HELP: D won't start without starter fluid

[FireProofCane]

My guess is the fuel injectors (all of them) need to be pulled, cleaned and tested. Make sure the frequency valve (the thing bolted to the R/H valve cover with 2 hoses and a wire going to it) is buzzing. Make sure there is a plug in the housing over the mixture screw to seal up the vacuum.

There is no plug, I can drop the 3mm wrench in there without removing a plug. Could that vacuum leak be my problem or part of it? Would that plug missing cause the same symptoms as a ceased up plunger?

[Jonathan]

There is no plug, I can drop the 3mm wrench in there without removing a plug. Could that vacuum leak be my problem or part of it?

Part of the problem, yes. Not the whole problem though.

Would that plug missing cause the same symptoms as a seized up plunger?

No. A vacuum leak from a missing plug will cause idle hunt, but not what you're seeing with the engine ceasing to run without starter fluid.

... although, find something to plug that hole with and then see if you notice any changes. You can use a golf tee or piece of bubble gum for now, it's only temporary until you get something more appropriate.

Perhaps you should take a bunch of photos of your engine bay and post them here as there might be other things out of sorts you aren't realizing, and someone on here might spot them for you.

[FireProofCane]

My guess is the fuel injectors (all of them) need to be pulled, cleaned and tested. Make sure the frequency valve (the thing bolted to the R/H valve cover with 2 hoses and a wire going to it) is buzzing. Make sure there is a plug in the housing over the mixture screw to seal up the vacuum.

When should I hear the frequency valve running? When the car is in the "on" position or when the car is running? When the car is in the "on" position I do hear a humming sound from the engine bay but it doesn't sound like it's coming from the frequency valve.

[FireProofCane]

Part of the problem, yes. Not the whole problem though.



No. A vacuum leak from a missing plug will cause idle hunt, but not what you're seeing with the engine ceasing to run without starter fluid.

... although, find something to plug that hole with and then see if you notice any changes. You can use a golf tee or piece of bubble gum for now, it's only temporary until you get something more appropriate.

Perhaps you should take a bunch of photos of your engine bay and post them here as there might be other things out of sorts you aren't realizing, and someone on here might spot them for you.

Thank you, I'll try to get some pictures today. I used a golf tee but it didn't seem to cause much of a change.

[DMC5180]

the FV only runs when the engine is running.


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[FireProofCane]

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[David T]

Try disconnecting and reconnecting the plug to the frequency valve a couple of times. Sometimes a little corrosion is all it takes to keep it from working. If the frequency valve is not working the motor would run too lean. If there is no plug over the mixture screw the motor would run too lean. The combination would be so bad the motor won't run at idle. You probably also have other vacuum leaks making it even leaner. You also have all of the usual stale fuel system problems like:
Stuck fuel plunger
Plugged up/dirty/bad spray pattern injectors
Old, hard, leaky injector seals
Probably a bad CPR so it runs badly til it warms up.
Point is you have to go over the whole fuel system to get the motor to run well, not one thing at a time. The best place to start is the fuel tank. Empty it and wipe it out with Acetone. Reassemble the fuel pump and then replace the fuel filter.

[DMC5180]

just looking for things out of normal. I see an extra Ground wire (middle) in the cluster on the Intake manifold next to the ISM. track down where it goes to make sure it's a legitmate ground and not a PO work a round. I also see New wires spiced into the CS injector connector and CPR connector. Did you do that or a PO?


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[FireProofCane]

just looking for things out of normal. I see an extra Ground wire (middle) in the cluster on the Intake manifold next to the ISM. track down where it goes to make sure it's a legitmate ground and not a PO work a round. I also see New wires spiced into the CS injector connector and CPR connector. Did you do that or a PO?


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Thanks, yes I did that. Those connectors/wires were not in good shape. I've tested now to be sure the splice and connection is good. I'll check on that extra ground.

[Jonathan]

Here's a couple more electrical things to double check:

You can see both of these two items in your 5th picture.

The first is the pair of connectors that are used with the full throttle switches. Your car appears to be a manual transmission, so you only need one of them connected. The one that should be connected (I'm talking on the car's wiring harness side) on a manual trans car is the one with the pair of wires which is black for the ground wire and light green for the other wire. The connector you DON'T use on a manual trans car is the pair with the LGG wire (which means light green/green). This wire is for the automatic trans kickdown mode. They will look similar until you see them side by side. Basically the one you don't want has two shades of green (striped) and the one you do want to use is a solid green. Could be that someone plugged the wrong connector in for you (it is those white connectors that look like Tetris puzzle pieces).

The other thing to check on is the ground wire for the O2 sensor. You can see it in the area of the frequency valve and it is a red wire. It has a quick connect on it. The one end is screwed down and into the block and the other end uses that quick connector to attach to what goes to the O2 sensor and becomes the ground reference. I've attached a picture from my own car where you can see a red arrow indicating where it is supposed to be fastened to (mine is attached slightly above as the intended threaded hole was no good). Don't tug too hard on the connector end, but make sure it is still plugged in.

O2 sensor ground.jpg