Mmmmmm its xmas and my blessed Camaro just wont run.

It suddenly died on me on Xmas eve and the recovery people told me that the fuel pump was shot.
3 tow trucks and 320 miles later i finally got it home.
The engine will crank over and the fuel pump works as i have had it out and tested it.
The coil pack seems to be ok, but the fuel lines in the engine bay dont seem to have alot of pressure ( is this normal? ).
The car will fire for a second on first attempt and then will not fire at all on subsequent start attempts.

The car itself is an '88 2.8i v6
Has anyone got any ideas as my brain is beginning to hurt and that large hammer looks more inviting!
Please save me and save my beloved car from my frustration, oh and by the way happy xmas and a great new year to everyone!

thanks

 

You already dropped the tank and took out the fuel pump?

The fact that the pump motor runs doesn't mean the pump is pumping. Low pressure in the lines under the hood pretty much confirms that, although actually putting a gage on it would be a better test.

 

Thanks fo rthe fast reply!

As for dropping the tank some smarty wotsit decided to cut out a hole in the panel above the tank so that access could be gained, so the car itself has been messed with previously.

As for the gauge test i dont have access to that sort of equipment but i didnt think that it was right being so low pressure, the fuel literally dribbles out!

Do 3rd gens suffer with pump problems as a rule? I know certain cars have generic faults ie a certain model might suffer with rust problems in a particular area.

Once again thanks for the reply youre pulling me back from the edge of automotive suicide!

 

Its the fuel pump or a clogged line/filter- but fuel pump is much more likely. It sucks that you have the door because you could do the swap on the side of a road and save all that towing. If you don't have the tools to have it tested, then borrow/buy/rent them if you plan on fixing it yourself. -You can't paint without brushes-


FWIW I've seen a fair share of these pumps going- its not necessarily a problem as much as its just old age. I think a 15-20 year old fuel pump has done its job- knock on wood since mine's still strong.

 

Well its looking more and more like the pump!

As for tools i have the basic stuff so changing it wont be neaely as much of a problem as locating a new one! lol.

Mmmmm in line filters without being too rude or cheeky but whereabouts are these located and are they easily replaced/ cleaned?

Sorry for all the daft questions but sometimes you be so close to something that you cant see the whole picture.

As for the towing thats already happened im just gratefull i joined a breakdown service.

Im starting to feel alot better its great to have you guys onside! The clouds of doom are disappearing, i just needed to have a different opinion and maybe some reassurance if im honest!

 

fuel filter is located on the drivers side, just forward of the rear wheel well on the bottom. if it is not rusted badly, they are easy to change. when you replace the pump, go ahead and replace the filter while you are at it. the garbage from the bad pump iis now in it.

 

There is also a pick-up "sock" filter on the pump. Replace that when you replace the pump.

 

Ha ha!

Another 3rd gen member has been saved from the ghosts of xmas breakdowns. And the car might have just been saved from a real good beating with a large hammer, "stop HAMMER TIME!" lol.

Thanks for your help ill let you know how i get on, when i source a pump and filter from over this side of the pond.

 

www.summitracing.com p/n EDL-17933, comes with everything needed for the in-tank part.

Unfortunately all they list for fuel filters are for Hondas.

If you can find other sources, the AC Delco # is GF481, Fram G3727, and Purolator F33144.

 

Five 7 kid , youre a star! I checked out the link and it looks good to me.

Thanks to all for their help and you never know this thread may have helped others that feel the need to "trash" their car when it refuses to start!

 

MMMM following on from this..... A UPDATE!

ive changed the fuel pump, as the old one was shot, ive also put a new fuel pump relay on the car, although im not sure that i was actually sold the right relay though!

But bless it , no go! The pump will still not run ( unless its wired directly to power as the feed to the pump has no power ) but when it is wired idependently the car will fire, rev almost to the red line instantly, but then die. I was told that this was because of the fuel relay, so this ( i believe has been changed ).

