1990 will start with starter fluid?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 269
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From: porterville ca
1990 will start with starter fluid?
just picked up a 1990 automatic vert 60k miles, new plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump, injectors, rotor, wires, it wont start cold without starter fluid, and it seems to not have the power that it should (compared to other c4s i have owned cold or warm) once it is warm it will start fine though, im not getting any check engine light. what else could it be??
bad ECM?
bad ECM?
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,889
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From: Whitefish Falls Ontario
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
If it wont start without starter fluid, I would start with a fuel pressure check.. When you turn the key do you hear the pump run for approximately 2 seconds..
Safety Car
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: porterville ca
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2006
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No start
A bad temp. sender (the one that feeds the comp. not the gage unit) may do this It may be telling the comp. that the car is hot and does not need extra fuel to start. Your best bet is to find someone with a good scanner to see what is going on
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 269
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From: porterville ca
i did a pressure test im reading maybe 3psi with the key ON, if i crank and crank the car over for abour 2-3 mins i can get pressure to build up to about 40 psi but its very slow, and still no start, fuel pump??
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Anaheim CA
3 PSI is WAY too low.
The ECM turns on the fuel pump (through the fuel pump relay) for 2 seconds when the key is first turned on. Then it shuts off the pump so it won't run if you turn on the ignition but don't start the car. You should see near 40 PSI when this happens.
The ECM turns on the fuel pump when it sees DRPs (Distributor Reference Pulses) from the ignition module in the distributor, meaning the engine is cranking/running. It looks like this part is not happening for you.
There is also an oil pressure switch that turns on the fuel pump when oil pressure reaches 6 PSI. It bypasses the fuel pump relay if the ECM/relay fails. That explains why it takes so long to get fuel pressure.
Here's a pic from my FSM. I don't know if this is accurate, because I don't see the fuel pump fuse (troubleshooting info below the illustration). According to this you should see an error code 54 from the ECM.
The ECM turns on the fuel pump (through the fuel pump relay) for 2 seconds when the key is first turned on. Then it shuts off the pump so it won't run if you turn on the ignition but don't start the car. You should see near 40 PSI when this happens.
The ECM turns on the fuel pump when it sees DRPs (Distributor Reference Pulses) from the ignition module in the distributor, meaning the engine is cranking/running. It looks like this part is not happening for you.
There is also an oil pressure switch that turns on the fuel pump when oil pressure reaches 6 PSI. It bypasses the fuel pump relay if the ECM/relay fails. That explains why it takes so long to get fuel pressure.
Here's a pic from my FSM. I don't know if this is accurate, because I don't see the fuel pump fuse (troubleshooting info below the illustration). According to this you should see an error code 54 from the ECM.
Last edited by Cliff Harris; May 19, 2013 at 01:11 AM.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
From: porterville ca
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
From: porterville ca
is there a way to test the fuel pump Relay? im also not getting any spark, its weird because i drove it about 200 miles last week, parked it and nothing no start replaced the fuel pump still nothing?