Starting problem

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Nov 10, 2010 | 07:50 PM

trojwl

Thread Starter

5th Gear

Joined: Nov 2010

Posts: 5

Likes: 0

Starting problem

This has me baffled. My 1989 Vette will not start.
The battery puts out great voltage. Starter cranks fine.
I have plenty fuel pressure at fuel rail.
It will run briefly when using starting fluid (evidently spark is not issue).
After turning it over a few times, could never smell gas coming out of exhaust.
Prior to this the car ran great. There was no period of degrading performance such as power loss, missing, etc.

I'm guessing the injectors aren't firing. Is there some kind of stand-alone module that controls this?
The ECU has been reset more than once.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks

Nov 10, 2010 | 10:42 PM

jfb

Team Owner

Joined: Mar 2001

Posts: 54,124

Likes: 30

From: Cincinnati, Oh USA

Go to a parts store and buy a noid light and connect it to an injector plug on each cylinder bank (one at a time) and crank the engine. The noid light will blink when that injector gets pulsed by the ECM. No blinking, check the two inj fuses with an ohmeter. That your engine will run on starter fluid tells you that you have a fuel delivery problem. Everything else an engine needs you have, spark, cylinder compression, air. Another thing to check is that you have 35-42 psi fuel pressure and that it holds up during cranking and for at least a half hour after the ignition is off. While you are at the parts store, get a tester that detects water in your gas, engines require gasoline, not water. It is possible that your ECM is defective and is not pulsing the injectors.

Nov 11, 2010 | 06:07 AM

corvette95

Melting Slicks

Joined: Jul 1999

Posts: 3,214

Likes: 101

From: Decatur, Alabama

bad oil pressure sending unit too will do that but unlikely ... get the noid light. What does oil pressure show while your starting?