I am baffled of why it won't start!

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Ezlikesundaymorn

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 6, 2017
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So I bought a 1988 Monte Carlo LS 4.3L three months ago from the original owner. It only had 51k miles, didn't have a dent one, all chrome was incredible & the interior was immaculate besides a crack in the dash (sat few blocks off the ocean in Florida sun). Car runs great (when it's running), so much so, that I drove it 1500 miles halfway across the country to Kansas with only changing the oil. Car ran incredibly & a/c was nice & cold.
I had to replace the master cylinder before I could drive it anywhere as the past owner told me it was bad.
Once I did, the new pump had more pressure of course which blew out one, then another brake line that I had to replace. How this is relevant is the lines were rusty due to the salt air blowing under the car I'm guessing. Well few days ago I noticed some gas leaking, investigated & found a pebble on the frame under the gas line had made a split..again, the gas line was very rusty in places.
I replaced the fuel filter & spliced in a new line with a compression fitting, ad now the car will not run.
I can hear the fuel pump running.
I loosened the fuel line from the throttle body & gas comes out while I crank it.
Please, anyone...help!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks-
 
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TURNA

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Jul 24, 2009
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Did you check for spark?

Did you check your fuel pressure?
 
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pontiacgp

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Mar 31, 2006
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I always go back the last think I did before it stopped running. Is the fuel filter in the right way, sounds like the fuel pressure could be too low to run the car.
 
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airboatgreg

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Oct 2, 2016
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Go back to basics.
Suck, squeeze, spark, bang
Fuel pressure in a fuel injection system is like Pi to math.
Use spark tester to make sure you have enough spark.
Make sure you have spark to PLUGS as you could have bad distributor rotor or weak coil
Not uncommon for fuel pump failure on this model
 
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Ezlikesundaymorn

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 6, 2017
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My brother said go back to before it stopped running, soooo....
Drove it from Florida to Kansas (1500 miles) ran like a champ.
Drove it around town fo a couple weeks after getting here, ran great.
The morning it stopped running, I drove to grocery store & back, no problem.
Couple hours later, went to go pick my son up & got halfway out pops driveway (long driveway) and it stopped running. I thought the same thing about spark because we stopped in Birmingham to stay & the valet guys REALLY dug my car, commented several times about how clean it was...well I got a little paranoid due to the over the top attention when we were at the Embassy suites & it was the oldest & cheapest car in the lot. I had to park it behind the place, so I pulled the coil wire just for some kind of piece of mind, popped it back on in the morning & away we went for 2nd half of trip.
Ok, so checking the coil wire thinking it may have wriggled loose I noticed it was just a bit loose, but more I could see some rust present that looked to be due to my anti theft tactic...yea, I know-
Anyhoo, cleaned it all off & eliminated that.
That's when I noticed just before the fuel filter on passenger side in front of the wheel, a bit of gas was leaking. It was running down the line & dripping off the filter so I thought filter..went to parts store & got a new one.
While replacing it, I noticed the path of leaking gas & it wasn't actually coming from the filter, but traveling down the line to it & then dripping. After a brie investigation I noticed the line on top of the frame rail had a pebble on top of it that had agitated the line, causing it to split in a rusty spot (pops lives on a gavel road, again..I'm in Kansas).
Ok, so I got a length of rubber fuel line, removed the section from before the hole to the filter (16" of fuel line).
Got it together & still wouldn't run.
It'd run after pouring gas down the throttle body, but not after that was gone.
Brother said it may be collapsing & to do it right with steel line.
Next day, I removed the rubber line & got a steel fuel line repair kit that was 18", flared at one end that went into fuel filter $ a brass compression fitting on the other end.
Installed that and still nothing...will start when we pour gas in throttle body.
Brother said it may have an "air bubble" in the gas line, so I took the line loose from back of throttle body & gas came out...it didn't shoot out, but came out. Did this a few times to purge line. Evidently is only to have 12lbs of pressure?
Screwed fuel line back in to throttle body & still nothing.
My brother asked if I used teflon tape on the threads, plumbers tape.
I did not.
I cannot see any gas leaking at all, figure if there was a leak, I'd see it.
Brother is saying even if just a pinhole of air got through, when you only have 12/13lbs of pressure, it's like having a tiny hole in a straw, when you take a drink, you get some but not full flow.
Tomorrow morning I will take it apart to put the teflon tape on the threads & try again.
I just don't understand why if it's getting some amount of gas, why it won't run at all unless I prime it with fuel manually & then dies soon as it's gone.
Guy I know that's a mechanic said he has fuel pressure gauges but they don't fit that old of a set up. His are meant to basically snap on & off of fuel systems & a 1988 throttle body doesn't have a schrader valve or fittings to snap on to test pressure.
Anyone know how I can test the fuel pressure on this set up??
My dad & brother are saying to get rid of it, mostly because I bought it for all of $350...yes...$350, that's the price the owner gave me & yes, the only thing I did before driving it halfway across the country was change the oil.
So pardon me, but **** no I'm not getting rid of it!!

