98 Mazda Millenia 2.5L stalling

[joker247e@yahoo.com]

Hello I have a problem I have been trying to figure out. Pretty much I have a stalling problem when im below 1/4 tank of gas, going around big curves makes it start happening it will miss up to about 4k rpm and drop back down pretty much I have to pull over and let it sit and it will fix a while. It also tends to cut off completely if im low on gas and have to brake fast.

Once it has more gas than 1/4 tank these problems stop. I have also had the problem with it not wanting to take gas when filling up since I have had the car. if you fill it with filler in normal position it will spit out gas unless pumping really slow. But if I tilt the filler at 65 degrees i can pump gas normally.

One last note when the car misses there is a strong smell of gas that comes in the car. it only has 65k miles on it . I also tried disconnecting the egr sensor since I have read alot about that messing up. Also there is no CEL light for any of this. So far I have just tried to keep the car filled over 1/4 tank. I have seen alot of issues with stalling and sputtering on this forum but none that has to deal with the amount of gas in the tank. Any help will be appreciated

[Matt64341]

When you fill up at a quarter of a tank when this starts to happen how much gas do you put in?

[joker247e@yahoo.com]

When you fill up at a quarter of a tank when this starts to happen how much gas do you put in?[/b]

about 15 dollars worth and reason being once I filled it all the way to the top and it seemed to spew out alot because of pressure or something. And I have tried water remover etc. been doing this for about a year which is as long as I have owned the car.


Sorry been doing the stalling not putting in water remover for a year

[Matt64341]

I was just asking because it sounds like the symptoms of just before running out of gas, so if you were putting in 17 or so gallons at a fill up then your fuel gauge would have just been far off. But that doesn't sound like that can be it.

[joker247e@yahoo.com]

I was just asking because it sounds like the symptoms of just before running out of gas, so if you were putting in 17 or so gallons at a fill up then your fuel gauge would have just been far off. But that doesn't sound like that can be it.[/b]

yea its not that I have drove about 100 miles after it has started. Ran it down till the gas light came on...twice, when I first got it thinking it was water in the tank.


Anyone have any idea's??

[Xedosman]

I believe two of your issues are related, the trouble with filling gas and symptoms of empty tank when 1/4 left.

First of all, have you inspected the tank and filling tubes for external damage? You should check that first. The reason why you have trouble filling her up is probably because the thin filling tube is clogged. That is where escaping air is supposed to go out of the tank while filling her up.

Further I suspect your gas is prevented from flowing through holes in the internal dividers in your tank. I have never seen the inside of a Milly gas tank, but usually there are dividers to prevent the gas from making waves so to say. And go all to one end during inclines and curves. If the holes in them are clogged for some reason, the level of gas might become uneven in the tank. Maybe they are trapped with debris?

Try to blow through the thinner filling tube with an airhose and listen for bubbling sound. If that opens it up, you should be able to fill her up normally. Further I believe there is a drain plug. Open it and see what comes out, preferrably with as little gas as possible for obvious reasons. If it turns out your tank is containing debris for some reason, you might be best off finding a new tank. I bet you at least have to drop it and remove the pump/filter assembly to get it all cleaned up properly. I don't know if there are other top openings.

The issue with gas smell is weird. Is there proper vacuum when you remove the filler cap, as in hearing air being sucked in when opening it? There should be, at least when not filling untill fairly little gas left. If you have no vacuum, there is something wrong, read a leak somewhere, being air getting in or gas getting out. There is a valve somewhere preventing the vacuum from getting too big, maybe that is the culprit.

Just my 2 cents

[joker247e@yahoo.com]

I believe two of your issues are related, the trouble with filling gas and symptoms of empty tank when 1/4 left.

First of all, have you inspected the tank and filling tubes for external damage? You should check that first. The reason why you have trouble filling her up is probably because the thin filling tube is clogged. That is where escaping air is supposed to go out of the tank while filling her up.

Further I suspect your gas is prevented from flowing through holes in the internal dividers in your tank. I have never seen the inside of a Milly gas tank, but usually there are dividers to prevent the gas from making waves so to say. And go all to one end during inclines and curves. If the holes in them are clogged for some reason, the level of gas might become uneven in the tank. Maybe they are trapped with debris?

Try to blow through the thinner filling tube with an airhose and listen for bubbling sound. If that opens it up, you should be able to fill her up normally. Further I believe there is a drain plug. Open it and see what comes out, preferrably with as little gas as possible for obvious reasons. If it turns out your tank is containing debris for some reason, you might be best off finding a new tank. I bet you at least have to drop it and remove the pump/filter assembly to get it all cleaned up properly. I don't know if there are other top openings.

The issue with gas smell is weird. Is there proper vacuum when you remove the filler cap, as in hearing air being sucked in when opening it? There should be, at least when not filling untill fairly little gas left. If you have no vacuum, there is something wrong, read a leak somewhere, being air getting in or gas getting out. There is a valve somewhere preventing the vacuum from getting too big, maybe that is the culprit.

Just my 2 cents [/b]

now that you mention it there is never that air noise when opening cap, and I also noticed that when it starts acting up if you shut off the car and turn it back on it seems to fix the problem. Making me believe it is a vaccum line or gas line somewhere. and shutting it off relieves where ever it is leaking and it closes up for a while

[joker247e@yahoo.com]

one last question if that vent tube is clogged up would that make the car stall when its low on gas??

[Millenia-Falcon]

No. The breather hose(vent tube) only lets air out when you fill up the tank. When you're driving and the gas cap is on, that tube doesn't do anything. Xedosman is suggesting that there are dividers in the tank that are plugged and that's why your car stalls when low because that last 1/4 tank of gas is trapped somewhere in the tank. But if you say you just let it sit a while and then it works again then I'm not so sure that's your problem. How long does the car have to sit before it runs well again?

[Xedosman]

It makes sense to me if it runs normal again after sitting a while, I don't think debris can clog a passage 100% but maybe enough to restrict flow during driving.

Anyway lack of tank vacuum after a regular amount of miles between tankstops is definitely an issue unless the gascap has a bad seal or is cheap aftermarket.