96 cavalier stalled, will only kind-of start

full description:

- car ran great
- let cousin drive car home
- she got in, started it up, it idled for 10 seconds then coughed, spluttered and died
- car won't start again

it acts just like it ran out of gas, but it definitely has some. here's the weird part - every 4 or 5 times you try to start the engine, it DOES start, as in revs up and sounds like a million dollars. for 2 or 3 seconds. then it dies again. so gas is definitely getting in, and when it does start it's definitely firing properly.

so far someone has suggested the fuel filter, that some blockage is periodically getting out of the way to let it start every now and then, then immediately blocking again.

i'd appreciate any ideas or pointers that anyone has!

When is the last time you changed the fuel filter? I would try that first, only about 8 to 10 bucks for one round here.

about 20k miles i suppose. couldn't hurt to change, it's nice and cheap.

First don't let your cousin drive and second get a fuel pressure guage and test the pressure.

alright fuel filter is changed and had no effect, so next step is fuel pressure test which could mean fuel pump?

why not just turn on ignition and listen for the fuel pump. in my 03 u can hear the whine of the fuel pump before starting the car. that would proly give you a hint as to if the fuel pump is working or not.

the fuel pump is whirring as loud as it ever has, for 2-3 seconds whenever the key hits the 'on' position. however i've been told this may not mean it's working well enough to fuel the engine.

if it's not the fuel pump, what could i look to next?

Test for pressure.

so the fuel pump's the problem - disconnected the filter's feed line (so it was just the pump squirting out fuel), started the car, you could hear the pump whirring and making a gargling sound, but absolutely no fuel came out whatsoever. and there's definitely fuel in the tank.

now my problem is, how the hell do i get the large black rubber filler/vapor tubes off the tank! i undid the clamps, and have been working at loosening them for a half hour, but they won't budge!

well i finally sprayed them up with lube and got them off, now there's only 1 line left - some fuel line from the engine that has a different quickconnect fitting to the other lines

http://i13.tinypic.com/68lzwaa.jpg
http://i10.tinypic.com/680z1br.jpg

it's in the middle, that black tab with 2 white spots. no amount of pushing pulling squeezing gets it to budge

edit: finally forced it loose with a hacked up quick-connect tool, starting new thread with the rest of the tank dropping procedure

FYI People... low fuel will burn a pump up quicker than anything... it actually uses fuel in the tank to cool the pump.... it will last longer if you keep at least 1/2 tank in it...

anomaly_va_1976 please stop bringing up old threads or risk a temporary ban on your account. Closed.