I have an '88 Camaro ~305~5.0L~ with an attitude problem. She gets all upset and refuses to stay running. Sorry, let me be more specific...
About a week ago I ran outta gas,I think, the gauge said I had a few droplettes, luckily in front of my mechanics shop.. yeah I gots me some Chevy angels, and then then computer decided to not let her start again due the flood control issue onboard ( computer thang)
SO, I let her sit a day and then she fires right up like it never happened. So I drive it home, 4 miles about, and she stalls as I turn a corner to come onto my street.
So we drag her home and I leave her there outta disgust for abandoning me, for a week.
This afternoon, she fires right up, I take her no where. I leave her in the driveway, she idles for 5 minutes then kaputchka. She stalls again.
Ruled out?: *needing to boil out tank
*clogged fuel injectors
*clogged fuel filter
I know it isnt a dirty tank.. she was sitting still, or am I wrong?
I have not tried any expensive treatment yet hoping you fellow 3rd gen fans had some enlightenment for me.
Could it be vacumn? Catalytic conv.? Shell Oil gasoline( yecky junk...)
PLEASE help!!!

 

Need some more info.... like: Is this a TPI? TBI? What exactly does it not have when it won't start? No fuel? No spark? Seems like compression can be ruled out as a problem in this case....... What kind of mileage is on this thing? What kind of basic maintenance has been done to it and how long ago?

 

she is an '88
*305
*5.0 Litre
*105,000 miles
*got spark
*got starter trying desparately to start
*new plugs, rotor, wires last 100 miles
*got gas
*computer shuts down the gas flow/flood control thing
*I am not flooding when trying to start
( have tried but not making that mistake again FI'd ...)
*she will re set herself to start again probably by morning
*then she will promptly start and die all over again
*compression is great
* air in tires
* keys in ignition
( sorry had to put in required female response)

 

TPI or TBI?

You are saying that you have fuel and spark when it cranks but that really can't be the case..... Especially since the compression is not a possible cause with it running intermittently. You must be missing spark or fuel when it is acting up (not starting).

Are you referring to 'Clear Flood Mode' ? If so, the ECM will only go into that mode if you floor the throttle (> 70% throttle IIRC) while cranking the engine. At that point it will stop pulsing the injectors until it sees >400 rpm (IIRC) . So if you keep it pegged and cranking and it isn't flooded it won't start at all. But I really can't see how it would be going into CF Mode if you aren't stepping on the throttle while cranking the engine......

It *sounds* like an intermittently crapping out fuel pump to me at this point...... When it won't start but will crank and crank, have an assistant listen for the electical whirring (whine) of the fuel pump from the back of the car (or even through the filler tube).

Also, for future reference, running the tank empty or nearly empty is a good way to shorten the life of an in-tank fuel pump.

 

i'd see if it starts on either, check the fuel preasure and supply, check for spark with a spark checker

 

If it's a "she', of course it's going to have an attitude...

Regardless, please identify the fuel system,either TBI or TPI.

I think Matt87 is zeroed right in and is all over this one...

Incidenatlly, the only time a GM OBD-I ECM enters the "flood control" mode (called "clear flood") is when the accellerator is depressed enough to bring the TPS voltage up to 3.0VDC or greater at cranking. If you are not depressing the pedal at least halfway and holding it there while cranking, it is not in the clear-flood mode. Have you checked the fuel pressure?

 

Get ready to change your fuel pump. It's probably burnt to a crisp, like they usually are when the owner abuses them this way. The pump requires fuel to cool it and cannot survive for long without it.

I was the chief engineer for a major-market TV station for a while. We had a bunch of Brand F vans for our news microwave trucks. Those have a problem where the gas gauge goes bad, and reads full. So even though the News Dept. rule was that the photogs fill the truck back up when returning from a live, they always come up with a bunch of excuses for why they didn't... and the next guy jumps in, sees a full gas gauge, and makes it halfway to the next shoot before running out of gas. About 2 or 3 times of this is enough to toast the pump in those. One of ours had to have 3 warranty gas-gauge repairs - and pumps - in 2 years, from this precise sequence of events.

You use the same amount of fuel whether you drive around with your tank full or empty. It costs the same per gallon whether you buy 1 gallon or 10. Get used to the idea of leaving no less than ¼ tank in it, ever. There is no excuse for irresponsibility in this matter.

 

Bad injectors

Fuel pump

Fuel filter

Ignition control module

A few ideas.

 

ok.
so since it has been ***~u~me~d
that I am bumd (DUMB) enough to run outta gas,
( yet smart enough to find a F body gang listed under F BODY) & when of course I did write that I had about an 1/8th of a tank, may I add, was at the gas station, at my mechanic.( he is NOT a gas station mechanic, he is in a building adjacent to...)
Figured maybe I was reading gauge wrong due to pressure or the fact that my USUALLY perfect running automobile is experiencing some sort of menopausal moment, why do I get **** for running outta gas. DO any of you realize that I basically have been scolded, 4 times for running outta gas. Whatever.
I have NEVER in my life run outta gas before.
I have been driving for 27 years.
I have been working on cars and assisting a lucky husband restoring old chevy's
< currently our '51 panel> for years.
I just got let go for a ticket by CHP for 85 in a 45 , In fact I never get caught cleaning her out a high rate of speed, still no tickets after all these years, never wrecked a car either and I even installed my own Recaro SE's...Added this because TV man thought to stick in a self promo too
Thought I may find some union with F body people and now actually want to sell mine for fear that I may be in a group of :nono: Pontiac people. You make a person wanna by a '69 Boss 351 Mustang or worse yet... a 'Cuda with a 440 sixpack.
TOUCHE' ~~swoops and scores~~
To those of you that actually suggested things without a gender issue... TY very much
AND yes I have an attitude. You cannot drive a Camaro without one...

