07-31-2012, 09:07 PM
Won't start. Checked for spark, at least it was present at the output from the coil.
Suspected fuel problem, for one since I didn't smell any fuel at the exhaust after much cranking and no starting.
- I did lots and lots of reading on the forum, under "hard starting", fuel pump, etc. Studying the PET.
- Put in my spare DME relay (no joy). Check fuel pump fuse.
- Got my honey to crank it while I listened for the fuel pump -- I heard nothing, and this has always been a very noisy fuel pump. But I still wasn't convinced this was proof enough of bad fuel pump.
- Jacked it up to examine the fuel pump (for a while I couldn't even find the darn thing).
- Confirmed power to the pump at 12V while cranking the engine.
- Pulled the vacuum side of the Fuel Pressure Regulator to check for gas (suggested by a couple of posts for "hard starting"). No gas there.
- Disconnected the 2 power leads to the fuel pump, and connected 12V directly to the pump from the battery (using jumper cables and alligator clip leads). Battery was disconnected from the car. The pump just makes one "thump" and nothing else.
- So I wondered if pressure in the line was stopping the pump from continuing it's normal noises.
- Hooked up a hose to the test port on the fuel rail, other end into a bucket. Connected direct power to the fuel pump, it still just goes "one thump" and nothing more and of course there is no fuel coming out of the test port.
It seems that this is a fairly strong evidence that the fuel pump is bad. Does everyone agree? Thank you! I plan to replace the filter and the check valve as well while I am in there. So please let me know if this is conclusive enough or if I have more debug to do.
One question, and then some other comments follow.
?? Here is the picture of the fuel pump, it has this rubber bellows around it, very odd since it doesn't match the pictures on the Paragon and Pelican web site, or other sites. Has anyone ever seen this?
Lessons learned:
- If I did successfully debug this problem, then it was worth it. I have been in such a darn "I hate to work on cars" mood the last 1/2 year or so. It is kinda nice to be back, but I'll be quite disappointed if this doesn't fix it. Kinda comes and goes with me, for months, a year or 2, love to work on cars. And then for months or more can't stand to jack it up and get under.
- Do save your old washing machine hoses, and other junk. Among many different hoses I tried to get on the fuel rail test port, this was the only one that fit.
- Read the forum, and then read the forum, and then study the PET, and then read the forum!
Roland
Suspected fuel problem, for one since I didn't smell any fuel at the exhaust after much cranking and no starting.
- I did lots and lots of reading on the forum, under "hard starting", fuel pump, etc. Studying the PET.
- Put in my spare DME relay (no joy). Check fuel pump fuse.
- Got my honey to crank it while I listened for the fuel pump -- I heard nothing, and this has always been a very noisy fuel pump. But I still wasn't convinced this was proof enough of bad fuel pump.
- Jacked it up to examine the fuel pump (for a while I couldn't even find the darn thing).
- Confirmed power to the pump at 12V while cranking the engine.
- Pulled the vacuum side of the Fuel Pressure Regulator to check for gas (suggested by a couple of posts for "hard starting"). No gas there.
- Disconnected the 2 power leads to the fuel pump, and connected 12V directly to the pump from the battery (using jumper cables and alligator clip leads). Battery was disconnected from the car. The pump just makes one "thump" and nothing else.
- So I wondered if pressure in the line was stopping the pump from continuing it's normal noises.
- Hooked up a hose to the test port on the fuel rail, other end into a bucket. Connected direct power to the fuel pump, it still just goes "one thump" and nothing more and of course there is no fuel coming out of the test port.
It seems that this is a fairly strong evidence that the fuel pump is bad. Does everyone agree? Thank you! I plan to replace the filter and the check valve as well while I am in there. So please let me know if this is conclusive enough or if I have more debug to do.
One question, and then some other comments follow.
?? Here is the picture of the fuel pump, it has this rubber bellows around it, very odd since it doesn't match the pictures on the Paragon and Pelican web site, or other sites. Has anyone ever seen this?
Lessons learned:
- If I did successfully debug this problem, then it was worth it. I have been in such a darn "I hate to work on cars" mood the last 1/2 year or so. It is kinda nice to be back, but I'll be quite disappointed if this doesn't fix it. Kinda comes and goes with me, for months, a year or 2, love to work on cars. And then for months or more can't stand to jack it up and get under.
- Do save your old washing machine hoses, and other junk. Among many different hoses I tried to get on the fuel rail test port, this was the only one that fit.
- Read the forum, and then read the forum, and then study the PET, and then read the forum!
Roland
