First I have to say you guys have been great. I am so happy I found these forums lots of help to be found here, so thanks.

I was searching through the forums looking for problems similar to mine and one person said, i dont remember who, that if you smell gasoline in the vaccum tube that hooks up to the fuel pressure regulator then its bad.

And yes, I have fuel smell from the vaccumm line. Awhile ago when a couple of my injectors died and I had pulled the FPR off and looked at it. It appeared to be in good condition and my problem was in the fuel pump/injectors anyway. But now I'm getting a really hard to start car (1 year later). So since i only replaced 2 injectors last time I replaced the remaining 4 (and yes 2 of the remaining 4 had low resistance around 9ohms while the rest were around 12ohms). Well I got all excited because I fire my POS car up and its idling like glass and sounding very good. But I knew better then to start buying myself new toys because the very next day the start problems resurfaced. Although before it wouldn't start at all. Now it starts and dies very quickly with some stumbling. Or it starts stumbles and then idles fine. Until I drive around and shut it off in which I get to repeat the hard to start symptoms until I get it to run again.

Now my questions

Is the fuel smell in the vaccumm line really an indicator for a bad FPR?

If yes then is there any aftermarket FPR that I can buy to put on a 1991 Pontiac Firebird 3.1L? I ask because before when i pulled my FPR off i was going to replace it but none of the part stores carry it and the dealership does not sell it individually but as part of the fuel rail assembly which is 400+ dollars that I dont have.

I will try to check my fuel pressure in the morning I am sure that will be more helpful information for you guys but what specifically would indicate a bad FPR?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the lack of information up front its late!!

 

Sorry folks guess I didn't look hard enough. I found a fuel pressure regulator for the 3.1 as per this thread which I will post for the ease of others with similiar problems.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=217524

Please feel free to answer my other questions however.

 

Priming (pump on) 50PSI
Primed (Pump off) 45PSI
Engine running 40 - 45PSI

Not my regulator after all?

 

While the regulator is maintaining the correct rail pressures, it can still be leaking fuel past the diaphragm. If you are getting liquid fuel out of the vacuum fitting on the FPR, the regulator needs attention.

Once you get it repaired, remember to change your oil and filter so you aren't trying to lubricate your engine with gasoline.

 

No liquid fuel, just fuel smell. I tried hooking up a hand vaccumm pump up to the FPR to see if I could draw fuel out. No fuel again just a fuel odor.

 

to be safe i would replace it.. thier should be ablsoute not smell of gas in the vacum lines. your could ahve a a bad diaphram in your FPR and it's to small to let gas in but it lets vapor.. just replace it it's not that hard or expensive

 

If you are able to pump down and maintain a vacuum on the FPR, the diaphragm is probably O.K.