i'm asking because I haven't driven my maxima in 3 days... the gas light was on when I had used it.

Okay, 3 days later, I turn on the car and the starter sounded scary... and whne the car started, the engine made this horrible sound and idled at 1500rpm. Fine, that happened, so I drove my car around and it went back to normal. I started up a couple times... no problem. I immediately filled the tank to full and brought it back home.

I told my friend about this incident and he told me that when people store cars, they should make sure there's a good amount of gas in the tank.

Can anyone explain this? The only thing that popped into my mind was something to do w/ gas tank pressure... but i probably don't know what i'm thinkin about. Thanks.

 

I don't think not driving your car for 3 days will cause any problems whatsoever.

 

ur car was probably just having some hard time pumping the gas into ur engine at starting up. just refilled and it shouldn't hurt too much...

 

no it was much more different... it sounded bad.

when I don't have gas in my tank, it usually takes a while to crank, but nothing like the nasty sounds I heard/felt.

 

The pressure in the lines probably dropped and the gas in the lines/fuel pump probably went back to the tank...

 

it was prolly all that junk that sits in the bottom of the tank that was going thru your injectors or something..

 

it was probably because your engine had little to no oil in it or something. really though, 3 days is nothing, My maxima sat for alittle over a month when I first got it, then for maybe 1 week periods up until this last monday My mustang has been sitting for atleast 4 months now, I've only put 10 miles on it since I've owned it... since last December. see, 3 days is nothing

 

i would say it's normal

1. mine did it. parked overnight with barely any fuel (and on an incline too). didnt start till 3rd attempt. solution: keep the key in on for a second or so before every start.. pumps up the gas pressure (thats a habbit with me, regardless if i need it).

2. gasoline gets contaminated.. the less you have, the more and faster it will happen. something with humidity i think it was.

3. yea general crap in your tank is bad..

would not worry about it, unless you make it a habit.

most engines do when they are cold... would worry if it sounds bad when warm.

 

Try this if you can, fill your tank up and let the car sit for another 3 days (maybe a long weekend) and see if the car makes the same sound. As others mentioned, with your fuel being low your car will not start as quickly as compared to when the tank is full. Turning the ignition on a waiting a few seconds does/will help. Also it's a good possibility after the 3 days all your oil slowly drained from the block/heads which might take a few seconds to prime once the engine is running and create all types of noise you're not firmiliar with. A good oil filter with a anti-drain back valve might help the cause.

 

good idea, thanks. It's been 3 days now since I last filled it up... i'll start her up this afternoon and get back to this thread.

 

probably the oil just draining back, so the motor is a lil dry.

 

I agree.

BTW, when people store their cars for long periods of time (months, not days) they fill the tanks so no condensation can get in there... or so I've heard.

 

last year i parked my car for about 6 weeks and left it with a full tank.. when i got back and cranked it on.. it was as if i had just driven it the day before. started right up the first try.

 

Yep, less gas, more air. When it gets cool condensation forms water in your tank. This rusts the tank and causes water in your fuel.

Another problem is it better to leave your fuel pump submerged in fuel as well.

I'm sure the car is fine, just try to keep it above 1/4 tank if its sitting for a while. The longer it sits the worse off you'll be.

 

Have you had any previous issues with the starter? Shouldn't matter what the fuel level was if its an issue with the starter itself. Sounds like there could be a physical problem with it, not a fuel related problem.

 

thanks for the tips guys. I started her up this evening and with the full tank of gas already in her, no problems/no noises. I'll keep the tank 1/4+ from now on.