Q: Car only drives about 15 miles before engine quits
I have a much older model Chevy and love driving it. Lately, it will only drive for about 15 minutes before it shuts down or it will stop and idle for a while before it shuts down. After that it will not restart. This has been happening numerous times. I finally got it to start by spraying some carburetor cleaner in the carburetor. What is causing this problem and how can I fix it?
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Hello there, thank you for asking about your 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air. Older, carbureted vehicles are not my area of expertise. However, if you got the vehicle to run by spraying carburetor cleaner into the carburetor, I can tell you the problem is fuel related. Since the engine isn’t getting enough gas, it will run for a short time off the carburetor cleaner as an alternate fuel source. If fuel is not getting to the carb, you can suspect a faulty fuel pump, filter or restricted line. The professionals at YourMechanic have technicians that can inspect why your car dies after 15 miles and replace the fuel pump or filter.
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