New DeLorean owner - need engine help!

[RShroyer]

Hello, all!
I bought my DeLorean this past week (10/21/15 - perfect day, right?) and when I bought it, I threw a new battery in it and it started right up. Now, I can barely get it to start maybe once a day, and when I do get it to turn over, if I don't hold the throttle open, it will die. It cranks fine, but every now and then, the engine will chuff like it's trying to turn over, but die off and continue trying to turn over. It floods every time.

I am patiently awaiting parts, but what I have been able to replace locally has not fixed the issue. We have replaced the coil and spark plugs, and verified that it is getting spark - but it's very weak. I'm waiting on new plug wires and a ballast resistor currently. It has had old gas sitting in it for years (previous owners stories don't match up to what I see in the engine), so we put 5 gallons of new gas w/ injector cleaners to clean out any gunk. Like I said, it's flooding bad so I know it's getting fuel. Air filter is new and clean, so air is not the issue.
We think that the fuel distributor may have a bad seal, so every time we crank the engine, it floods all the cylinders. Mix that with bad spark, and we can only hope that's what's wrong. Also, when we did an oil change, the oil was more gasoline than oil.

I ordered as much literature as I could, so when I get the manuals this will be a lot easier. Is there any advice towards what we should look at in the meantime? It runs, and when it does fire, it runs strong while we have the throttle open.
Thanks, all!
Can't wait to get it running right!





*Last night it dumped gasoline all over the garage (I was at the hospital, so I didn't see where it came from), so I'm going to run a boroscope through it to find out why it emptied fuel right underneath the engine.

[dn010]

Congratulations on the purchase!

Did you empty the old fuel from the tank before putting in the 5 gallons of fresh? I'd go over all the connections (bulkhead & grounds) to make sure everything is clean, I'd also pull the injectors and put them into jars to test the spray pattern, also to see if they are spraying just by the pump priming which is causing your flooding. Once you have it running check for vacuum leaks.

Also, there is a downloadable shop manual in the resources section - you can start by using that until your hardcopy arrives.

[DMCVegas]

Congratulations, et al. And of course, welcome!


It floods every time.


I am patiently awaiting parts, but what I have been able to replace locally has not fixed the issue.


Mix that with bad spark, and we can only hope that's what's wrong.


http://laurendennehy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10272961.jpg

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm honestly trying to help you and guide you away from the mistakes that many others, including even I have made. Now then....

I don't know what your mechanical background nor experience level is, but rest assured that with enough time and patience, you absolutely can become a master of all this. But the first thing here that you've got to understand is that you're dealing with Fuel Injection, and NOT a Carburetor. I cannot stress that enough. It doesn't matter that this is a mechanical flavor of Fuel Injection, but it DOES matter to realize that this isn't a carburetor. Classic Cars with ANY type of Fuel Injection have really only started entering into the Collector Car realm within the past few years, and even then it's really only been mostly higher-end cars with specialists working on them. So most people just aren't quite used to them yet in terms of what to do.

Carburetor people typically will just try and rebuild, as well as just replace parts until something works. As such, that is the kind of constant advise that you'll always be receiving from old school shadetree mechanics, and it can seriously misguide you and lead you down the absolute wrong path of troubleshooting. You don't want to do that because it will drain your wallet faster than your patience and lead to a very bad ownership experience.



First things first, get yourself a Workshop Manual, and if possible the Parts Catalogue. A BOSCH guide for K-Jetronic helps, though you've got YouTube and, well, all of us.
Second, READ your Workshop manuals and start researching things to get more familiar with the car. Especially with the car in front of you to trace fuel lines/electrical harnesses/etc.
Third, get some good tools. This would probably include at this point a proper Fuel Pressure Gauge for the system here.
The very first thing you should plan on doing here to your car is a good tuneup. So those are the kind of parts you will want.
When it comes to work, dump all of that fuel out. And be aware that after all this time, you might need to replace that Fuel Pump and associated parts, as well as clean out that nasty tank. Trying to flush bad, varnished gasoline with some injector cleaner is like inducing a Stroke on the Fuel Injection System. There are lots of tiny passages that can clog up, and make things even worse.
Flush out the lines, clean your ground connections, and then you can take things from there to get the engine running right.
Finally, never EVER, EVER reuse the Crush Washers on your Fuel Lines!!!!!! Those things are one-time-use-only consumable parts! If you reuse them, you run the chance of a gasoline leak, and a fire. You've spent all this money on this car, don't get cheap now!


