3 weeks ago i had idleing problems. Chevrolet dealer says I have bad fuel regulator and injectors. Price to fix $1,850. My stepdad mechanic says a 1989 with supposed 28,000 miles and the engine looked like it, shouldn't have it's regulator, injectors and possibly transmission all go bad at once. I took my baby home and changed the fuel regulator myself that was spitting a lot of gas. Now my idleing was better but not normal. It was usually 700 rpm's but would vary from 200 to 1100. Among trying to check my vacuum and a few other things, I couldn't find the problem. When I would test drive it, it would drive good when cold but progressively worse when warmed up. I have also been getting shifting problems at about 25 mph. Sporadically, I would get to around 25 and the engine would rev up when accelerating and the tach would go up to as much as 3500 rpms without any increase in speed! I am now sitting here wondering if the car has 28000 miles. My injectors are from 9-17 ohms. Obviously out of the 16.2 ohm spec, but as an accountant i'm not sure how much this affects the system. And why the hell it doesn't shift is still another problem. I am getting very frustrated. Please tell me suggestions to check, anyones similar events, and your current opinion of my injectors and transmission. From one hand-waving corvette lover to another, please help me get my baby back on the road as cheaply as possible. God bless America.

 

yes you need new injector's :sad: .mine screwed up at 3,000 miles(6 out of 8). :mad .when your injector's are cold the ohm 's are probley close to normal when your car warm's up the engine heat get's to the injector's and causes the electrical coil's in the injector's to expand and short out, thus causing the resistance to change and the injector to dump the wrong amoumt of fuel in the engine. this problem will not set trouble code in the compurtor other than maybe rich or lean mixture. that's why you vette run's rough the warmer the engine get's :sad: get 8 new injector's and install'em yourself, check out http://www.rceng.com . when my inj. went bad my vette would eventually die out and would;ent restart for about 5 hr. injector's where the last thing i though it could be but the dealer confermed the problem was the inj. good luck and feel free to e-mail me if you have any question's :seeya

 

Did you replace the 6 injectors or all 8. Also did you have shifting problems like I do?

 

I might suggest one thing at a time. i.e. R&R the injectors then see if your trans is still ill. (Sounds like a slipping trans rather than a Tconverter.)

 

Yep.. injectors.. Either get yours checked, cleaned, and flowed or buy a new set.. Get all eight.. if you replace just the bad ones.. you may be taking it apart again to replace the rest.. If it were me.. I would replace all 8

 

I recently had the injectors replaced on my 85 due to hard warm starts. I am now experiencing similar late shifts as you have described. I am also getting really poor mileage and hear a rattle noise when accelerating hard. Has your mileage suffered? Hear any noises?

 

contact Rich at http://www.cruzinperformance.com...the guy is a whiz at these kind of problems...and he will promptly reply.....He helped me big time :seeya :seeya

 

Your car did a lot of sitting over the years and the potential is high that the injector insulation was damaged. This is now verified by the injector resistance check showing low values. You need new ones. I bought mine from RC Engineering www.rceng.com for $63 each. These are stainless steel internals, very tightly balanced and they also have a very fast response time. I agree with the above, first change your injectors and get the motor running correctly, then tackle the tranny. If you go after all at once you might end up with more problems or you might spend more then you need to.

As far as installation, for the price the dealer wants, you can buy the GM service manual and some tools, learn about your car, and save a bunch of money at the same time.

 

ok I will replace my eight injectors, did you get ac delco or something else. Another great member told me RC engineering has them for $63. Do you or anyone else have these? What do you think?

 

((has your mileage suffered, hear noises?))

my mileage per gallon shows one mpg higher but I was wasting so much fuel I believe when my fuel regulator was leaking. Even though higher per gallon some of the fuel was burned off so it might confuse the computers calculation. After fixing the regulator, I haven't been able to drive long enough to check because of the other problems. The engine does seem to make more noises than when it was fixed. I have been listening to it whine now for the last two weeks I can't describe it until I hear it again.

 

Mine wasn't only bad injectors, but a leaking head gasket to boot! Turns out the General issued a Bulletin in December '89 for it's 4.3, 5.0 and 5.7 motors about a new head gasket designed with "improved sealing characteristics". Crappy engineering strikes again! Still love my Vette though, even with all the motor parts neatly sealed up and labeled in freezer bags. And by the way, I've got 56,000 pampered miles and with GM issuing the Bulletin 4 months into the 90 production run, they were seeing plenty of warranty claims from the affected motors (87 - 89 per the Bulletin), so don't fret about your mileage. A much better indication that someone monkeyed with the odometer is to look at the dash panel screws for nicks or an indication and that the cover has been removed. I also checked the Bulletins on the tranny. To say the least, they're long and distinguished, but nothing on point. Get your motor fixed first and then see what's up with the tranny.

