2000 F150 XLT
4.6L, V8

All,
Need help from the forum. I was towing the boat yesterday and the truck died as I pulled into the gas station. Found the positive battery terminal was loose but after tightening it would not start. Since I was at the gas station, I decided to put in a gallon of gas even though the gauge indicated I still had about 1/8 tank. After doing so, it started right away and seemed to run fine. My first thought was the fuel gauge was bad and I was simply out of fuel so I filled up. It only took an additional 18 gallons so it wasn't out of fuel (fuel tank capacity is 24 gallons per the manual). I pulled the boat for another 30 miles and got home without any additional problems.

Any ideas of what the problem could be? I'm thinking debris on the fuel tank pickup that was dislodged when additional fuel was added. Clogged fuel filter, water in gas or fuel pump that is starting to fail are my other thoughts. Any help troubleshooting or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Capefisherman18

 

Hey CApefisherman18, I had the same problem with mine but mine doesn't start right away it ususally takes up to 1 hour to start again, I was thinking it may be the fuel pump is overheating when it is low on gas, I haven't change it yet but I will order it and will let you know if my problem is fix. Mine is 4.6 2000 V8 I didn't know we have 4.8 also. Please keep us updated if you fix the problem. Thanks, IBM

 

Ibayter,
You are correct. It's a 4.6L V8. Sorry for the confusion.

Capefisherman18