Fuel delivery problems??

[T Y L E R]

Hi guys,

I'm hoping if I post some signs and symptoms I've seen in my 97 80 over the last few months, you might see a relationship in them and be able to help me pinpoint the guilty party.

ok..

1 ) The 80 runs great normally.
2 ) When I start it with the car starter now (late spring this part started) the 80 will sometimes encounter problems starting. It will almost sound like it is out of fuel. If it does start, it now will suddenly start loosing rpms as it sits idling, and eventually stall, as though starved of fuel.
3 ) Before I drove 2000 miles to my parents place and back, I stalled out twice in the parking lot. My fuel tank was full.....all trip though I had no such occurrances.
4 ) Tonite on the way to work, I stalled crossing a main artery, but threw it in neutral quickly and recovered after starting it back up on the second attempt. When I got to work a block later, I put it in park and tried to evenly rev the engine up to around 1500-2000 but it would keep loosing rpm's erratically. My fuel light was coming on this time, as I am a bit low. Of course when I stalled out this time, the engine light came on.

What could all these be telling me?

Fuel filter clogged?
Fuel pump?
Electrical?


I put on less than 3000 miles a year but my commutes are very short, and I wonder if moisture has been collecting in the engine. I try and run it on the highway on my days off .. but it seems impractical to leave a nite shift and get on the hwy for 1/2 hr...

Also I am running full synthetic fluids entirely if that matters.


TY

 

[speyrod]

Could it be a leak behind the mas air sensor? sounds like it could cause something of this nature. A couple of people have posted on like symptoms, I also seam to remember people posting that their rigs died due to the PCV being unplugged could yours be loose?

 

[Rookie2]

I would think if it were related to the MAF, you'd be tripping a code.

 

[T Y L E R]

Ok , I'll do a visual inspection under the hood when I get back to base ..

And I didn't get any codes as far as I remember.


TY

 

[cruiserdan]

Possible trouble spots:

Fuel pump relay
Fuel pump
Fuel pump resistor
Circuit opening relay


EDITED TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE TROUBLE SPOT


Put gas in tank................

 

[T Y L E R]

Thanks Dan, between the search I've been checking on this and my crappy manual, I hope to be able to check these items off.


Dogs hungry?

TY

 

[cruiserdan]

Famished..............

 

[Beast II]

I'm about to replace all four of these items (Fuel pump relay, Fuel pump, Fuel pump resistor and the Circuit opening relay) - (thank you C-Dan). Any suggestions to inhibit the gasoline from squirting all over me ? Should I replace the PCV valve as well ?

Open fuel cap and park on a slight slope (or jack up the front) are the suggestions so far.

Thank you

 

[T Y L E R]

A visual inspection turned up nothing unusual. Checked a few relays and fuses - all ok I believe.


The truck will not start now, and I have a solid low gas light on. I had a bit of gas in the tank today so I'm not buying that.

Another new occurrance:

Tonite my alarm decided to exhibit a NEW behaviour. I arm it, and it arms..locks the doors etc, BUT the lock ICON on the pager fob remains the unlock icon, and just after it arms, the remote chimes as though the signal did not get thru to the brain. The last time the alarm played up the battery was toast; 2 bad cells. But this Orbital Extreme ought to be good...not that a voltage test means crap, but it was 12.68 not running tonite.


In the morning after this nite shift (7AM) I am getting a ride over to a gas bar to buy a jerry can and some fuel. If it doesn't start with some fuel in the tank then I'll keep looking harder and begin replacing items. Too broke after my trip home for this s***e. Maybe see if the dealership can pull any codes for me...


TY

 

[reffug]

I'm about to replace all four of these items (Fuel pump relay, Fuel pump, Fuel pump resistor and the Circuit opening relay) - (thank you C-Dan). Any suggestions to inhibit the gasoline from squirting all over me ? Should I replace the PCV valve as well ?

Havn't done the relay, or resistor but replacing the fuel pump is really quite simple, even I managed it without gas squirting all over me. Course I wouldn't want to do it with a full tank . Look here let me know if I can be of any help.


https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=45823

 

[T Y L E R]

Ok , got $20 in fuel in a jerry can, filled the 80 with that and it idled like a top. Ran over to the truck stop and filled up. Hit the highway for 10 miles without incident. Right now I'm inclined to think I let the fuel level get way too low, and it sucked in some junk from the bottom of the tank.

The alarm is still acting atypically. I'll sort that out when the stereo shop that installed it opens.


I'm inclined to also think that the way in which the car starter innervates the fuel system is problematic ... it has not started that way and run without stalling for a number of months now.


TY

 

[cruiserdan]

Post 5 edited to assist future diagnosis...

 

[Montana Cruiser]

Tyler -

What security system do you have on the truck? Is there a fuel "cut-off" incorporated with the system? If yes, I would think some of the behavior could be related to that cut-off malfunctioning .......... that and running the truck outa gas

 

[concretejungle]

T Y, i was reaching way back in the cranium and thought i remember a similar problem someone posted a while back. If i remember correctly (which isn't very often) i thought there was a wire near the exhaust header that had becomed frayed and was shorting out and was causing a miriad of electrical issues. Just a thought.

 

[T Y L E R]

Whoa ... whats with these things needing a constant influx of fuel???

Funny Dan! I'm a bit of a technodolt sometimes aren't I?

Ok, I just got the guy to look at the alarm. It was a bad antenna for the most part ; repen icon on fob. He replaced that and then I mentioned the car starter portion to the Viper alarm, and he tried it and realized the crank length was set too short. But in playing with it, the truck started to idle irratically. I feel it's not related to the alarm at this point...

As I type this I am in the 80 in the Toyota parking lot .. going in to see if they can pull some codes..


Thanks for the suggestions, I'll report back in in a bit.


TY

 

[cruiserman]

At least replace the filter if you let the fuel level get way down.

 

[T Y L E R]

They are very busy, so nothing will be happening today. I went back at 4 pm and he said he could pull a guy off another job to read the codes for $20-30. Plus he said if the engine light was NOT on that it would not find any codes...is this in fact true?

I opted to wait it out for a while ... probably crap in the filter, and I'll order some from Dan.


TY

 

[CharlieS]

Tyler,

Swing by the local auto parts chain store - many of them will read your codes for free.

You can buy a code reader for not a lot of money ($80-125) that will read all of the generic OBDII codes. I think I paid $120 for mine and I probably overpaid, but a single repair paid for the reader in saved dealer labor costs.

It is my understanding that no codes are stored if the check engine light is not on.

Charlie

 

[cruiserman]

Not necessarily. Depends on the code, but I don't have any TLC OBDII experience. Autozone will read codes for free.

 

[mabrodis]

I don't know how the gas tank on the 80 is but on other vehicles there is sometimes a mesh bag over the fuel pickup in the tank. This is (I guess) to keep the large crap from even getting picked up by the pump, so a pre-filter sortof. However, on several vehicles that mesh bag has been covered in gunk, and the only way to clean/replace it was to pull the tank and get the bag off the pickup in the tank. I don't know if the 80 is this way or not. What could be happening (if the 80 does have a similar setup) is there is some gunk in the tank so your 'loss of fuel' happens when there is still some fuel in the tank, but when the fuel level is that low the pump can't suck it through the gunk in/around the mesh bag, when the fuel level is higher maybe the bag/mesh isn't gunked up as much. It's a stretch but I've seen it happen before (not on an 80 though)...saw 4-5 handfuls of sugar embedded in that bag on a ford Escort..

Good Luck, yeah I would atleast replace the fuel filter, that can't hurt.