It would appear that back in the good ole days when we still had carburated engines, someone never told women that their gas needle

can lie.  I read that in a emergency roadside manual.  And it proved to be true one day in late 1993 when I was walking home from

college class and I spotted a black Oldsmobile Toronado (1985) at a convenience store with the hood up and a cranking sound coming from

it.  I walked up to the car and asked and nice middle aged lady if something was wrong.  She said something I can't remember.  I said try

it and I'll see if I can find out what it is.  And she did as I watched her leg bobbing up & down on the chromed pedal while wearing flats

(nuts:  I didn't get the high heel sandals) but she turnind the key:

ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji....ji.ji.ji....ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji....ji.ji.ji....ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji....ji.ji.ji....ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...Stop

clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump

Just dry cranking cranking & pumping.  I asked her if she have any gas in her tank because it was not even close to catching.  She said

she thinks she does because gas was put in several days earlier and her needle still read a 1/4 in the tank.  I said gas needles can lie.

I took the air cleaner off & looked down the carb throat and told her to try agian but got the same dry cranking & pumping and no fuel

getting in the carb.  I said maybe starter fluid may help.  We got  some and I sprayed in the throat and while she was pumping away the 

engine caught but died immediately. We kept trying but to no avail.  That car was not starting (I really found the problem even though

I didn't know for sure)  I did see a lot of her cranking & pumping and enjoying it, but I was also really trying to help this women.

But all we got is:

ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...ji.ji.ji...Stop

clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump...clump

The battery went low.  She thanked me anyway and called her husband.  I went home felling a little low because I didn't get her

car started.  But I had to get changed and go back to work, so I was walking back to that same convenience store and she was still there

and her husband was there and rediscovered what the problem was....NO GAS in the tank!!  They bought some gas from that

convenience store and gave the car a jump start, and it started okay.  They thanked me agian and went on their way & I went on to work.

That is not the only time I stumbled up on a women who was just out of gas but didn't know.  Has anyone else knew of a woman who was just out of gas but didn't know it because their gas needle lied to them.  If so, let's hear it.  Enjoy.