Please help ... no fuel coming out of the injectors :(

[MountainGoat]

Hey there;

So, I've posted a journal of what's been going on here :

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?12081-Restoring-VIN-2784


When I got it, it was idling incredibly rough, the engine had no power, and I found that the gas in the tank was 2+ years old and the fuel pump was crazy rotted.

So I went on an expedition. I've done the following:

1. Cleaned the fuel tank

2. Replaced the fuel pump and associated tank goodies

3. Replaced the accumulator

4. Replaced the fuel filter.


When I got that far, I did the jar test; I pulled all my injectors out, put them in mason jars, and did the following procedure:

1. Jumped the fuel pump relay so it would constantly run (I can hear it humming after connecting the battery)

2. Pushed down on the air mixture intake thing under the plastic intake (sorry for using wrong words, I'm totally a n00b :) )

I got a pathetic dribble.


So ... I tried to clean my fuel injectors using a procedure I found on the internets, put 'em back on, still nothing came out.

So ... I tried the mason jar test with NO injectors on it. Gas was flowing! The jars steadily filled, and more or less evenly -- two cylinders seemed to be getting a little less than the others, but on the whole they were very close. I took photos and measurements if these details matter. My conclusion? Bad fuel injectors.


SO ... I bought a brand new set! And new injector hoses just or fun. I just got them all hooked up today. And now what do I get?

NOTHING!! Not a DROP! Not even a little bit of moisture on the tips of the injectors.



... ARRRRGHH ... :D


So I can only conclude there's not enough pressure coming from the fuel distributor. I haven't yet tried removing all the injectors and re-doing the no-injector test (I didn't really see a point in it).

I have no idea what to do now -- am I doing the mason jar test wrong? I've tried turning the throttle spool while holding down the air intake if that matters at all.

Is my fuel distributor hosed?

Any ideas? :( Please help!


Thanks! :)

[sdg3205]

My guess is if you've got no fuel coming from the distributor to the injectors, you've localized your problem to the distributor (esp since the injectors are new).

You can remove the fuel send line at the distributor (from the filter) and put it into a jerry can, jump the pump again and be double sure you're got good flow right up to the distributor.

As long as you didn't push any crap from the dist. into the new injectors, I'd say you've found the problem.

[Bitsyncmaster]

It could be something as simple as your fuel pump hoses are reversed. Or your primary pressure regulator is shot. You really need to get a fuel pressure gauge onto it and check primary pressure (70 to 80 PSI).

[MountainGoat]

It could be something as simple as your fuel pump hoses are reversed. Or your primary pressure regulator is shot. You really need to get a fuel pressure gauge onto it and check primary pressure (70 to 80 PSI).


Okay -- I'll see if I can do this tomorrow, then, as this seems like the logical next step. Thank you!!

[MountainGoat]

My guess is if you've got no fuel coming from the distributor to the injectors, you've localized your problem to the distributor (esp since the injectors are new).

You can remove the fuel send line at the distributor (from the filter) and put it into a jerry can, jump the pump again and be double sure you're got good flow right up to the distributor.

As long as you didn't push any crap from the dist. into the new injectors, I'd say you've found the problem.


I'll give this a try, too. Thanks for the suggestion!

[MountainGoat]

Hello fellow Deloreanites. Delorenians?

Okay -- so I didn't want to buy the fuel pressure tester because the tester costs as much as the part I was testing :/ I knew fuel was getting from the tank to the distributor. So I'm thinking, what else could cause low fuel pressure?

My fuel pump was sounding a little anemic, and I recalled the PO complained about battery issues. The battery was working well enough to turn over the engine when I first got it, and I've left it unconnected for most of the time I've had it -- only connecting it to do tests -- so it wasn't something I considered as a problem. But, it occurred to me randomly to maybe check out the battery. It was some cheap Wal*Mart thing -- I went ahead and just replaced it since the PO seemed to have so much trouble with it, and that "fixed" it!

I can now proudly say I have fuel spraying out of most of my injectors. It's now pretty clear that the problem is the fuel distributor, so I'm going to go ahead and get that and the cold start replaced. I was hesitant to do this before when no fuel was coming from the injectors -- honestly I was pretty much in despair at that point -- but now I feel I'm almost at the end of the tunnel.

Knock on wood :)

Thanks for the suggestions, guys -- if anyone else has a similar problem, check the battery!


(If it helps for future diagnostic purposes, I have Special-T's baffle-less pump)