'88GT 2.8L V6, 40.5k miles. It was running beautifully this morning, and then the power just DIED.
It will idle, but not happily. It was barely driveable in a sort of "limp-home" mode, and made it to my house but did not have sufficient power to make it up the driveway into the garage. --300 miles on new fuel filter, screen, fuel pump, ig wires, plugs, rotor, cap --No warning lights --No strange noises or smells --No leaks --Engine looks ok - no visible disconnects --Gauges look ok --Fuel is at half (and the gauge works properly) --No load (in Neutral), can't get more than 1500 rpm
I am off to work and will return this afternoon - and really welcome some diagnostic help from the gurus!
Check your fuel pressure. Classic low fuel pressure indications.
If (when) you find it to be low first replace the fuel filter and see if that fixes it. If not then look at the fuel pump. This might be a leak in the fuel pump to fuel line hose.
[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 05-30-2014).]
It sat for about three hours - and still won't run. It's apparently not temperature-dependent.
I'm about to borrow a fuel pressure gauge from AZ... that's what it feels like. It could be power to the pump, though it obviously could be the pump itself.
I really HATE the prospect of dropping the tank in my garage, without a lift.
What should the FP be with engine OFF, key ON, and 12V?
[This message has been edited by notaguru (edited 05-30-2014).]
I really HATE the prospect of dropping the tank in my garage, without a lift.
If the pump is the issue, It's not really that bad of a job. I only raised one side of my car, with a floor jack, and placed it on jack stands. Took me a couple of hours by myself. The biggest issue is the weight of the gas. At least you are only at half a tank. I dropped mine just after I had filled it.
Originally posted by jimbolaya: If the pump is the issue, It's not really that bad of a job. I only raised one side of my car, with a floor jack, and placed it on jack stands. Took me a couple of hours by myself. The biggest issue is the weight of the gas. At least you are only at half a tank. I dropped mine just after I had filled it. Jim
That's nothing, try replacing the tank in my 94 suburban with half a tank of gas, the dam thing holds 41 gallons of gas. I had to put a floor jack under my tank to drop that after putting a 3'x3' peace of half inch plywood between the jack saddle and tank. not a bad idea for any tank removal is 4 jack stands and the plywood between the tank and the floor jack. it makes life a lot easier.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
The first thing to check when it suddenly dies is the ignition module in the distributor. You should ALWAYS carry a spare as they fail at any time without any warning. Sometimes they will restart after a while, sometimes not. If you dont have a spare, take it out and have it tested. If it tests good, spend the money for a spare anyway and put it in. 75% of the time it will fix it. People aways seem to overthink problems. Start with easy things first.
[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 05-31-2014).]
On this car, fuses and ICM are all ok, and there are no codes. AZ lent me a fuel pressure test kit (and sold me a spare ICM), and I found that pressure is jumping from 0 to 10psi, instead of a proper 40psi or so. I checked wiring and connections as much as possible, and found no problems.
The screen and the fuel filter are both quite new, and the tank itself was just cleaned and internally coated.
That leaves THE PUMP (also new, but to my regret I had picked a cheap one).
Fuel pumps can fail prematurely if the voltage at the pump is low.
The connector on the wire to the pump can be bad. I saw this on an S10 and had the damn tank down 4 times before we finally got it figured out that the connector was loose. I figured that out by knocking the tank with the heel of my hand made the pump run/stop/run.
That's nothing, try replacing the tank in my 94 suburban with half a tank of gas, the dam thing holds 41 gallons of gas. I had to put a floor jack under my tank to drop that after putting a 3'x3' peace of half inch plywood between the jack saddle and tank. not a bad idea for any tank removal is 4 jack stands and the plywood between the tank and the floor jack. it makes life a lot easier.
Steve
I feel your pain. I had a 1998 Suburban with the same tank. $500 job from a mechanic. The second time around I did it myself by cutting a hole in the floor above where the fuel pump is housed. Sealed it back up with some tape and foam afterwards.
