fuel probs?

so i was driving last tuesday and my car just cut out. i tried to restart it, and it would sputter on then shut off and i smelled gas. i let the car sit for like and hour and the car sputtered on and stayed on? then after 10-15 min it started idling wierd and shut off. i dont think its the fuel pump, because when the car is in the on position you can hear the pump priming. i am thinking that the fuel pump resistor is bad. i have scanned it and do not have any codes? i let the car sit for a day and it stayed on for 10 mins then sputtered out. what else cud it be?

If you can smell gas... it's coming from somewhere. You have to determine if you have a fuel leak or if you just smelled unburned fuel due to an ignition (or lack of ignition) problem. Any codes/SES light?

Is this the regal or a Riv? If a Riv, what year?

it is the regal. it is not throwing any codes.

sounds like it could be the fuel pump, typically if you can hear it clearly or loudly when key is turned on means it going bad. The Hum on a good pump should be very faint. Also you need to check pressure at the fuel rail with key on. normal pressure should be 40 to 45 psi. If pressure is ok check for spark. Let us know your findings.

i dont have a fuel pressure tester... can you rent one from discount?

You can buy an inexpensive one for $30.00 or less.
It's just a gauge and hose that connects to the fuel rail.

go ya. im gonna try that. fyi my fuel pump has whining that loud for a while

If your fuel pump has been whining for a while it could be that it is was whining to you to be replaced.
I ignored a whining fuel pump on my Blazer and it gave out a few month's after, but it just quit working while driving on the highway.

your probably right, but it has been whining like that since i bought the car a year and a half ago.ill buy that fuel pressure tester, and check it today then well see.

I guess my point was when they fail they just quit working completely.
Yours is acting differently.
Could be fuel related and is worth taking a pressure test so you can see if the pressure is fluctuating. Maybe a bad fuel pressure regulator or something as simple as a fuel filter clogged.
Still can't rule out an ignition related problem, but I'd test fuel pressure to be sure.

fuel filter is about a month old, i know that doesnt mean it isnt clogged, but his car ran very good up until the other day.
none of the recent scans showed a fuel delivery problem that i can recall.

i do want to check the fuel pressure. we ran a jumper wire on the fuel pump resistor to make the pump run on high, and the car still wouldnt crank up and stay running.
there is a slight fuel smell, but i believe it is just from us flooding the cylinders and the exhaust crack on the front PLOG.

what sensors will cause a no start other than CKP?

Have you pulled a plug and tested for consistent spark.
With the new info you provided it doesn't sound fuel related.
I'd be looking for intermittent spark.
Ignition control unit, maybe.
Pull coil packs and control unit. Clean corrosion from bottom of control unit and check and clean the ground wire that comes off of it.
Just something to do that is good preventive maintenance even if it doesn't solve the problem. I also like to put a thin film of Dielectric grease on the bottom of ICU to help prevent future corrosion and help the ground circuit.

while we probably should check everything to make certain, i dont think it would cause the car to completely stall on the highway at cruse. plugs and wires are a year old at most, and his car has only 80k miles on it.

devin did you pick up the gm FP resistor relocation kit? And did the car crank today, or did we completely kill the battery messing with it the other night?

nope the car cranked on barely this morning and started and ran for about 10 mins then i shut it off. i did order the resistor relocation kit, and it will be in tomorrow.

also check nylon fuel lines in engine compartment for cracks

Albertj

well i dont live in the northern states. there is no rust anywhere on my car, plus ive checked those things.

The corrosion you can find under the ICU is caused more by dissimilar metal corrosion and moisture / humidity. Does not need to be a Northern car to accumulate some corrosion in that area.

ok so i just tested my fuel pressure @ the guage, when @ key on the pressure was @ exactly 40psi when i started the car it stayed @ exactly 40psi and didnt move for 10-15 mins then i rev the car up a little and the pressure only went to 45 psi. then i revved the cr again all the way and it only went to 50 psi then it cut out. i turned the car of and i went back to the key on position and it was @ about 38.5 psi then went back to 40. when i tryed to start it, psi went to 50 then back to 40 then cut out. any suggestions?

i brought a fuel filter to change so well see.

A buddy just had the same problems with his SI NA car. turned out to be the MAF of all things. Pull your MAF sensor and see if it runs longer and smoother... if it does give it a good cleaning or replace it.

well ewolf, i think you just solved the problem. i unplugged the maf, and it cut right on. i rev it and it doesent cut off i turned it off then back on and it cut right back on. so i think that is the prob.

Hoora!! Who woulda thunk that be the problem. Learn something new every day.

did the fuel pressure stay around 40 ish when the car cut out? or did it go to zero?
ok just read MAF problem. replace it and drive!

what would cause the maf to die like that? pushing too much air threw it? does anyone know where a can get a new or used one cheap, or a lq4 maf?

it stayed @ 40 why?

L8-2BNGO wrote:

what would cause the maf to die like that? pushing too much air threw it? does anyone know where a can get a new or used one cheap, or a lq4 maf?

i doubt it's completely dead. you might want to try cleaning it with some MAF cleaner first. oil from K&N filter have been known to mess with MAF's, but this is the first i've seen of one that keeps the car from starting.
you should either get a N* w/ LQ4 or get the ZZP stage 1 TB b/c it has all sensors for $200.(baisicaly the price of a new maf)