2001 SL2 wont start and fuel gauge reads empty

[brownunltd]

Can anyone please help? I am having problems. My 01 sl2 wont start and the gauge says that the car is empty (before this problem, everything was working fine). I know that I have more than a half tank of gas, the car continuously turns over but wont start. I replaced the fuel pump and still it wont start (not to mention that the tank was more than half full at the time). I checked all the fuses and relays and everything seems fine. I am not even getting gas pumped to the filter. Does anyone have any suggestions.

[Cat Fuzz]

The fuel pump and the fuel gauge sending unit are both in the tank. Check the connector there. You'll probably need to drop the tank. Obviously, your fuel pump is not working. Confirm you're getting power to it, if you are getting power to the connector at the top of the tank but no fuel is flowing, you must have a bad pump/sending unit. Or, something came lose inside.

[brownunltd]

Thanks for the info. If the sending unit goes out would that stop the fuel pump from working? I replaced the Fuel pump with a new one and the car still does not start. I am guessing that it isnt getting power. Could the BCM be bad? I have been reading a few posts about the BCM.

[yaz4real]

So if you turn your ignition to the on position.. do you hear the fuel pump run.. buzzing.. for a second or two.. "turn the car radio off"... if not.. go back to the fuel pump.. if there is go under the hood and follow the fuel line in.. you will see a Schader valve.. with a "rag of cloth" to catch the fuel...if depressing.. if there is fuel... your next option is to see if you have spark at the 1/4 coils... if there is none... change your CPS .. crank position sensor..

[brownunltd]

I changed the Fuel pump, but I dont hear it buzzing. I know everything was connected correctly. I even tested the old pump and it works. I checked all the fuses and relays, they all work. When I dropped the gas tank, it was full of gas and the fuel guage read empty. I have no clue what I should do next..........any help would be great.

[ksion15]

not to say this is your problem, but if the pcm is not communicating with the instrument panel cluster, then the gage will read empty. make sure you have no fuses open, (all fuses, pcm, ign., etc...), and have someone check your bcm and pcm for codes or lack of communication.

[murraal]

Get a test light and have someone turn the key on for a few seconds while you stick the test light in each prong of the connector. One of the prongs should get hot for a few seconds each time you turn on the key. If not you need to find where you are losing connection.

[hexskrew]

I am having this EXACT same issue. Let me ask you, did you mess with the wire running to the rubber grommet in the drivers side of the trunk kickpanel? If so then that has GOT to be the culpret.

Here is what happened with me:
Car has been sitting for a year (busted water jacket on intake manifold, patched but don't know how reliable it is)

Started frequently to ensure it keeps running :X

Last week I got some stuff to do an oil change/tuneup. Jumped it off and it cranked right up!
Changed the oil...
Engine turns over, but does not start. Gas gauge does not move.
Checked all fuses and swapped the relays/tested the relays as well.

Took the top off of the fuel pump relay and pressed on the connector (lever), and you can instantly hear the pump run. Tried starting car while holding relay to on position (and can hear the fuel pump running).. Still wont start... so I checked for spark.. There is NONE. Battery is absolutely fine (swapping it when working on it out of my 95 cavalier)

It ran fine before doing an oil change, and the only thing I touched not related to the oil change between the VERY brief time where it would and then not start, was in the trunk I was cleaning the car out and noticed it was holding water in the little compartment on the drivers side of the trunk, which has a rubber grommet with wires going through it. I pulled the grommet to let the water drain, and now I am where we are at now..

Tomorrow (well today) my main goal is to check that harness and see if there is corrosion/broken wires where that grommet was (and where the standing water was above the grommet).

I have read that this wire DOES go to both the fuel pump and sending unit, and could be a possible broken wire. However I have no idea why the hell it would cause the ignition not to spark??

Hope this helps you! (and me as well.. I have checked everything else..)

[traymond313]

@hexskrew
Thank you very very much for posting this as i was about 2 minutes from going to replace the fuel pump after changing the relay did not work and probably many other things when that wouldn't have worked. You have saved me ALOT of money and time! i never would have thought that would be it but alas the connector was under an inch of water and completely corroded. I cut off the connector and hardwired back together and boom started right up! Again THANK YOU! You have really helped our family and we are very thankfull!

[hexskrew]

Oh, no problem! I am happy to help. Actually, come to find out this didn't help me at all, as for my problem, it wasn't the harness but something much simpler...

It was the ECM fuse.... Lol. Well, to follow up though, NOW the water jacket is fixed for good! We are driving it daily now (and my 95' cav I gave away cause it was pure crap on wheels) but since it seems like a common problem, let me tell you how I fixed that water jacket.

On the intake manifold, there is a return water jacket which is prone to becoming brittle and busting (seems to be a consistent hairline crack that opens where the manifold was molded), but there is a much better way to fix it than replacing the intake manifold!!

Check out carsaturnstore.com, specifically the Intake Manifold Repair Kit ($70). It replaces just that jacket (hacksaw required) with a machined aluminum water jacket, and is definitely a DIY application you can tackle

I got my kit in 4 days, installed it in about 3 hours. I had a certified mechanic on hand as well though, so your work hours on it may vary. Had I done it myself, it would have probably taken 6 hours, but still an easy application.

The kit comes with the water jacket, instructions, and even a dvd showing you how to do the job from start to finish. This kit saved me around $350 and made the job permanent

[Atom1]

Hey hexskrew!

Thank you very much for your advice and input!

Mine turned out to be a blown pcm fuse. I wasn't getting any spark, and engine was just crancking. Keep up the good work.

May you always be with Christ