i have an 88 305 tpi with 255k on it. i drove it almost out of gas and barely made it to the gas station, (my gas gauge doesnt work) i filled it and drove it home about 3 miles away and it was running crappy. i took it for a spin the next day and it was running fine but then quickly died less then a mile away. i let it sit for 2 minutes and was able to start it up and get it home. now it wont idle for more than 20 seconds and it sounds like someone just turns the car off, (runs fine for those 20 seconds, nice smooth idle and then quickly cuts out.) im getting gas to the rail. (i havent checked the injectors yet) im getting spark. its not overheating either. im absolutely stumped and im about to cave an tow it to a shop. can anyone please give me something else to try? im honestly open to any suggestions. the only thing thats out of my skill set is the electrical components and the vacuum lines. i just dont understand it well but if someone could walk me through it id be willing to try it.

 

Probably sucked up a lot of crap when fuel ran out, check filter. Or burned up fuel pump as they need gas to cool them.

 

yea i replaced the fuel filter, and i can hear the pump prime before i start it so i assumed that means its still working. and would a loss of fuel cause the engine to cut out so abruptly? it thought it would sputter and then die. its dying real quickly now like someone just turned it off.

 

Once fuel pressure drops below pressure regulated pressure it probable will die. Question is, can you hear pump run after it dies and does it prime right away again and restart. It also could be the pressure regulator. Get a pressure gauge and put on fuel rail should have around 45 psi and slightly less i believe running. You have verified spark now you need to verify fuel and only way to do that is pressure gauge. You need the kind that screws on thefitting that looks like a tire valve stem. they are pretty cheap and Autozone lends them out for free.

 

im on my way out now to rent one. ill let you know. (and no i dont think it primes right after it dies again, i cant hear it re-prime at least)

 

so i tested the pressure and before i turn the engine over but have the key turned and i hear my pump priming it reads around 20psi but the second i dont hear the pump working it drops to 0psi. isint it supposed to stay primed? and when i start the car the pressure works its way up to 40psi. then the second the car dies it drops to 0psi. shouldnt it maintain pressure all the time? and its not like the pressure is lost and then the car dies. they both go simultaneously.

 

Pump is shot, replace it with a deco unit.

 

did you mean delco? if so which one should i go with? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACF-EP241/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACF-EP386/
and i know its a real pain in the *** to change the pump. any tips? the people before me actually cut the sheet metal above the tank to get to it. i guess it was replaced once before. but i still cant get it one cause i have metal lines and i cant get the pump out without severely bending the lines. (i dont know how the previous owner got it out.) would it be better to cut the lines and just fit on some rubber lines with hose clamps?

 

No!!! never replace high pressure fuel lines with rubber hose. Unless you hate your car that bad.

 

I agree pump is probably bad as even 40 psi is not enough to run. Are you sure you replaced fuel filter? Pressure regulator may be bad but you won't know until you get pressure to it and it holds. I also agree that you need to get a name brand pump because as you know, it is not easy dropping the tank enough to get at lines to replace.

 

Yea I meant delco, if your prerssure drops instantly like that its the pump, and I agree with utilityguy only drop the tank once! AC DELCO EP241 is the part number, I bet they changed it to an airtex pump (junk), let us know how it works out.

 

hahaha no i dont hate my car. if i did i woulda junked it a long time ago. its one thing after the other with this thing. but i love my car and i like learning new things about engines an stuff. and i didnt necessarily mean rubber. could i get like some nice flex hose or something? i just want something that has some bend to it.

 

Stainless braided fuel line with AN fittings work well and are safe.

 

alright. so in your opinion would it be worth it to just change the lines? or to drop the tank.

 

started dropping the tank today. so far so good. its taking a while but only ran into one stubborn bolt. i disconnected the exhaust, shocks, took out the springs, disconnected the traction bar and sway bar. lowered the rear. im planning on doing my brake shoes and painting my axle while everything is apart. any suggestions? i have pics of the work ive done so far. ill post them when i get a chance.