Sorry for being so long, but just wanted y'all to have all the particulars.
I'll check back soon for your knowledge guys & thank you in advance!
 

axisg

Comic Book Super Hero
Jul 17, 2007
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I feel that if one part of a fuel or brake line is rotted then that whole section gets replaced not just the rotted part. If its not rotted already then its not far behind. Likely you are sucking air or unlikely you have a blockage. Like you stated it will run as long as you keep dumping fuel into the TB. You can also get a cheap fuel pressure gauge and make a "test" pipe inline with the gauge at a connection point to see just how much fuel you are actually getting.

$175.00 will get you all 3 lines pre-bent from inline tube
CMF8109 CMF8110 CMF8111
 
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CWPottenger

G-Body Guru
Oct 9, 2012
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From your description you have a fuel supply issue. Since engine runs with gas added to TB then you know your issue is fuel related and not ignition. 1st verify the injector harnesses are connected on the TB injectors. If that is good you need to verify pressure @ 12psi fuel should spray a bit when unhooked. If just a dribble you have a restriction or a failed/plugged pump. There is a good chance since it sat awhile that the fuel pump is no longer pushing enough fuel. 3 possible causes: plugged up fuel sock, cracked in the in-tank fuel hose, dying fuel pump.
 
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Ezlikesundaymorn

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 6, 2017
25
25
3
I feel that if one part of a fuel or brake line is rotted then that whole section gets replaced not just the rotted part. If its not rotted already then its not far behind. Likely you are sucking air or unlikely you have a blockage. Like you stated it will run as long as you keep dumping fuel into the TB. You can also get a cheap fuel pressure gauge and make a "test" pipe inline with the gauge at a connection point to see just how much fuel you are actually getting.

$175.00 will get you all 3 lines pre-bent from inline tube
CMF8109 CMF8110 CMF8111


Ah man, thanks for the heads up!
Now back to the car, the length of line was a total of 30", I replaced a 18" section of it & inspected the other 12" very well. The piece that split was the back section that went from the rubber line coming from the pump in the tank & that went to the fuel filter. Do you mean there may be another split somewhere else on the other lines? I just don't see any fuel leaks elsewhere, because I thought the same thing...
 

axisg

Comic Book Super Hero
Jul 17, 2007
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YYZ
get a gauge on it to see if you are building and holding fuel pressure and take from there. You may or may not have a pinhole sucking air into the line, or a weak fuel pump, or plugged sock, bad fuel filter. Pressure guage will tell much of the story. The other post was just my rant about patching something to keep it rolling against fixing it for good. If the original line lasted for 30 years, why not replace the whole line for another 30 years of protection ? Most will just patch the offending part and carry on.
 

Ezlikesundaymorn

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 6, 2017
25
25
3
From your description you have a fuel supply issue. Since engine runs with gas added to TB then you know your issue is fuel related and not ignition. 1st verify the injector harnesses are connected on the TB injectors. If that is good you need to verify pressure @ 12psi fuel should spray a bit when unhooked. If just a dribble you have a restriction or a failed/plugged pump. There is a good chance since it sat awhile that the fuel pump is no longer pushing enough fuel. 3 possible causes: plugged up fuel sock, cracked in the in-tank fuel hose, dying fuel pump.

That's the same direction I was thinking.
I will still do the teflon tape installation but dropping the tank is next, if that's the diagnosis-
 
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