Was driving home from work, turned a corner, car started running like total crap. Backfiring, rough engine, dies. Manage to get it started, still runs like crap, until about 2k RPMs, above that its smooth. Died 3 times on the way home, but I did manage to nurse it home. There is no smoke out the exhaust.

Hooked it up to the scanner, pulling a code 44 (Lean O2). any suggestions as to what it might be? any help would be greatly appreciated.


Praying its a vacuum leak, but knowing my luck, probably not.

 

Start with checking your fuel pressure.

 

Cracked the fuel pressure line, fuel sprayed out. Cracked the return line, it leaked. Turned on pump again to "pressurize" , pushed on the shrader valve in the fuel rail- nothing. I am thinking Fuel Pressure Regulator went south.

 

Never done it that way how much spray per psi lol

 

Changed out the fuel filter. I was expecting some leakage, but it NEVER STOPPED coming out. Finally got it stopped (suffering from 1st degree chemical burns from the puddle of gasoline I was lying in right now). but I think this may be the factory original fuel filter.

 

Doesn't look oem

 

I am also curious as to why it never stopped leaking/seeping . I removed the gas cap prior to starting.

 

Gravity bleeding

 

Got it all put back together, no start. Bypassed the fuel pump relay, it sort of started, ran like crap for about 5 seconds then died. There is no residual pressure in the fuel rail (push the shrader valve, nothing comes out). Fuel Pressure regulator maybe?

 

Buy or rent a fuel pressure tester. If there is fuel in the vacuum line to the regulator the regulator would be ripped. Do a few fuel pump primes koeo with a fuel pressure gauge on.

 

Bought a fuel pressure gauge. Turn pump on-12 psi. Turn pump off- immediately 0 psi.

 

Put a new fuel pump in. Car now runs. O2 levels are all over the place and it has a miss. Oh well, the fun never stops.