THE CASE OF THE GRUMPY STALLING CHEVY CAVALIER

CHANGE YOUR DIRTY SOCKS

I am struck by the way diagnosing vehicles is a test of my amazing Zen calmness.  Take my 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier LS 2.2 OHV, for instance.  It was in all respects a well running machine......until it got to the lower quarter of the gas tank.  Then, for no apparent reason it would stall but only when  taking a left turn. ??????????????????   My first thought was that a wire to the fuel pump circuit was at fault.  I mean, only on left turns?  Yup.  Only left.  

I checked all the circuits and they were undamaged.  This is right about where my Zen  gets tested.  Back to basics, I thought.  If it wasn't an electrical problem, then it must be fuel. But why only when the tank was quarter full?  A faulty gas gauge?  Sounds reasonable, I thought.  I had a Mini Cooper with one of those.  Customer wondered why it was dying all the time and turns out the gas gauge was faulty so they kept running out of gas.  Kind of unlikely though.  

Unfortunately, the only thing that seemed reasonable was the fuel system.  Something in the tank was moving when I took a left turn and either shut off the fuel pump or clogged it.  Either way the fuel tank had to come out.  Ouch.  I hate doing that.  Its not the black widow spiders that make a home in the suspension, or the tree frogs that hide in the suspension that makes it so fun.  Its all the dirt that rains down in a shower right in my eyes that really makes that extra fun.  But I digress.....

Out comes the fuel tank and then the fuel pump, only to find everything sound and in good condition except........the outer fuel sock had a rip in it.  Being nylon, I was surprised that it was ripped.  It's pretty tough.  If that one was ripped, what about the other one inside the fuel pump.  I had a gander.  Yup! Bingo.  Not only was the inner fuel strainer ripped, it was falling to pieces like a piece of toilet paper!  Pieces of it were littered in the fuel pump canister and obviously clogging the pump when the tank was low on gas.  As I took a corner, the fuel would move all the pieces into the path of the fuel pump pickup and starve it.  When the tank was more than half full, it would float out of the pickup reach.  Problem solved. Although in this case, I went ahead and replaced the entire fuel pump assembly since there was no telling if some of the sock had gotten in the pump mechanism.  Note to everyone:   change your socks like your mamma told you.