 

In my experience if you unbolt the LCA's and take the driveshaft out it usually moves enough to squeeze the tank out. If I am taking the rear out you better belive new parts are going in other than a fuel pump. Also this is a perfect time to replace your fuel level sending unit, chances are thats the reason your gauge doesn't work right

 

right? that's what I'm saying. i already have eibach sportline springs, hotchkis lca's, LCA relocation brackets adj. panhard bard, sway bar, and flowmaster exhaust. i could use a nice pair of shocks too but my budget is kind of tight until spring/summer (i work at a pool company) but that's a great idea to replace the fuel sending unit. i already have rear brakes i just haven't gotten around to putting them in, and my axle is in pretty rough shape. it looks all rusty so I'm gunna sand it down and give it a nice paint job. heres a few pics of my progress.... its just me and my trusty dusty hanes handbook so if anythings obviously out of place or done wrong let me know.

this is what i came across when i puled the carpet off.... i still dont know how they got it out though because it still wont come out more than an inch before the lines start to bend.

exhaust is off, shocks are out. traction bar is.... well the bolt snapped so i have to drill it out, hammer it, heat it, ect.

through the drivers side wheel well

 

I'm sure someone will chime in about removing the tank unit as the lines need to be disconnected before removal. But having never done it on that car I don't have that experience. One thing I would suggest, is to make sure you test both the pump and the gauge before putting everything together to make sure it is working.

 

make sure your connections are good and clean, good ground ect...

 

so im in the middle of replacing my pump amd the dicretcions tell me to redo all the wiring if it doesnt match what i have exactly. i think it does but im not 100% sure. all my connections look good. and also, i have a pulsator on the fuel feed line. does the pump and the fuel feed line get connected by just the pulsator? because its anything but and air tight connection. they just loosely fit into the polsator. and i went a little overboard with the spray paint and repainted a few things. it looks pretty good. ill post pics tonight

 

What are you calling a pulsator?

 

i guess i should have snapped a pic before i put it in. idk really what it is. they called it a pulsator in the directions. this is the pic off the internet, http://images1.carpartsdiscount.com/...p_pulsator.jpg

 

Interesting! I have never seen one but after a little research it is in the fuel line just after the fuel pump and connects to fuel line in the tank. Purpose, to buffer some of the noise from the fuel pump. Seems it is a common source of failure as it leaks and then no pump pressure even though pump is still good. Lots of mechanics throw them away and replace it with a piece of 5/16 fuel injection grade rubber line and stainless clamps.

 

Thats gotta be the reason I have never seen one either

 

Mines long gone. I took my car 45 minutes away and it drove perfectly and then all of the sudden it dies as I'm pulling into an Advance. I let the car sit for 5 minutes and it would start and run for 30 seconds and die. You could hear the pump start cutting out and then stop and then the car would die about 2 seconds later or run really rough and then die. We put a fuel pump in it and replaced the pulsator with rubber hose and no problems and I haven't noticed any noises.

 

well.... here we go again. the fuel pump is installed and working and the rear is completely back together and i go to start it and it wont turn over..... the starter skipped off the flywheel a few times but when it lines up right it wont turn the flywheel. i can hear it trying to turn it and ever 3 seconds itll get a pump out and turn the flywheel a little and then jams again. i dont know what could be wrong because i didnt touch anything past the drivshaft at all and i had it started up on jack stands yesterday. everything was working just fine and now this. im almost done with this car...

 

Dead Battery? or severly flooded egine. Can you turn engine by hand? Turn headlights on. Do they go out when trying to start?

 

i think i just flooded the engine becasue today i tried to start it and it turned over fine. i dont think i solved the problem though because my fuel pressure reaches 40psi when it primes but the second i cant hear it priming anymore it drops back to 0. i havent noticed any leaks so i dont think thats the problem. what else could it be? im leaning towards a fuel pressure regulator.

 

now im leaning towards a stuck fuel injector. cause i keep losing my prime in the pump so the fuel is leaking somewhere and since i keep flooding the engine i think its leaking through an injector and filling my cylinder causing the hydro lock. someone told me i have to pull the spark plugs to see if i find a wet one and thatll will be the bad injector but cant i just put an ohm reader into the injector to see if its busted? they should all read .17 right?