Hello all.
I ran my van out of or very low on fuel. The van stalled and I rolled into a parking lot and stopped the van. I automatically figured I ran out of gas (yup gas light was on). After putting 5 gallons of fuel in it I thought I was good to go but now it will not start. Had it towed to my driveway. I have to codes coming up on my scanner : first code is P0302, which in my scanner came up as "cylinder 2 misfire" and I have seen this before and just deleted the code and van still ran fine. Second code is P0138, which in my scanner comes up as "02 sensor circuit hi volt bank 1 sensor 2. Fuel lines are not clogged and I have plenty of pressure at the rail tester valve. My plan is to put new spark plugs in first because I know they are old. But I'm not sure whether to replace the 02 sensor or injector or what else. Van has 160,000 miles and has always been reliable. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Dan

 

Since the fuel system does not have a return hose the fuel rail can get air bound. More than once after pulling fuel systems apart I've had to start the engines using starting fluid. Keep giving it a squirt to keep it running and in about 15 seconds or so it should smooth out and run on it's own.

 

Have always had a very hard time restarting my van after I ran it out of gas. It always coughs and sputters for a while once it does start to turn over. Doesn't run right for a couple of miles. Now I know why.

 

Thank you very much for the reply. I will try that and hope for the best. I'll let you know what happens.

 

I began today by trying to start the van with starter fluid and no success. I also tried a few ounces of gasoline still no start. Sometimes I get a brief caugh back through the intake as if it wants to start but that's it. Since one of codes indicated misfire in cylinder 2 I installed a new set of spark plugs to start off. Glad I did, spark plug in cylinder 2 was only 1/2 of the way screwed in and has been that way for a long time judging by the way the threads were rusted. Spent about 2 hours chasing the threads in that cylinder before installing new plug. Tried everything again with new plugs installed and same result. I pulled a few plug wires to check for spark and spark was fine. Is my starter fluid making it in to the cylinders? Is the gas reaching the cylinders? I really expected at least some signs of starting. As I turned it over it showed no sign of starting at all. I tried rolling down the windows 3 times then pressing the brake pedal 4 times and honked the horn 9 times, didn't work either*&** Any new ideas? Help me if you can, please..

 

Well if it has fuel and spark the only other thing is compression or timing. Perhaps you were just low on fuel and never actually ran out. There could be a different problem altogether happening here.

Was the color of the spark orange or blue?

 

Spark was orange. I have a feeling you are right that could be something totally different that is wrong. You know how you get used to how to read your gas gauge in your car and when it is out of gas? I don't think I ran out. But it was the obvious thing. I do remember the engine sputtered going up a hill just before it stalled.

 

The spark is supposed to be blue. An orange spark is a weak spark. You might simply have a bad ignition coil.

 

Today I removed the distributor cap and found a very clean and dry cap and rotor. Also made sure rotor was turning while cranking. I pulled a couple of the new spark plugs out and one of them was covered in black soot (these plugs were installed yesterday brand new.) I did some more testing of the spark color and blue was there but did not seem very strong. I'm still puzzled...

 

Thank you sooo much. $44.00 coil and it runs like a dream! I was looking so hard for something major that I failed to check something so simple. I truly have learned many things from this experience. Alloro I owe much thanks to you for your time and knowledge. I'm also happy I changed spark plugs as well because I found the number 2 plug was only screwed in half way and I have owned the van for 2 years. The power increase wasn't huge but it was noticeable to me as I paid attention to the way the van's shifting was unbelievably better. The shifting zones have always bugged me and now the kick down and up is great. Thanks again Alloro!