it works every time and it may save you some money!
 

JohnS.

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I have a 98 cx and when my fuel is below 1/4 it does the same, i found out that if i let the fuel pump prime (turning your key to accessories) you will head almost like a vacuum sound and then a click, once you do that it should start up without as much hesitation as before. It took me a while to figure it out, but it works every time and it may save you some money!
This is what I meant by letting your fuel pump prime. When you turn your key to the last position, it makes a humming noise. That's your fuel pump.
 

civic98ek

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let my fuel pump prime this morning and it started no problem... thanks for your help guys =)
 


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