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Tech / General EngineIs your car making a strange sound or won't start? Thinking of adding power with a new combination? Need other technical information or engine specific advice? Don't see another board for your problem? Post it here!
I have a 1987 Trans Am Special Edition (whatever that means) with a stock 5.0 and Borla exhaust. I bought it new in '87 and it's been sitting in my garage for almost 20 years. I spend more money on batteries than gas. I try to start it when I can, and drive it in the winter (sometimes) here in Florida to avoid the love bugs and summer rain storms because it looks so nice. When I do drive it, people ask me what kind of car it is and if it's brand new. I don't see any 3rd gen cars in Vero Beach, Fl.
Recently I replaced the rubber aero spoiler with a fiberglass spoiler and the guy who I hired to paint it wanted to see the car to match the paint. The drive to the paint shop was only about 5 miles but the car ran like crap. I had to keep it in 2nd gear to keep the RPM's high so it wouldn't stall.
When I got home I checked the fuel pressure because it seemed like it was starving for fuel. Fuel pressure was 40 and immediately went to zero when I shut off the engine. The regulator seems fine. I replaced the fuel filter but it wasn't that bad. The gas wasn't great but what I pulled from the tank runs my lawnmower just fine. I pulled the fuel tank to replace the fuel pump and clean the tank.
I'm hoping someone can give me a roadmap on what I should change/replace to make this a reliable car (fuel pump type, gaskets, injectors, etc.).
Looks like a nice car. I'm assuming it is a TPI motor since your fuel pressure is 40psi (carburated would be a lot lower). I think you are on the right track looking at the fuel system. I would also make sure all of your tune up components (plugs, wires, cap/rotor) are good and timing is correct (although may be hard to check that if it won't idle).
You said you pulled the tank, cleaned it out and replaced the fuel pump. Have you put it back together with fresh fuel and tried to run it? Running a 1/2 tank of good fuel through it may loosen up sticky injectors and might start running better. If no improvement after driving it a bit, my next step would probably be to replace the fuel injectors and fuel pressure regulator. If the injectors are original, it's probably time to replace them anyway, but bad fuel can definitely gum them up.
Thanks for the feedback. It is a TPI motor. I pulled the tank and cleaned it but I'm waiting on parts to put it back together. The injectors are original so I'm replacing them too. The fuel was as orange as a pumpkin.
Yeah, orange fuel...no good. About all that’s good for us lighting off the fire pit, if it will even burn.
Cleaning the tank, replacing the fuel pump makes sense.
Replace the injectors, fuel pressure regulator and the fuel rain seals while you are in there. You can get all of those parts from South Bay Fuel Injectors. They are a sponsor on this site. The Delphi injectors are the closest to stock replacements and don’t require any retuning. The Bosch injectors are a good product and are less expensive, but they need tuning to run correctly, so in the end are not really cheaper.
As was also stated, make sure to flush the existing fuel lines out while you have it apart.
12-16-2020, 06:07 PM
Don't forget to flush the fuel lines as well. 
