LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

fuel pressure questions

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Old May 12, 2010 | 08:14 PM
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i have been batteling some fuel pressure problems, and i have a new racetronix pump in the car with a new filter. but the fuel pressure is not consistant and can be anywhere from 20psi to 46 psi. the car always starts and runs. could this be the relay or is ith the regulator? is it posible to have the fuel lines backwards? i think the fuel rail is off of a 94, is it different than the 97?
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Old May 12, 2010 | 09:42 PM
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It could posibly be the regulator. Is it the stock one?

I think the fuel rails from 94 thru 97 are the same. From what I understand the 93's are different tho.
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Old May 12, 2010 | 09:52 PM
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It won't be the relay. If it was bad you'd have no pressure and the pump would either run or not.

You could have a leaky injector or the FPR could be bad. Pull the vacuum line off the regulator and look for fuel out the back with the system primed and/or running. A leaky injector is also easy to diagnose - pull up the fuel rails with the injectors still attached and prime the fuel system. Any leaky injectors will drip fuel.
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Old May 12, 2010 | 10:54 PM
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ok thanks for the replies, it is the stock type regulator. i changed it once and thought it fixed my problem but the fuel pressure is down again. would a leaky injector really make the fuel pressure that low? it runs around 13.2 to 1 afr at idle
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Old May 13, 2010 | 10:10 AM
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anyone?
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Old May 13, 2010 | 10:23 AM
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Yes It's a leak If it is hung open then you wont build the right pressure. You should see a sign of this on the plugs or in a data log. It should be picked up by one of the O2's.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 10:39 AM
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I would suspect the FPR, but you have already replaced it. So I would ask if you are having voltage issues. If the power to your fuel pump is not constant, that could cause fluctuations. How's your alternator? Sometimes when an alternator is going out the system voltage flutters. Also check fuel pump wiring. Make sure it's not loose or rubbing, etc.

I also second the motion that you check for a leaky injector (s) as yet another possible problem source.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by jaycenk
Yes It's a leak If it is hung open then you wont build the right pressure. You should see a sign of this on the plugs or in a data log. It should be picked up by one of the O2's.
ok, would leaky injectors make the car idle higher too? on fisrt start up tho i have to give it several revs before it will start to idle. otherwise it just dies
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Old May 13, 2010 | 12:59 PM
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Well You have to look at the engine enviorment factors like is it cold start, is it hot start, or warm start that it wil do that. The best way to tell is to look at the O2 readings. If one is stuck open you should have some kind of miss fire history and when the O2 starts being used once the engine and o2 are up to temp you should see a rich condition on one bank with the PCM cuting back on fuel trim and timing being adjusted. The other bank should look just fine. I say scan it and see if there are signs of an injector stuck open. A data log with a trained eye will be able to tell you if it is an injector stuck open or not.
Another way to check for a leaky injector is pull the fuel rail with injectors still atached out of the intake and presureize the system with all of the injecotrs still in the rail. If you have one stuck open it will spray.
What kind of FP regulator did you replace your stock one with? Did you pull the vac line to make sure it holds at 43 to 46psi? I would run the car with the fuel pressure gage hooked up and cap the vac line that runs to the regulator and see if it holds good pressure.
Check your voltage at the pump wire harness to make sure you keep good voltage there while the pump runs. Another is to make sure you got the feed line from the pump hooked up right inside the tank.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by jaycenk
Well You have to look at the engine enviorment factors like is it cold start, is it hot start, or warm start that it wil do that. The best way to tell is to look at the O2 readings. If one is stuck open you should have some kind of miss fire history and when the O2 starts being used once the engine and o2 are up to temp you should see a rich condition on one bank with the PCM cuting back on fuel trim and timing being adjusted. The other bank should look just fine. I say scan it and see if there are signs of an injector stuck open. A data log with a trained eye will be able to tell you if it is an injector stuck open or not.
Another way to check for a leaky injector is pull the fuel rail with injectors still atached out of the intake and presureize the system with all of the injecotrs still in the rail. If you have one stuck open it will spray.
What kind of FP regulator did you replace your stock one with? Did you pull the vac line to make sure it holds at 43 to 46psi? I would run the car with the fuel pressure gage hooked up and cap the vac line that runs to the regulator and see if it holds good pressure.
Check your voltage at the pump wire harness to make sure you keep good voltage there while the pump runs. Another is to make sure you got the feed line from the pump hooked up right inside the tank.