 

Not dumb.. just careless.

In a carbed car it'a minor inconvenience, in a FI car it's destructive. It gets a whole new level of seriousness.

You should have heard the ration I got from my significant other the last time I ran out of gas, first time in probably 10 years. I had the misfortune that she was there at the time. We coasted a mile to a gas station, just barely made it to a pump, we were late getting back from lunch.... that was 2 years ago, I haven't heard the end of it yet.

 

so then, the consensus is I have fried my fuel pump because I MAY have run out of gas?. Is it possible that I just need a computer reset? Cant there be crud in my tank floating around getting lodged someplace???
( hey I know old Chevy's not this FI crap)
If it is turning over NOW could my pump just be freakin' out? Damn fuel injected garbage.
I wish I had my 2nd gen now with the nice 327... long story saved for later...

For the record, the TI TB or T whatever means nothing to me... care to elaborate so I can answer the Q???
PS I really am selling her, I need four wheel drive for the snow, unless you all have a better idea than that to convert her with the subtraction of "chain" ideas. I already went through the 68 elCamino 4x4 project, I need a better idea...
~ChevyGirl~

:lala: :lala:

 

what's wrong with pontiacs?........wanna race?........didn't think so lol.

 

If your fuel pump is acting up, it will seem like your running the tank dry.
Put a fuel press gauge on it, start it, and see what happens.
If the press drops off, it could be the fuel pump, the fuel pump relay, or simply a bad connection somewhere. Hope for the latter..

TBI (Throttle Body Injection) looks a lot like a carb set-up.
TPI (Tuned Port Injection) has tubes wrapping around the intake and looks nothing like a carb set-up.
If your still not sure, search on Ebay for "TPI". They have lots of pics.

I don't know the exact fuel pressures, but
TBI fuel press runs around 12 PSI or so.
TPI runs around 40-50 PSI.

For the snow, there's always snow cables.
Just like chains but easier to deal with.
Studded tires would be good for the snow/ice, but they don't like dry pavement too much.

When I lived in N Cali and was going to Tahoe every weekend, I bought the cheapest 4wd truck I could find and put all terrain tires on it.
When I reached the "must have 4wd or snow chains sign", I merely hopped out, engaged the front hubs, hoped back in and smiled all the way up the mountain.
Putting on chains in the slush $ucks!!

 

Not all of us presumed that you ran it out of fuel, but we all can be blamed of ASSuming at times... And don't automatically believe that the fuel pump is toast. Just like with anything else, there should always be a little diagnosis before parts-changing. Some of us have learned and re-learned that the hard way.

On the "crud", yes, and I asked if you had tested the fuel pressure as an indication if you had a pump, pressure regulator, or filter problem.

As for the ECM "reset" it can be done but is not an issue for fuel pump operation, only driving parameters.

I'd like to hear about the 327. I had a '67, and thought that the 327 was only available in the FirstGens. Had somebody been tinkering? sounds interesting...

Regarding the "fuel injected garbage", these systems are functionally the same as the old Rochester RamJet injection systems installed on Corvette 327s in the mid-'60s. And under the "garbage" is the same old small block you are used to looking at, with all the same internals.

TBI = Throttle Body Injection. TPI = Tuned Port Injection.

The throttle body systems (TBI) resemble a carburetor with two injectors placed in the bores in the place where you would expect to see the secondary venturies. The injectors are fired electrically to emulate the fuel delivery of a carburetor.

They look like this:



Tuned Port systems (TPI) are substantially different, and have been described to resemble an aluminum spider "humping" the intake manifold. They use one injector per cylinder, again, electrically operated. They look like this:



The two systems use substantially different fuel pressures, and each system has it's own particular control system, wiring, and startup sequence.

Even if you are planning to sell the car, it probably would be a good idea to get it running first. I can't think of a better place for the enthusiast to get advice toward that end than here. Who knows? Once you get accustomed to the "Damn fuel injected garbage" you might realize its potential and actually like it. I've got a little 350 with the "garbage" that generally spanks on any BBC I encounter, let alone all it's small block victims. The new Corvettes and 'F' cars with the smaller V-8 and "garbage" tend to hold their own pretty well, too.

We old-timers didn't forget all we learned about the old SBCs, we're just applying it with the new systems to make them better - just like in the "old" days. You'd probably be able to do the same thing with your experiences.

Incidentally, if you have as much "experience" as some of us old farts, you'll remember that the "Better Idea" was a Ford slogan. In that case, a "better idea" probably won't be such a good one for you.

 

Where in Nor-Cal? lol.

 

i didnt read all of the posts but my 92 RS had the exact same problem and it was that my fuel pump was dead. I got it replaced and haven't had a problem since