If it only does it when the fuel is low it could be a rotten fuel hose in the pickup assembly in the tank.

The intank pump is connected to the metal pickup tube with a short section of fuel hose that deteriorates over time and the pump starts to suck air rather than fuel.

To determine if the intank pump is operating at all I offer up some information supplied by Bruce Young (user name: lucid)

To run the pumps individually,

1) Remove the prepump fuse (#4 or #5 depending on car/year)
2) Put 12V to left fuse contact (input side) to run Main pump
3) Put 12V to right fuse contact (output side) to tun Tank pump

4) To run both pumps (i.e., to try starting), just leave the prepump fuse installed.

For convenience, use any of the 6 thru 10 fuses as a voltage source for jumering, as they are always "hot". For some reason, the "conventional wisdom" usually pairs up 4 with 6, or 5 with 7 when jumping fuses. But 4-7 or 5-6 would be just as valid. I always pick the voltage from the fuse Input side (Left contact), so the fuse at that location (6, 7, 8, 9, or 10) is not a concern.

This procedure puts voltage exactly where the Fuel relay does (or should).


Randy