YEAR: 1987

SUBMODEL: IROC-Z 350 TPI

TRANSMISSION: Automatic

MILES: 74k on chassis, new GM short block with only 11k

PROBLEM: Car won't start or turn over. Smells strongly of fuel. Fuel pressure regulator seems to be leaking fuel out of the small hole on the regulator cap. Not sure if that's what's causing the problem.

MAINTENANCE: I just had new fuel injectors put into the car at a shop and they said they put some kind of material in the fuel pressure regulator to stop the very small leaking a few weeks ago. New battery and alternator. Cost me a whopping $1200 just for the fuel injectors!!! I'm broke now!

WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO TRY AND FIX THE PROBLEM: My car ran fine half of the day. I get home and shut it off, come back 15 mins later and car will not start and will not turn over. I hear NO sound at all when I turn the key, all I see is the brake light turn on, the engine temp gauge move to the top and the battery meter move up. The fuel pump primes sometimes, not all of the time. Even when it does, car still does nothing when I try to start it. I smell a pretty strong smell of gasoline and pop the hood. I looked at the fuel pressure regulator and I see fuel coming out of the very small hole the regulator has on the cap, as well as fuel leaked within that general area. Could this be causing the problem? Maybe not getting any fuel pressure or something?

Please I need help! Ever since I bought this car, it has drained me of all the money I had saved up. I just need it to run right now, and I will be selling it asap even if I have to take a small loss. Thanks to anyone who helps me out.

 

Bump. Help please! I searched, but couldn't find a situation like mine. I don't even know how I'm going to get places without a car...

 

Sup fellow Wisconsinite?

My 1991 Z/28 did the same thing last October before I put her away. You blew out the diaphragm in the fuel pressure regulator. Thats where the fuel from the reg is coming from. I got one from advance auto, you'll need a security torx bit to get the eight bolts out to get the cap off. I think it's a T-4? It's a little sucker.

The not turning over... Thats another issue that could go down multiple paths. The only way to correct a fpr is to replace it or the bladder. Not a miracle fix in a can.

 

does it click or anything when you try to start it? You could make sure ur getting 12v to the starter solenoid it would be the top big post. If you are see if you are getting 12v to the small stud on the starter should be a purple wire. If you arent then its a wiring issue somewhere. If you are see if you are getting 12v out of the bottom big stud on the starter solenoid if you are then the starter is bad. If you dont but you get 12v from the purple wire you could try crossing the 2 big posts and if it turns over the solenoid is bad and you can either replace just the solenoid or the whole starter easier just to do the whole starter.

 

Thanks guys for your input!

Yes, the fuel is coming out of the regulator and I kinda figured it had something to do with the diaphragm. I will probably just be replacing the entire regulator.

As far as the turning over thing...there is pretty much no sound at all when I turn the key. No clicks at all. Nothing. Getting the car towed Monday. I'll be selling this car as soon as I get it fixed. Hopefully can even trade for something more economical/reliable.

 

Ok, i left the car to sit overnight. Now for some reason it started right up with no problem at all. Seems to have problems starting only when the car is warmed up for a while and when the fuel pressure regulator is really leaking gas. Otherwise, it starts when cold. What the heck is going on?

 

The warm start issue could be from a high resistance starter wire but not really sure. And it will be hard to start when the fpr is leaking because it's essentially 'flooding' the engine. When I moved mine I had to push my accelerator to the floor and keep the butterflies open to get her to start.

 

The car is now in the shop. I was able to start it this morning with no problem. We tried starting the car again at the shop and it started again, but it had a little bit of a hard time starting that time and of course the regulator was starting to leak again. The aftermarket adjustable fpr in it now will be replaced with a stock one. Hopefully it will fix the problem. I just want my car back...wonder how much they'll charge me this time. I'm not exactly mechanically inclined.

 

Well, the fuel pressure regulator is now fixed. They just put in a new diaphragm and there's no leaking problem anymore. Car starts up alright, however...as soon as I get near my house 5 mins down the road, the car dies in the driveway. I start it up again with not much trouble, then as I am driving it back to the shop, the car feels like it's going to die constantly and the SES light blinks every time it's about to die on me. I had to restart the car 10 times on my way to the shop. I showed him what it was doing...while the car idles, it would start to stumble and then eventually shut off. Now I can't drive my car...AGAIN.

All of this is happening pretty much at the toughest point in my life...figures...

 

Car has been in the shop for a week and a half now and they diagnosed it with a bad ECM. They got the car to die every now and then. While they would drive, the SES light would come on intermittently and then the car would seem to start to stumble each time it would go on, but run fine again after the light goes away. It's weird how sometimes the car would be running perfectly for a while, but all of a sudden do the same thing again. Anyway, they said it was a bad ECM, does anyone else think otherwise?