Strange gas issue...need help

:
2003 Protege5
So I have a weird fuel delivery issue in my protege5 with about 220k miles. When I get around 1/3 of a tank my engine starts misfiring and occasionally losing all power. This gets worse when I take left-hand turns. When I bought the vehicle the seller told me he had replaced the gas tank. I've tried putting seafoam in the tank but that did nothing. What do you guys think my next step should be? Do I need to replace the fuel pump or could it just be mounted wonky?

Thanks
 
hpmaxim has the same issue ... It's his aftermarket gas tank.
The baffles inside the tank aren't working (or maybe not even present) and his fuel pump gets starved for fuel.
He bought a used OEM gas tank he intends to install.

Fuel starvation is really hard on the fuel pump and wears it out... You may need to replace it depending on how many times it's run dry.
 
Last edited:
hpmaxim has the same issue ... It's his aftermarket gas tank.
The baffles inside the tank aren't working (or maybe not even present) and his fuel pump gets starved for fuel.
He bought a used OEM gas tank he intends to install.

Fuel starvation is really hard on the fuel pump and wears it out... You may need to replace it depending on how many times it's run dry.
Thanks! That makes a lot of sense. I hadn't even thought about that.
 
Here's a couple of pictures of my baffles from when I changed my fuel filter...



 
Sounds like a weak fuel pump. I’d suggest always keeping your tank past 1/3.
 
Maybe I will replace the fuel pump then, because it has gotten worse...I used to be able to go about 350 miles before I noticed it, then 300, now if I go past 250 I can notice it. Any fuel pump recommendations for a mostly stock P5 motor? I just have headers, intake, and MP3 ECU. I'm not going for performance, just general quality and reasonable price.
 
The best thing to do would be to replace the gas tank but keeping the gas above 1/3 tank would work as well.

It doesn't make sense to me that you're getting fewer and fewer miles before sucking air into the fuel pump unless your driving habits have changed and you're cornering harder and harder on left turns, sloshing the gas away from the pump.

You don't necessarily have a weak pump, just one that keeps sucking air,... If your car drives fine on a full tank with no issues then your pump is probably still OK.

A weak pump would show symptoms whether you have a full tank or 1/4 tank.
 
Not necessarily. A pump can work well until it starts to work harder due to lack of fuel in the tank. My Nissan was like that. It seems like his pump is getting weaker but its should last considerably longer as long as OP keeps the tank full.
 
Either way, he would need to keep a close eye on the fuel level and keep it above 1/3 tank especially if he spends the money on a new fuel pump.

Apparently going with an original OEM supplier of the fuel pump is a good idea...
I think that's Denso but I'm not sure ??




Consider replacing you fuel pump housing/high pressure filter while you're in there...



Those are Canadian prices... You guys pay about 3/4 of that.
 
...I used to be able to go about 350 miles before I noticed it, then 300, now if I go past 250 I can notice it...

What about your fuel gauge ?? Is it starting to happen at half a tank now ??
 
Last edited:
hpmaxim paid $50 for a used OEM gas tank.
He didn't like having to keep it above 1/4 tank (yea, it was 1/4 tank for him).

His fuel pump is wearing out and he has a hard time starting it now.
 
Maybe I'll check car-parts.com for one. It sure sounds like that's the root problem. Fuel pump issues are a side-effect.
 
Changing your fuel tank is a big, expensive and dangerous job but that is the only way to make it right.

I sure hope in ever have to do mine. Its nasty under there.




 
...I used to be able to go about 350 miles before I noticed it, then 300, now if I go past 250 I can notice it...

If what you're saying is that it used to go 350 miles to get to 1/3 tank and now it's only 250 to get to 1/3, then that's a separate issue, which "could" be a worn pump with low pressure but there's other things to consider too.



Start with a new air filter... Cheap and easy and first on the list.
 
I actually think my mileage is about the same, but the symptoms appear sooner. I used to be able to go to about an 1/8 of a tank, then about a 1/4, and now about 3/8. I also am putting in less gallons when I'm filling up, so I know it's happening at higher fuel levels, not just the gauge going derpy. I usually get worse gas mileage in the winter here, but it's starting to warm up so I expect to be back in the low to mid 30s soon. Wintertime driving usually lowers to high 20s. It was the same in my ES too.
 
Well, I just replaced my gas tank.
My old one sprung a leak and I wasn't going to spring for a $400-$500 OEM one and went with Rockauto's version.

There was two to pick from but the more expensive one specifically mentioned it had "sump baffles" so I wentwith that one even though it cost $98 to ship and the cheaper one only cost $42 to ship.. ??? I didn't need it in two days,.. 6 would have been fine but it wasn't an option, so I ended up spending $316 Canadian all in.

What a dirty disgusting rusty messy job... And I broke my damn rusted exhaust while trying to disconnect it.
Rockauto wants about $700 for an exhaust including the catalytic converter but that's a big pile of money to put into a $200 car, so I used my Macgyver skills with $27 worth of high temp silicone, clamps and couplers and fixed 'er up real good !!



Now to run it down to 1/4 tank and see what happens...
It does have baffles inside but they are metal and are tack welded in.. The original was all plastic and looked different.
I'm worried I might have to keep it above 1/4 or 1/3 a tank, if that's the case I should have just got the cheaper tank and saved $100...

I remember when I first got my car and I bought new shocks for the rear hatch. I spent $200.
Those days are gone and now I'm just trying to keep it alive.

I'll bet my gas and brake lines are next to rust out but I may still fix that myself... They have new brake lines that are made out of copper and bend really easily without kinking, they flare really easy and they don't rust. They also have plastic fuel lines too that can be used.

Let the palliative care continue !!!

I really do like my car... I hope I can keep it going for a few more years.
And in only 4 years it will be a "classic" so it no longer needs an e-test so I can pollute all I want !!!
 
Last edited:
Don't you have a spare parts car? Why not take the tank out of it, have an OEM tank and save a few hundred bucks?

That looks like a lot of mess for an exhaust fix lol. I would have just bought a $2 piece of tube and welded it on as a patch
 
Don't you have a spare parts car? Why not take the tank out of it, have an OEM tank and save a few hundred bucks?

Because my parts car is a rusted out piece of crap too...
(as to be expected,... It's a parts car)
Even if the tank hasn't rusted through yet it probably will in the middle of winter when I can't work on my car.
 
Last edited:
That looks like a lot of mess for an exhaust fix lol. I would have just bought a $2 piece of tube and welded it on as a patch

I can't weld for s***,..
I have a little 120V stick welder but all I do is burn holes.

I wanted to do this myself without driving to the shop with no exhaust or towing charge.

$27 CDN for exhaust couplers, muffler clamps and Copper 700F high heat silicone...
 
Back