I just purchased a 2003 Tahoe from an individual. When this vehicle got below a quarter tank of fuel it would not start. It turned over but acted as though it was starved for fuel. I put 1.5 gallons in it from a can at home and it started right up. Went to the gas station and filled it up. It took 18.5 gallons. Based on these facts and the fact that the car has a 26 gallon tank, I know it had fuel when it wouldn’t start. Have you heard of this before? I suspect the fuel pump but that is expensive. If that’s it, so be it. I just don’t want to throw money at this thing. Thanks, Keith
Have the fuel pressure tested to see if it’s within specs.
Tester
Could it be that it looses pressure with less fuel in the tank? It starts everytime, without hesitation, when there’s more than a quarter tank of fuel. As soon as it get’s close to 1/4 tank it hesitates to start. What device provides adequate pressure to the system? I would also think that if you drove the car during a time when the car had 1/4 tank or less, it would keep going. But the minute you turn it off, it probably wouldn’t start. That’s my next experiment!
When the Chevy Tahoe first came out it was advertised as having a 30 gallon tank, but people soon discoveried that it in fact only had a 20 gallon tank with a 6 gallon fuel bag reserve. I have only for a few times on long road trips allow my truck to get down to empty before filling for this reason (290 to 310 miles). It has been recommended to me by several mechanics not to let the truck get below a 1/4 of a tank if all possible. I recently had my fuel pump replaced on my 1996 Tahoe due to low pressure and it was expensive and time consuming since the fuel pump sets on top of the gas tank.