Dead Fuel Pump?

[Huw Powell]

> Oil change was done about a month ago.  Spark plugs and air filter about two weeks.  Have not touched plug wires/distributor cap since taking ownership of the car (last November).  Someone else has suggested a severe ignition miss...but would having to change plug wires and distributor cap cause this much of a problem?

It could, yes. A bad enough cap/rotor could stop it from running, bad
wires ditto. What year and model is your car, btw?

> Besides that, the problem seems to get worse as the amount of fuel in the tank goes down.  Filling the tank with premium helps a bit, but not much.

You could try using some injector cleaner, and dry gas type things a bit
in case you have some crud/contamination in the tank.

But I think your issues lie elsewhere.  Check carefully for vacuum leaks
under the hood, for poor electrical connections, and general
housekeeping stuff like that.

PS I cc'd the list, keep these things on the list, that way everyone
gets the benefit of useful answers, and also can correct any errors...

> > Made a long trip yesterday, and within the first hour, the car started to shudder - really badly.  It got to the point where it would start to shake really badly under any load other than a just barely cracked throttle.  It would shut off in traffic at idle.  We managed to restart the car, and limp it to the apartment complex where Dad lives.  It seems like the problem is the fuel pump.  Any suggestions otherwise?
>
> Yeah, it could be almost anything else as well.  How's the old "deferred
> maintenance" going?  Check when all the "routine" stuff was last
> replaced first.

--
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/

http://www.humanthoughts.org/