prOject-IrOc

i just put in a new transmission. the tranny was shifting fine, and the car seemed to be running great. so I went out for a test drive and i was racing everything that pulled up next to me. Then i get on the highway racing this civic, and then the car just died. i coasted off the highway and pulled over to the side of the road. I tried to start it....it would start, but as soon as i would give it any gas, it dies immediately. Anyone know what this can be? i have looked everywhere for vacum leaks but i cant find any. If i put my hand over the throttlebody it will stay running just barely, but if i try to give it any gas at all it just bogs out and dies. i could really use some help guys. any ideas?


the car is a 90 IROC TPI L98 - smog deleted.

91rs4life

you may have fouled your plugs. Sounds like alot of racing. try replacing the plugs and for poops n giggles, replace the wires too. one of them may have hit the exhaust...or maybe a coupleof them. what kind of setup are you running? TPI? TBI? CARB?

Wow this post made me a senior member :::wipes a tear from his eye:::

prOject-IrOc

car has been sitting for a few months because it had a bad tranny. i changed plugs and wires about 1,000 miles ago. i checked all the wires, they seem fine. it seems like a air or fuel prob. i don't know really. im pretty lost. the car was running great, just died. now it wont stay running on its own. it i hold my hand over the tb it stays running for a few minutes....then just dies slowly.


.........?????

prOject-IrOc

update....now it won''t even start on its own.

ZZ28ZZ

Fuel filter plugged up?

prOject-IrOc

yah..i am going to go buy a new fuel filter tomorrow. i guess i will have to keep trying different things till i find the problem. if i have enough money i will by a fuel pressure gauge tomorrow. are they pretty easy to use? i havent used one before.

jpk91rs

Yeah, try the fuel filter and then the fuel pump. Can you hear the fuel; pump cycle when you turn on the key? Good luck.

prOject-IrOc

yeah i hear the pump coming on. man i hope its just the fuel filter...

prOject-IrOc

what else should i check?

prOject-IrOc

ok, so i went and bought a new fuel filter and some injector cleaner. i put the cleaner in and the car started up. it was running good for about a minute or so, then it started stumbling..and started to die. i definately think it is fuel pump/filter or an injector problem. i will put the filter on in a little while and see what happens. i will keep updating this post. any other ideas??

91rs4life

you may have to clean your injectors by taking them out and just let them sit in cleaner for a night. There may be a little glog in there but, do the filter first.

prOject-IrOc

ok so i changed the fuel filter (it was pretty clogged), but the car still won't start. i sprayed some starting fluid into the tb and it started but died right away. so obviously it's a fuel problem. so i went down to vatozone and picked up a $40 fuel pressure gauge. i came home and tested....

i hooked it up, turn the key on, and it went up to about 8psi. then we tried to start the car and it jumped up to about 20psi.
what does this mean? thanks again.

copperhead110

I'm an amatuer so get a 2nd opinion.

According to my manual, you should have about 9 to 13 psi for a TBI. The TPI V8 should have 34 to 47 psi.

This info is from the 88 factory service manual.

I suspect your fuel pump is tired.

prOject-IrOc

ok we tested it a few more times and when i turn the key on it stays at about 20-24 psi. fuel pump the only thing that would cause this?

ZZ28ZZ

Try squeezing the fuel press regulator fuel return line with some smooth jawed pliers at the rubber part kinda by the steering box.
If the press shoots up, the regulator is leaking internally. If the press doesn't shoot up, the fuel pump is probably bad. Might wanna check that the fuel pump is getting a full 12 volts when running too.

prOject-IrOc

how do i check the fuel pump voltage?

ZZ28ZZ

I don't remember exactly what the elec connector for the fuel pump looks like. Hopefully it's the type you can back-probe. It should be located somewhere between the fuel tank and drivers side exhaust pipe. That's where mine is anyway.

SKYBIRD

Is it the fuel pump test connector?? if so it's up near the master cylinder.

joshp14

Sounds like a dying fuel pump.

prOject-IrOc

the fuel pump was changed once on the damn car before. anyone have a diagram of how to test the voltage?

thatnx for your help guys...

Cwaterboy

I have 89 Camaro 305 TBI and mine was doing the same thing. I took it in and the mechanic told me that one of the electronic fuel injectors was bad and causing a connected fuse to blow. They would replace the fuse and it would blow again. So I had both injectors replaced and that fixed the problem.

prOject-IrOc

what fuse was it blowing? the injector fuse?

91rs4life

Check your resistance in your injectors. I believe they should test at either 12 ohms or 17 ohms. I forgot. I always get the SBC injector speds mixed up with my 2.8L inj. spec.

prOject-IrOc

well, i went out to start it last night...and it fired right up.

i took it for a couple tests drives and it is running great. i am not sure really what i did. i'm guessing the fuel filter had something to do with it. I checked my fuel pressure and it's at about 34 psi now. but oh well, she's on the road again. thanx for the help guys.

91rs4life

happy driving. just put some more injector cleaner in the tank next time you fill'er up. Don't need your injectors to go crappin out next.