fbodyfreek

i've been posting about all week, but my car has been shutting off randomly and having trouble starting. the motor turns over but it won't fire. i've been thinking maybe VATS, but it still acts up even with the other key and from what i understand if the theft system were the problem the motor wouldn't even be turning. sooo, last night i was seeing a friend of mine at her dorm and when i went to leave the car wouldn't start and i sat there and tried it periodically for like an hour, but it was late so i just got a ride home. went back with my dad today and checked it out. when we sprayed ether into the intake elbow it would attempt to fire up. so then we decided that the problem was it wasn't getting fuel. so we replaced the fuel filter hoping that was it, but still no fire. so now would it be safe to assume that it is the fuel pump? there's 107k miles on the motor and to my knowledge its never been replaced. thanks.

DVS99TRANS

iTrader: (7)

Do you hear the fuel pump prime before starting???
Optispark bad???

This will make a mess but get a bucket, pull the fuel filter and put the key to ON, and don't start it. If fuel comes out, pump is good.

My buddy's optispark just went bad in his 97 SS. His motor will crank and started it so much that he could smell gas in his tail pipe. I assume you can't smell any gas???

fbodyfreek

correct, i don't hear the fuel pump prime. but it's weird because i tried to get it to start for about 3hrs. while doing all that stuff but when i spoke to my mechanic last night he told me he drove it off the roll-back. so i don't even know what's happening any more.

DVS99TRANS

iTrader: (7)

Could be something like a bad relay or ground also??? I would really like to hear the outcome. It does sound like a fuel pump, being very intermitting is definitely wierd.

fbodyfreek

i spoke to him today and he said he would try replacing the fuel pump first. he did say that sometimes there's just a bad spot on the gear that operates it and it takes a while to get back to the bad spot. that would seem to make sense. but he also told me that he's been replacing a lot of fuel pumps lately and is beginning to wonder if the increase in ethanol content in the gas has anything to do with it. i thought that was interesting to think about.

fbodyfreek

it was the fuel pump. he said when he pulled it out it was fried. so now i've got a granetelli 255. it pulls a helluva lot harder. i love it, haha.

DVS99TRANS

iTrader: (7)

Great on getting it up and running again. I hate having the 1999 down