After Installing a Racetronix Fuelpump in my 3.8L Firebird, it wont run.
04-20-2011, 07:53 PM
#1
After Installing a Racetronix Fuelpump in my 3.8L Firebird, it wont run. As the title says.
My mechanic installed the pump. When I got the car, I cranked it and it had a hard time starting, then the second try, it started okay and I drove it off onto the interstate. When I got on the highway, I felt a HUGE LOSS in power. I completely lost 3rd to 2nd downshift, it surged and loped and had no accelleration and bogged down... it didn't exactly misfire though. Well when I got off the highway, my hood exploded into steam and antifreeze blasted all over the engine, I lost all my coolant and couldn't get a tow truck so I had to baby it to my sisters house, in which time it overheated.
I am not sure if I blew a headgasket or not but I saw smoke coming out the back of the car, but this could have also been antifreeze bleeding down onto the hot engine and coming from the BOTTOM of the car and not my exhaust...
A few weeks after the incident, I tried to crank my car to see if it would even run. The starter would turn and turn and nothing would happen... then sometimes it would idle VERY rough for about 3 seconds and die again...
ANYWAY, That happened in January.
A few days ago we started looking over and diagnosing my car... I found where the antifreeze came from, a faulty coolant elbow exploded. I replaced it, no more antifreeze leak.
Checked the fuel pressure just by pulling the line (putting a gauge to it tomorrow) and it looked to be ATLEAST 30 PSI.
Checked the compression and it tested fine.
Hand turned the crank with a wrench and it turns fine with no resistances...
meaning the headgasket might be okay...
Then we tried to crank it. It cranked okay... drove it but once again, no power, just like it was when I got it out the shop, it bogged and loped and hesitated. Then we got it back and tried to crank it again...this time it wouldn't even start... Later on we got it started... but one thing we noticed is whenever we try to crank it excessively, we can smell gasoline in the engine bay... Is this normal?
What do you think is wrong here? Is it possible that the Racetronix pump is TOO MUCH for my 3.8L and causing it to run rich and dumping too much wet fuel on my spark plugs, fowling them out?
My mechanic installed the pump. When I got the car, I cranked it and it had a hard time starting, then the second try, it started okay and I drove it off onto the interstate. When I got on the highway, I felt a HUGE LOSS in power. I completely lost 3rd to 2nd downshift, it surged and loped and had no accelleration and bogged down... it didn't exactly misfire though. Well when I got off the highway, my hood exploded into steam and antifreeze blasted all over the engine, I lost all my coolant and couldn't get a tow truck so I had to baby it to my sisters house, in which time it overheated.
I am not sure if I blew a headgasket or not but I saw smoke coming out the back of the car, but this could have also been antifreeze bleeding down onto the hot engine and coming from the BOTTOM of the car and not my exhaust...
A few weeks after the incident, I tried to crank my car to see if it would even run. The starter would turn and turn and nothing would happen... then sometimes it would idle VERY rough for about 3 seconds and die again...
ANYWAY, That happened in January.
A few days ago we started looking over and diagnosing my car... I found where the antifreeze came from, a faulty coolant elbow exploded. I replaced it, no more antifreeze leak.
Checked the fuel pressure just by pulling the line (putting a gauge to it tomorrow) and it looked to be ATLEAST 30 PSI.
Checked the compression and it tested fine.
Hand turned the crank with a wrench and it turns fine with no resistances...
meaning the headgasket might be okay...
Then we tried to crank it. It cranked okay... drove it but once again, no power, just like it was when I got it out the shop, it bogged and loped and hesitated. Then we got it back and tried to crank it again...this time it wouldn't even start... Later on we got it started... but one thing we noticed is whenever we try to crank it excessively, we can smell gasoline in the engine bay... Is this normal?
What do you think is wrong here? Is it possible that the Racetronix pump is TOO MUCH for my 3.8L and causing it to run rich and dumping too much wet fuel on my spark plugs, fowling them out?
04-20-2011, 10:19 PM
#2
You never mentioned why you changed the fuel pump. It sounds like you may have had other problems instead of the pump.
Sounds like the pump is working, but you need a gauge on it.... this will prove what is happening.
With all the overheating, power loss & other problems, further diagnosis will be required.
Sounds like the pump is working, but you need a gauge on it.... this will prove what is happening.
With all the overheating, power loss & other problems, further diagnosis will be required.