well i dont have access to a scanner right now, but i have a guage that is hooked up all the time and it just fluctuates pressure all the time. i just ordered new injectors so hopefully that is the problem. but i just replaced the regulator with another stock regulator that i had laying around the shop so it is possible that it was bad too. would there be a benifit to upgrad to an adjustable regulator even if i just keep stock pressure?
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Old May 13, 2010 | 01:40 PM
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the way someone told me to check is pull one injector off at a time while still plugged in, turn the key so that the pump kicks on and see if you have a leak
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Old May 13, 2010 | 01:41 PM
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What kind of gauge do you have hooked up? If it is a test gauge, do not leave it on there. It is not designed to be used as a full-time permanent gauge and can leak.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 03:13 PM
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You do realize that the pressure varies with engine vacuum right? Take the vacuum line off and the pressure will be stable. What the fuel pressure regulator does is keep the pressure RELATIVE to the engine vacuum so the differential pressure is always the same.

If the regulator is set at 40psi static (no vaccuum line connected) and you have 20 psi vacuum (line connected) you will only see 20 on your gage which is exactly what it is supposed to be.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Jazz-LT1
You do realize that the pressure varies with engine vacuum right? Take the vacuum line off and the pressure will be stable. What the fuel pressure regulator does is keep the pressure RELATIVE to the engine vacuum so the differential pressure is always the same.

If the regulator is set at 40psi static (no vaccuum line connected) and you have 20 psi vacuum (line connected) you will only see 20 on your gage which is exactly what it is supposed to be.
i realize it varies, but i didnt think that 20psi was ok? i thought that 3 or 4 psi either way was ok but 20psi? that doesnt make sense to me i guess
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Old May 13, 2010 | 04:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Jazz-LT1
You do realize that the pressure varies with engine vacuum right? Take the vacuum line off and the pressure will be stable. What the fuel pressure regulator does is keep the pressure RELATIVE to the engine vacuum so the differential pressure is always the same.

If the regulator is set at 40psi static (no vaccuum line connected) and you have 20 psi vacuum (line connected) you will only see 20 on your gage which is exactly what it is supposed to be.
Your first paragraph is correct but the second is not.

With the vacuum compensation line disconnected, with 41-47psi at idle is an acceptable range with 43.5psi being spot-on (what the injectors are rated at). Reattach the vacuum line, and the pressure will drop proportional to intake manifold vacuum. A 3-10psi drop below the "no vacuum" pressure is normal for a stock cam.

At no point should the fuel pressure drop below ~32psi.
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Old May 13, 2010 | 09:34 PM
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if a injector is stuck wouldt the car run like total crap, and also cause a check engine ligt missfire code?
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Old May 13, 2010 | 09:38 PM
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Originally Posted by 6801
if a injector is stuck wouldt the car run like total crap, and also cause a check engine ligt missfire code?
It could, sure.
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Old May 14, 2010 | 07:38 AM
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Did you test the injectors? why would you go out and spend that kind of money if you don't know if it's the problem? Like ram air was saying and I have said but you still have not said weather you did it or not is to pull the vac line on the FPR. If your checking it with the thing hooked up then you are going to see a flux as engine vacume changes. If it is jumping around that much you should also check the vac line it's self to make sure it is good. It gets really expensive when you start throwing **** against the wall waiting for something to stick. I would take the time and spend a little now to find the problem.
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Old May 14, 2010 | 02:44 PM
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Originally Posted by jaycenk
Did you test the injectors? why would you go out and spend that kind of money if you don't know if it's the problem? Like ram air was saying and I have said but you still have not said weather you did it or not is to pull the vac line on the FPR. If your checking it with the thing hooked up then you are going to see a flux as engine vacume changes. If it is jumping around that much you should also check the vac line it's self to make sure it is good. It gets really expensive when you start throwing **** against the wall waiting for something to stick. I would take the time and spend a little now to find the problem.
well i needed bigger injectors anyway so i figured i would put them in and go from there. then i will put a new vacuum line on it. i think it is actually not getting enough power to the pump. because when i turn my electric fans turn on the pressure drops, same with my lights. but my alternator is brand new and is readeing good voltage. so i am goin to get the racetronix hotwire kit for it and see if that helps.
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Old May 14, 2010 | 05:26 PM
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so your running the ractronix pump on stock wire harness?
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