[CARGUY]

my wifes brother called yesterday, said his car wont start. so i go out in the snow to see what the problem is. well it starts but dies after a few seconds. you can hear the fuel pump run, and it does have gas in it. its on the side of the road so im having it towed over. ill check the fuel pressure, but can someone point me in the right direction after that. is there a way to check the regulator? it seems like it starts but runs out of fuel. the car is a 2001 lamina with a 3100 v6 thanks.

 

[alittle1]

How about a FROZEN fuel line! Add some methyl hydrate to to tank, wait five minutes and then give it a crank.

Car is probably on less than half a tank and is sucking off the bottom. Add five gallons of fresh fuel to the tank.

 

[CARGUY]

well not a frozen fuel line i have 50psi so the pump is working, still wont stay running, i can keep it running with starting fluid but as soon as i take it away it dies could the regulator be bad ? any suggestions, thanks for the help.

 

[T-bucket23]

Presure doesnt mean volume. If you think the regulator is bad, clamp off the return if you can and see if it stays running. You could also have a plugged filter. This will sometimes keep the presure reading ok and you still will not get enough fuel to run the car.
Also starting fluid is not a good test, I have actually seen gasoline engines with no spark start and run on starting fluid just like a deisel.

 

[1931 steve]

well not a frozen fuel line i have 50psi so the pump is working, still wont stay running, i can keep it running with starting fluid but as soon as i take it away it dies could the regulator be bad ? any suggestions, thanks for the help.

Does the 50psi fuel reading stay consistent at all times while you run the engine with the starting fluid?

Sounds like it could be the Anti-Theft system keeping the engine from continuing to run. Does it have a security light on on the dash?

Steve

 

[CARGUY]

well i was able to work on this car again today best i can tell i have fuel and i have spark, could the injectors not be fireing? what controls them,[is it the cars computer or is it a sensor] the way they are in there under the upper half of the intake i cant plug the tester in to verify they are working thanks for all the help

 

[1931 steve]

What about the security light, is it on on the dash?

Steve

 

[CARGUY]

no not that i remember i will double check later. i stopped because the battery needed to be charged thanks

 

[scot]

It should be easy to check for a strong spark.
I believe the injectors are controlled by the computer, which relies on input from the crankshaft position sensor to determine when to fire the injectors and spark.
With my Cutlass Cierra, the ignition module fires the spark plugs while cranking until the RPMs are about 800, and then the computer handles the spark, including the advance.
You can try

• installing a noid light on a few injectors to see if they are getting a signal to inject.
• Checking for a massive vacuum leak

 

[CARGUY]

the injectors are under the upper half of the intake i cant unplug any to plug in a noid light to verify they are working