Truck won't drive up hills!
A friend and I are working on getting his j-body back on the road. It is a 94.
It sort of chugged and ran, chugged and ran, until it eventually stopped. We could almost start it, but it instantly died.
We replaced the fuel pump with another one (used) from another tank.
That got it started to idle, but it would die again a minute or so later.
He looked in the cat, saw it was plugged solid from the unburned fuel getting to it and cracking up the grid, so he broke up the grid and emptied the cat. (he won't need to pass emissions).
Now, the truck will start and run without that problem.
Trouble is that the power is really weak. In fact, going up small hills, the engine will cut out and die, in any gear!! This isn't really driveable!
What does this now? I (we) are just stumped. Is the replacement pump too weak? Does the empty cat give the MAP a false reading and less fuel to the injectors?
Please help!!
I said truck, I was thinking of a different vehicle that also has problems. I meant car, of course.
What do the plugs look like? check resistance of the plug wires too.
Plugs are new!!!
Car ran no real problems like this before it conked out!
Maybe bad (year -old ) gas?
Rich Grayo Jr. wrote:chocolate pudding.
mmmmmmmmmmm Chocolate pudding...
Got Chevy? wrote:Rich Grayo Jr. wrote:chocolate pudding.
mmmmmmmmmmm Chocolate pudding...
lol, but the gas could do it, and just check the fuel pressure on it, make sure the pump and filter are good.
03 Sunfire - Sold.
I will, do you think there could be damage to the pump or pressure regulator if I put fuel injector cleaner in it... more than the recommended dose (like 1/3 tank and a full bottle?
Compression of 120, 90, 160, and I didn't get a chance to do the 4th one.
Is this the reason it doesn't drive?
My suggestions;
Step one;
Get some new gas and dump it in the tank. It will probably sputter for a bit until you hit some decent gas flowing again.
Step two;
Check pressure in the fuel rail. There is a small nipple on the fuel rail that has a top on it that looks roughly like a tire valve stem. Turn the vehicle to the ON position, but do not start it. Press that nipple down with a screw driver and see how well it is flowing, if you get a constant stream you are good. If not, either the fuel filter is clogged or the fuel pump is bad, or a pinched line or something to the like.
Step three;
Make sure the spark plugs are all gaped correctly and firing
Step four;
Reset the ECU by taking both battery terminals off of the battery and touch them together for about 10 seconds.
This discharges all the electricity in the capacitors and resets it's self to factory specs.
I suggest doing that because if you were driving on extremely low octane (stale) gas, the ECU may have compensated, retarded the timing and is dumping way too much fuel into the cylinders causing it to flood the engine.
Also, you may have an issue with that second cylinder. Compression tests on health vehicles should be with in +-20% or each other.
You may have a blown head gasket / valve seal / piston ring or something to the like going on there...
this might sound like a long shot, but once upon a time, we had a truck that couldn't do hills. Spent a rediculous amount of time [read: money] trying to figure out what it was.
Finally replaced the gas tank and it turns out an old filter had fallen in and was floating around. When we went uphill, it would block the fuel pump. Once it was back on flat ground it floated out of the way and all was good again...
Not really sure how you could see if there's something floating around in there but, I like thinking outside the box...
I love deadlines, I especially like the whooshing sound
they make as they go flying by.
