Turns over but wont start!!!

Oh and when I am cranking it over waiting for it to finally start, sometimes it pops through the intake. I wonder how much a mechanic charges to check for leaky fuel injectors. The only thing dad and I can work on is carburetors, if anything.

Hmmm, well yeah overnight I figure the gas has had time to evaporate some. At least enough so as to not create a flooding situation. You might try starting with the pedal to the floor when you suspect you may have trouble. It might catch a little quicker and help clear out the excess. I never changed the injectors on my Aurora. It was a 95 and had the doofus plastic fuel lines. On a normal car these lines would be steel and the injectors basically unplug with a retainer clip at the top and an electrical connector. It's not to bad a job once the rail is loosened. One thing to remember is if the injector is leaking when stopped it would also leak when running. Do you notice any rough idle or rotten egg smell in the exhaust? If you do you might want to pull the plugs and look for the one that is carboned (black) . This could help identify the bad injector, without a mechanic.

RD

I guess the mechanic did say that the pressure leak is kinda bad. I hadn't gotten to speak with him right away. I haven't bought a new fuel pump yet, but I am thinking I need to. Yesterday and today I started my car, drove it 8 miles and then it died while waiting at a stop light. It started and then died right away several times before it let me go. Then it didn't die for the rest of my driving (another 8 miles), then it sat at school for 2 hours, and drove back 16 miles (of course it took a lot of cranking to get started after school). Is this what fuel pumps do when they need to be replaced? I don't notice rough idling, but all of a sudden it seems like I'm getting a couple mpg worse, but don't know if it's just the winter blend gas.

I guess the mechanic did say that the pressure leak is kinda bad. I hadn't gotten to speak with him right away. I haven't bought a new fuel pump yet, but I am thinking I need to. Yesterday and today I started my car, drove it 8 miles and then it died while waiting at a stop light. It started and then died right away several times before it let me go. Then it didn't die for the rest of my driving (another 8 miles), then it sat at school for 2 hours, and drove back 16 miles (of course it took a lot of cranking to get started after school). Is this what fuel pumps do when they need to be replaced? I don't notice rough idling, but all of a sudden it seems like I'm getting a couple mpg worse, but don't know if it's just the winter blend gas.

I don't think winter blend gas has anything to do with your troubles. I suspect from the new info you provided that the FPR, 'fuel pressure regulator' is leaking. This part is located under the plastic 'Aurora' engine cover and is held in with a clip. It has a small hose attached to it. This could also be the source of your pressure leak. I would NOT change the fuel pump without ruleing out a bad FPR. You won't see the FPR leaking, the excess fuel would be sucked into the engine intake.
Good Luck
RD

I was at the auto parts store the other day. And I was asking about the price for a fuel pump. And he told me that I should replace the pump wiring harness first, because that may be the problem and not the pump. Rockauto has it listed for under $15 dollars.

I was at the auto parts store the other day. And I was asking about the price for a fuel pump. And he told me that I should replace the pump wiring harness first, because that may be the problem and not the pump. Rockauto has it listed for under $15 dollars.

Interesting, I don't see how a fuel pressure leak is related in any way to an electrical wiring harness of the fuel pump. I guess it depends on the type failure you are witnessing. If the pump cuts out completely and the car stops running at speed it could be the wiring harness. These older cars can be a real challenge when intermittent troubles start.

RD

You are correct, the wiring harness have nothing to do with a fuel pressure leak. I wanted to post my comment earlier in the thread, but I have been a little busy. My post mainly is for anyone that may be thinking of replacing their fuel pump. Just wanted to state that the fuel pump wiring may be the culprit. I just wanted to throw my 2cents worth in.

Very rarely do turbine style electric fuel pumps work, then not work, then work again. 99% of the time the car will feel like it's running out of gas, then die and that's it. Call the tow truck.

