walton99 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Howdy all, I've got a little problem with my old girl. She's an 80' n/a originally with an '82 L28ET swapped in. She was running great if just a little rich up until a couple nights ago. She started up fine in the evening but in the morning wouldn't start. She cranks fine but just doesn't catch. AFM cleaned and adjusted, TPS tested good, CHTS from old motor that worked fine. Motor grounds cleaned. ECU green light is steady except goes off when cranking then comes back on. Spark is good from coil and at plugs, visible yellow / orange spark from both. Fuel is hinky, and I'm suspecting that's my problem. Only getting fuel pressure when motor is trying to crank over. Fuel pump is new, fuel filter is new. I removed outlet line from filter and observed fuel flowing when cranking but not in "on" position. Is there a relay somewhere that could the the cause of my issues or something small that I'm overlooking? Thanks for your time, I greatly appreciate it. Jeramy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Are the injectors firing? The fuel,pump is not supposed to run when the key is ''On". Some cars have a 5 second prime, but it often doesn't work right. But otherwise the pump only runs when the engine does. Yellow-orange sounds like a weak spark. A squirt of starting fluid will tell you if the ignition system is working correctly. If it runs then dies, you have a fuel problem. If it keeps running, but only re-starts with starting fluid, you might have a weak spark problem. If it won't start with starting fluid, you might have a timing problem. Many possibilities but the fluid will help you break the problem down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walton99 Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Thanks for the info NewZed, you know I'm not sure if the injectors are firing or not. I'll test light them tonight. Where is the best place to spray in the starting fluid? I've done it on carbed vehicles before but never on an FI one. Another thing I thought of, the two days before she died the idle sounded a little like a car with a heavy cam, kind of lobing over. Thanks for looking everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malibud Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Do you still have the cold start valve? Mine was taken out so I have turn the key wait till it starts to fire and then floor it. Then as it floods let off the gas and it will start. Not really a problem in the summer but it its a process when cold outside. Newzed had some good ideas for trouble shooting.. If the pump comes on when the key is on someone has bipassed the safety switch on the oil pressure gauge. that is on my list of things to do as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walton99 Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) "Do you still have the cold start valve? Mine was taken out so I have turn the key wait till it starts to fire and then floor it. Then as it floods let off the gas and it will start. Not really a problem in the summer but it its a process when cold outside." I've tried just about every way to start the old gal the past couple of days, and we've had weather form the teens through the 60's. Thank you for the response though Edited November 20, 2014 by walton99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Another thing I thought of, the two days before she died the idle sounded a little like a car with a heavy cam, kind of lobing over. Thanks for looking everyone. How do the plugs look? Did you pull one when you tested spark? The "cammy" sound is what they do when they're running rich. You might just be flooded. The ECU's and their connections flood the engine sometimes when they fail. But, you need to get an actual number for fuel pressure if you do find flooding. Flow doesn't tell pressure. " Only getting fuel pressure when motor is trying to crank over... I removed outlet line from filter and observed fuel flowing when cranking but not in "on" position." The troubleshooting methods in the FSM and the EFI Guidebooks will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walton99 Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 How do the plugs look? I didn't even think to pull the plugs to look at them, I had an older set that I used to test the wires. I swapped in the old plugs and she fired right up. If you're ever down in Texas let me know and the first couple of rounds are on me. Thank you again! Jeramy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borini63 Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Good news Jeramy.....Just make sure that will not happened again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walton99 Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 Good news Jeramy.....Just make sure that will not happened again. No kidding Jamal, thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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