[mitch1965]

Are you sure that when the gauge reads 1/4, that is really is 1/4? Sounds offbeat, but maybe you are just sucking the very bottom of the tank. I suggest pulling the tank and making sure it is clean. Clean the pump intake, check the sender, clean the ground lug before reattaching everything. I've seen this more than once. Especially since it ran fine by just adding some fuel to the tank.