I got my AC Delco fuel pump from Ebay Motors for $174 but I feel like the o-ring is a little stretched out. I think it'll work. Right now I'm just waiting for a little more gas to be used up so I can replace the pump. I also need to know how to release the pressure before taking out the old pump. The latest symptom my car has is stalling at one- just one- stoplight after 10 minutes of nonstop driving. It's extremely predictable. I start it, it dies right away, repeats, then finally lets me drive and doesn't act up until the next day when I start it up and drive it again. My mechanic ruled out bad injectors, pressure regulator, starter, and fuel rails, so if a new fuel pump doesn't fix my slow starting and stalling problem I will be extremely disgruntled. I will tell you in a few days (hopefully) how it turned out. Feel free to offer any tips on replacing the pump! Oh and I got a 3-book set of dealer repair manuals on ebay for $42. Score. :2cents:

I just replaced the fuel pump in my 98 and it didn't make an ounce worth of difference in my problems. So now I know for sure that the long-cranking starting scenario isn't being caused by the fuel pump, the starter, or the plugs and wires, since they are all new now. My mechanic was sure that it wasn't the injectors or fuel pressure regulator. What do I do next? Oh and a new problem has developed but I don't know if it's related. The car dies on me at the first light I stop at (which isn't until after a straight stretch of 12 miles). So the car is warmed up by then. And this has happened consistently for the last week everytime I drive. But it only does it at the first time it stops and idles, and only during the first time I drive it that day. Please help.

Replace the FPR. In the $40 to $60 range it's worth eliminating the possibility of it causing the problem.

I just want to have everybody’s consensus. I drove my car home last night and the car ran great. I went out to my car this morning and it won't start. It turns over. The battery is fully charged and it is turning over good. I don't smell gas so I am sure it is not flooding or that I don't have spark or anything like that. There is no smell of gas what so ever. So I am pretty sure it has to be something to do with the fuel system. I took off the fuel line that goes from the tank to the engine, turned over the engine, and no gas came out at all. But is there anything other than the fuel pump that could cause this? Maybe a sensor that went bad that is not telling the car to send gas? I just want to make sure there is nothing else that could make the car not get gas other than the fuel pump. The pump is $300 and I don't want to throw that away!!!

Are you sure this isn't something as simple as your VATS Anti-theft system messing up. It's tied into the Ignition Lock Cylinder. They sometimes mess up and don't read the correct key resistance. It possibly detects a theft and disables the fuel. Is your security/anti-theft light on or flashing when the car doesn't start? The light could be burned out. These VATS systems are pretty easy to disable or bypass, so you wouldn't necessarily have to replace your Ignition Lock Cylinder.

Thank you all, I don't think it is the anti-theft component because it turns over just fineand no lights come on (not even SES). It just cranks until it starts, and it's only after the car sits for 20+ minutes. I just replaced the FPR and it seems to take slightly less time to turn over, but still too long of a cranking session. Today I replaced the gas cap because I thought maybe it was leaking some air. But there was no difference. I just don't want to believe that the new fuel pump that I put in was bad (the dealership said it was leaking pressure at the pump, which I don't know exactly how they can narrow it down to the pump). Is it really that often that new fuel pumps are bad? I'm pretty sure I sealed that pump in well. It's on there tight.

just curious if you have done a fuel pressure check on the vehicle ?

just curious if you have done a fuel pressure check on the vehicle ?


I personally have not done a pressure test because I do not have a gauge. but the mechanic told me that it was leaking pressure at the pump. He was very confident about it. He had assured me that he checked all other places pressure could leak, but I do not know what the pressure was at the FPR. He checked the injectors and said they were fine. After reading this forum I asked him several times if the slow starting could be from leaky injectors or the FPR and he was certain that it was not caused by them. This was a month ago. And like I said, it did get better after I replaced the FPR. I also replaced the gas cap and it made no difference. I hear a different sound now coming from the FPR(like a vacuum) when I turn the key to ON, but it is not leaking fuel. The new FPR came without one of the two large gaskets, instead it has a thicker metal part of the tube where the gasket would go.