So back to square one as they say.
Does the fuel pump relay have 4 or 5 wires coming out of it?
Where abouts is the oil pressure switch ( according to the haynes manual it can cut the power to the pump if it thinks the engine has a low pressure ) ?
Any ideas? The Haynes manual isnt really helping as it shows three relays on the bulkhead but i only have two and the wiring diagram is different ( colour wise ) .
Oh well a lot to ask and read, thanks to everyone that helped before i really dont want to have to sell it as a non runner, id rather keep another 3rd gen on the road!

 

This is of a 305 TBI, but the idea is the same as far as wiring goes:



As far as the oil pressure switch, no, it cannot cut the fuel pump as it is wired in parallel with the fuel pump relay, rather than in series with it (the job of the oil pressure switch is to act as a back up to the relay. In the event the relay should fail, the oil pressure switch will continue to power the pump, given there is about 4 psi oil pressure to close the switch).

Back to sqaure one now: with the new pump, is it still the same thing of the car will only fire (does fire mean run?) for a few moments then die? When you turn the key to the on position, with the engone off (KOEO) do you hear the pump prime for 2 seconds and then turn off?

 

Thanks for the diagram!

As for "fire" yes i do mean "run".

The pump doesnt run when the ignition is turned on, it will only run when it is " hard wired " ( i put a seperate feed and earth to the pump to get it to work.

Im just really confused as the car will rev for a second to the red line and then die.

Mmmmmmmm sorry it makes me wish i had a carb on it!

 

Double check the relay. Another thing to check would be the fuel pump relay fuse up by the battery/fender. Up against the fender, near the battery and coolant overflow is the fuse for the fuel pump relay/ECM memory. If this blows out, the fuel pump relay will not recieve power - thus, no go. Should be in a weatherpack holder, inline design. Those 2 (relay and the fuse) are pretty much the last of the basics before things get sort of ugly.

When you hardwire the pump and it runs then dies, once it dies, do you hear the fuel pump still?

 

Stekman, thanks for the help first off.

The fuse seems to be ok, but it looks like someone had a go at the wiring at some point

As for the pump it runs constantly, this may seem a little daft but i have 4 fuel pipes coming out of where the pump sits, ie out of the top pf the mounting plate, in the haynes manual it shows three, i presume that the pump instead of pressurising the system and then cutting off, has a "fuel return" and therefore keeps running?

I think its getting ugly now!

You dont think it may be ECU trouble?

 

Sorry just read the reply again, i think the pump does stop when the engine dies.

 

You really need a fuel pressure gauge, you cannot properly diagnose fuel supply problems without the most important tool for the task. The gauge is not expensive.

You may want to check the oil pressure sender, sometimes they short out when they go bad and this will blow the fuse in the fuel pump side of the parallel circuit, or burn the fuel pump relay.

I know this is not a safety thing to stop the fuel pump in case of low pressure, but it does happen.

 

following on just checked the wiring to and from the fuel relay and thats fine.
Ran a supply to the asdl and it does run the pump, it does run continously even when the car runs and then dies.

 

Unless the V6's were wired differently for some reason than the V8's as far as fuel pump circuitry, because the ALDL powers the pump, that leads me to believe that the relay is functional as the the ALDL goes through the relay itself.

As far as powering the fuel pump circuit, that leaves the oil pressure switch and the ECM. The OPS is in parallel and requires oil pressure to be functional, so probably out of reason as to source.

Before you go jumping to faulty ECM, do a little probing at the fuel pump relay. Make sure there isn't an break in the fuel wiring itself, first. Over the weekend, I looked at a friends Firebird with a 2.8 and his FPR was on the firewall relay strip, farthest on the left. It had these wires on it: Tan/white, orange, orange, black/white, and green/white.

I would try putting a test light on the green/white wire (hooking to a ground) and turning the ign on. If you don't see it light up, go to the ECM and check the connections there. I don't know which connection it is at the ECM off hand, I will look it up at work tomorrow.

Assuming the light does NOT come on when you test the green/white wire, that narrows it down to either an open in the 465 wire, a bad connection at the ECM, maybe a bad ground, or a bad ECM.

 

Thankyou, ill get back to you! Its good advice and im gratefull for the help, speak soon!