Car Won’t Start After Getting Gas

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4×4. I filled the tank yesterday and washed it then on my way home, it stutters and then at a stop light it dies.

It was hard to start back up but it started and ran for about a block. I did this three more times to get it home a couple of blocks away. I let it sit overnight and now it will not start at all. It turns over fine but nothing happens. I saw an error code on the dash that said 1492 and 340. 340 means battery is over heated. 1492 is a crankshaft position sensor.

What is really wrong? I need help.

Richard

Hey Richard,

You must be missing one of the key ingredients to start a gasoline engine, spark, fuel, and compression. Since you just washed the vehicle, there is a chance that the engine compartment received water and possibly got the crankshaft sensor or other electrical sensors wet?

You might want to open the hood and make sure things look DRY, and blow the engine off with air from a leaf blower if it appears to be wet.

Check to see if you have spark at the spark plugs, if not. The crankshaft position sensor would be a great place to start your testing.

If you have spark at the spark plugs, then I would test for fuel pressure

Can you hear the fuel pump “whine” for 2 seconds when you turn the ignition key to the ON position? If not, you will need to check for power to the fuel pump and work from there.

Now, just because you can hear the electric fuel pump working inside the fuel tank does not mean there is enough fuel volume or fuel pressure of fuel at the engine itself.

It is NOT uncommon at all for a fuel pump to fail right after getting a fresh tank of gas. I think the added weight on the pump and the agitation of fuel inside the tank is what causes it. It can be a real pain on the mechanic though because they will have to drain out all your new fuel to remove the tank and the fuel pump.

If you want to tackle this yourself, you will need some tools and a manual for the step-by-step test procedures. I love Alldata, it is online, and you access the information instantly.

Please share this with your friends,
Austin Davis