 

bhomber: no I did not have tran's problem's when injector's craped out,and yes replaced all 8 inj. with matched and balanced set from t.p.i.s. , do the job yourself, dealer wanted $1750. I did the job myself for $420. and a six pack. :cheers: I would asume you have the GM manual's for your car as all vette owner's do :yesnod: this is a valueble sorse of info for you car. tran's problem could be from car running like crap due to injector's. and with the ohm reading's you posted your inj. are gone :sad: :nonod: and need to be replaced with the correct flow rate (lb. per hr.) injector for your car. good luck and keep us up to date with the repair. :seeya :seeya :seeya

 

Thanks for the comments. Can you or someone tell me the different options for replacements. I have an 1989 L98 350 CI TPI. I know I can buy ac delco for $800. I go to ebay and someone has used ones that look new because the color is bright on them ( I assume intense heat would change paint and therefore the color might tell the age or miles on them to some extent). They are selling a set that they say will work on my car for $99. Is this an option or should I say a smart option. I don't know injectors very well. Can a couple people give me their $.02 including DavidF is possible. Thanks.

 

Ford SVO injectors will work.. most guys purchase 24# with no troubles and without changing the PROM.

I had 24# and now have 30# injectors.. both were SVO. they work really well

 

Ford 24# work fine. If you like spending $ then go for the Bosch. Many places sell them in (test/balanced) kits.

It is real easy to spend big $ on injectors. No idea why, it is just a fancy valve! :crazy: They don't need to be that expensive.

 

Rich at Cruzin Performance (www.cruzinperformance.com) will sell you stock or 24 lb Accels for about $250. So will Jegs and so will Summit. I think Mid America is now offering them also, but they want a little more.

 

I will give you my opinion. I bought the RC Engineering injectors for several reasons. First, the internals are stainless steel. Some time look in your fuel line, you will likely find rust. The injectors are carbon steel and they will rust also. Second, the injector rise time is 1 msec vs. 2.5 msec for the pintle type of injector. Much more precise control. Third, they are tightly balanced. Mine were within 0.3% of each other. On the L-98, only one O2 sensor is used for the motor. That means the passenger side is not measured, but the driver's side is. Fuel corrections are based on the driver's side readings so injector balance is important to keep all cylinders from running lean or rich. My set was more money then the Ford or Accel, but less then GM. They are highly recommended by several people who I correspond with in the Corvette racing/publications area. As far as 24#, in my opinion that is hit or miss in that I know several people who have had them work great and others who have had fuel trim problems with them. Someone on the forum currently has 24# injectors and recently bought an Auto X-Ray. There is a thread on the Auto X-Ray readings. If you look closely at his readings, you will see that the fuel trim for closed loop operation is very near the extreme of ECM correction. I would personally stay with the factory flow value.

 

Is stock on the 1989 L98, 22lb/hr?

 

I'm not so sure if your injectors are bad. When it idles do they all click? You never said what your fuel pressure is. Sounds like your engine almost dies (200rpm) then your computer kicks in some throttle to keep it running. I would check if your catalytic converter is stopped up. If you do decide to go the injector route then beware this may be a bigger job than you think (the whole TPI must come apart).

 

Stock for an '89 is 22lbs. Replacing injectors isn't that bad. Just some bolts and pay attention to the ones on the Runners because they're different sizes. Also, there are two crossover bolts behind the runners. On the right side, it's closest to the front, but you need to remove the EGR solenoid (attached to the thermostat housing) to get to it. On the left side, it's third from the end and getting past the distributor can sometimes be a pain. Do use a quality TORX bit as the bolt heads are fairly soft and easily stripped. Whatever you do, don't use anything forceful to break the Runners loose (don't ask me how I know) - they're easily dented and new replacements are no longer available. Be sure to relieve fuel pressure at the fuel rail (there's a valve) and unscrew the gas cap before disconnecting the fuel lines. After they're disconnected cover them (Vacuum line covers work well and you can pick up an assortment at any parts store). Good luck, I think you'll be far more satisfied doing it yourself and the savings are significant.