89 Quit
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 430
Likes: 113
From: Easton, PA
89 Quit
Last night I went to start my 89 and it cranked and cranked and cranked but didn't fire. It has been running fine with no problems until last week when I had it out for a while. It ran just fine but when I was pulling into the driveway, it stalled and I had to crank it a few times to get it going again before I could pull it in the garage. I let it run a few minutes at idle and it seemed fine. I did replace the injectors back a few months ago and everything seemed fine. I have a limited knowledge of how to get codes etc. so any help would be appreciated.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
Likes: 31
From: Australia
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 17,551
Likes: 26
From: El Paso Texas
Let's start with the simple stuff....
Mount a fuel pressure gauge on the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Turn the key to the "on" position. The fuel pump should energize for two seconds and then shut off. How many pounds of fuel pressure do you get, and how long does it hold?
Answer that, and we'll go from there. Remember, troubleshoot, don't guess.
Mount a fuel pressure gauge on the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Turn the key to the "on" position. The fuel pump should energize for two seconds and then shut off. How many pounds of fuel pressure do you get, and how long does it hold?
Answer that, and we'll go from there. Remember, troubleshoot, don't guess.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Engines need spark and spark at the right time, fuel and air and in the correct ratio and compression in order to start and run. Use your timing light to see if you have spark and spark at the right time. Use a fuel pressure gauge on the shrader valve on the end of the right fuel rail to see if you have 35-42 psi and see if it holds for a long time after the ign is turned off. Rapid fall indicates possible leaky fuel injectors. Use a noid light (available from parts stores) or make one with an LED (light emitting diode) and a series 680 ohm resistor, both available at Radio Shack, and connect across an unplugged injector socket and see if it pulses during cranking. If you use a homemade light, it must be connected with the correct polarity, try it both ways. Try starting fluid and if it starts, you have a fuel problem. If you have spark, correct timing, fuel pressure, injector pulses and no starting, measure compression.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 17,551
Likes: 26
From: El Paso Texas
There you have it.....a crash course in gasoline engines 101. That's all they need to run. Now you have to do 3 things.
1. Find out which is missing or deficient (troubleshoot)
2. Find out why.
3. Correct the deficiency.
Do those three things, all will be back to normal. Good luck.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 17,551
Likes: 26
From: El Paso Texas
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 430
Likes: 113
From: Easton, PA
I finally had some time to troubleshoot my problem. I used the service manual to go through some of the basics and passed a bunch of the tests. I'm trying to replace stuff that should be replaced under normal usage like the filter and the distributor cap. The distributor cap and rotor looked pretty beat so they got replaced. I did the spark thing and yes I have spark, I checked the resistance on each of the injectors and that passed. Each of the injector wires pulses when I crank the engine so that isn't it. I tried to find somebody who had a fuel pressure gauge but I finally broke down and bought one today. I don't have any pressure but the fuel pump runs. I still don't get any codes other than the 12. When I followed one of the charts in the service manual on Monday, I thought I had it when it said to replace the ECM. It seemed like I was going to fix this all by myself until the new ECM didn't do a thing. I'm trouble shooting the fuel aspect now and will keep trying. At least this hasn't been a real expensive adventure.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 96,443
Likes: 9
From: Fort Knox, KY
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Crank, no-start condition? Check your coil and ignition control module (ICM) too. She may not be getting fire.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 430
Likes: 113
From: Easton, PA
The car is running! 
I feel pretty stupid about this but I should have checked the fuel pressure sooner as suggested by Frizlefrak early in this adventure. Not wanting to buy the test gauge I went in other directions. After finally buying the gauge I checked the pressure on Friday and it was zero. The pump ran when energized but something was still wrong so Saturday morning I removed the fuel pump assembly from the tank and took a look inside the tank to see nothing but EMPTY! My fuel gauge said I had a little over a half tank when in reality I ran out of gas in my own driveway. At least the stuff I replaced needed to be replaced with the exception of the ECM. SO the fix was actually $52.70 worth of premium gasoline. While the assembly was out of the tank, I couldn't get the readings for the float of 0 ohms when empty and 90 ohms when full. For now I am just going to keep track of the mileage when I fill up until I decide what to do next. Thanks for all the help with this.
I feel pretty stupid about this but I should have checked the fuel pressure sooner as suggested by Frizlefrak early in this adventure. Not wanting to buy the test gauge I went in other directions. After finally buying the gauge I checked the pressure on Friday and it was zero. The pump ran when energized but something was still wrong so Saturday morning I removed the fuel pump assembly from the tank and took a look inside the tank to see nothing but EMPTY! My fuel gauge said I had a little over a half tank when in reality I ran out of gas in my own driveway. At least the stuff I replaced needed to be replaced with the exception of the ECM. SO the fix was actually $52.70 worth of premium gasoline. While the assembly was out of the tank, I couldn't get the readings for the float of 0 ohms when empty and 90 ohms when full. For now I am just going to keep track of the mileage when I fill up until I decide what to do next. Thanks for all the help with this.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,889
Likes: 8
From: Whitefish Falls Ontario
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Don't feel too bad, I have a working gauge and didn't notice how low it was reading until my 84 started to cough and miss.. Fortunately I was close enough to a gas station to fill up before it died.. 
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,179
Likes: 673
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
The car is running! I feel pretty stupid about this but I should have checked the fuel pressure sooner as suggested by Frizlefrak early in this adventure. Not wanting to buy the test gauge I went in other directions. After finally buying the gauge I checked the pressure on Friday and it was zero.
I feel pretty stupid about this but I should have checked the fuel pressure sooner as suggested by Frizlefrak early in this adventure. Not wanting to buy the test gauge I went in other directions. After finally buying the gauge I checked the pressure on Friday and it was zero.
WHen someone comes forward like "Frizzle", and pounds out a list of instructions with his post count we should believe he's got the experience to enlighten us. How frustrating it is to try and help.....
I'm glad you finally got it right. Attaboys to Frizzlefrak!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 430
Likes: 113
From: Easton, PA
I didn't ignore what he suggested to do, the gauge said there was fuel in the tank so I went in a different direction with the service manual troubleshooting. I guess I need to pay more attention to the number of stars by a posters name to determine his or her credibility. Shame on me.
I noticed another commonality of "this" crowd is the speed at which the criticism flies when posting results.
I noticed another commonality of "this" crowd is the speed at which the criticism flies when posting results.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,030
Likes: 10
From: Edmonton, Alberta
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,179
Likes: 673
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
The end result is that Frizzlefrak's tip was what resolved your problem.
