Times are tough. I ran out of gas in my 1996 Dodge 1500 Pick-up with the 5.2 liter Magnum V8. I have added 10 gallons to the tank but it will not start.
I am not a mechanic(and cannot afford to hire one) but it sounds like it is not getting fuel.
The truck was running great before I ran out of gas.
Where should I start?

 

Running out of gas is hard on the fuel pump and can do damage. Checking fuel pressure is where I would suggest starting at. You should get a decent amount of pressure on a gauge just by cranking it with the starter. If you have damaged it, you should check the fuse also.

 

ghetto way to check fuel pressure... find the valve on the fuel rail where the gauge would attach to check the pressure. use whatever protection you feel would be good if i were about to blast you with gasoline, like safety glasses or full face shield! remove the cap from the valve if there is one and prepare to be sprayed by fuel. push the valve in like your trying to let air out of a tire. fuel should spray out rather vengefully. if not try to start it for a moment and try the valve again.

still no pressurized fuel spraying out? pump isn't working.

next ghetto fuel pump fix: get a rubber mallet or something to beat on the tank with that wont poke a hole in it [ your fist will work if you roll like that]. figure out roughly where the pump is on the bottom of the tank. turn the key to the run position, get under the rig and beat on the spot where the pump should be a few whacks at a time till you hear the pump kick on... i'm sure theres a way to set the pump on full time for testing purposes, but i don't know it. you may need someone to reset the key between whacks. the pump usually gets like a 2-4 second signal to prime, then shuts off till the engine starts. this is the time you want to beat on it.

i can almost always get a bad pump to work, but not reliable when it gets to this point and should be replaced. they get sticky toward the end. if they get stuck long enough with power to them, they burn out like any other motor. beating on the tank can usually unstick them, but no idea how many starts you get after or if beating on it again will work next time.

 

Fuel pump will prime the system as soon as the key is in the on position. It will shut off during cranking until the engine starts then it will turn on. Listen for it to run for a second when you turn the key to on.