Since you said that you're not sure about the background history of this car, take everything with a grain of salt, and don't assume anything is what it is until you have verified it for yourself.

It's a DeLorean, and it's cool, wonderful car! But, it is also a 30+ year old used car that is going to need some work somewhere. You can do it!:thumbup2:

[David T]

The quick, short answer is the old fuel messed up the fuel system and the plunger in the mixture unit is stick giving you a very rich mixture. The way to start is to empty the tank and wipe it out with Acetone.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Hello, all!
I bought my DeLorean this past week (10/21/15 - perfect day, right?) and when I bought it, I threw a new battery in it and it started right up. Now, I can barely get it to start maybe once a day, and when I do get it to turn over, if I don't hold the throttle open, it will die. It cranks fine, but every now and then, the engine will chuff like it's trying to turn over, but die off and continue trying to turn over. It floods every time.

I am patiently awaiting parts, but what I have been able to replace locally has not fixed the issue. We have replaced the coil and spark plugs, and verified that it is getting spark - but it's very weak. I'm waiting on new plug wires and a ballast resistor currently. It has had old gas sitting in it for years (previous owners stories don't match up to what I see in the engine), so we put 5 gallons of new gas w/ injector cleaners to clean out any gunk. Like I said, it's flooding bad so I know it's getting fuel. Air filter is new and clean, so air is not the issue.
We think that the fuel distributor may have a bad seal, so every time we crank the engine, it floods all the cylinders. Mix that with bad spark, and we can only hope that's what's wrong. Also, when we did an oil change, the oil was more gasoline than oil.

I ordered as much literature as I could, so when I get the manuals this will be a lot easier. Is there any advice towards what we should look at in the meantime? It runs, and when it does fire, it runs strong while we have the throttle open.
Thanks, all!
Can't wait to get it running right!





*Last night it dumped gasoline all over the garage (I was at the hospital, so I didn't see where it came from), so I'm going to run a boroscope through it to find out why it emptied fuel right underneath the engine.

If you haven't already pulled the fuel tank and cleaned it with acetone you need to do that right away before any more attempts at starting. It also sounds like a fuel line in the engine compt is leaking. I'd suggest replacing all the flexible fuel lines for safeties sake. You will need a combination of fuel/electrical parts from the sound of it. You might consider finding a good local mechanic who knows CIS to help with the diagnosis or plan on spending lots of money on parts that may not be needed. For example the coil and ballast resistors very rarely go bad.
Rob

[RShroyer]

The plan is to drop the tank in the next week. I'm in rural New Mexico and there are no mechanics in the close 400 miles. I have all new hoses on order for the cooling system, and I'm going to have stainless lines made locally since my friends shop has an account with them. The top of the coil where the wire attaches looks like it was dropped at one point and is broke off so I'm replacing it for safety's sake. The ballast got up to 169 degrees this last weekend while letting it idle for 10 minutes. My experience with them is that they should not get anywhere near that hot, so I'm just replacing it to avoid any fire danger.


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[dn010]

Actually, the ballast resistor is supposed to get extremely hot - sounds like it is working normally.


The ballast got up to 169 degrees this last weekend while letting it idle for 10 minutes. My experience with them is that they should not get anywhere near that hot, so I'm just replacing it to avoid any fire danger.


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[RShroyer]

Ahhh. Okay. Seems completely counter intuitive, but alright. This is all new to me - I build rock crawlers, not older European cars. Ha.


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[PJ Grady Inc.]

The plan is to drop the tank in the next week. I'm in rural New Mexico and there are no mechanics in the close 400 miles. I have all new hoses on order for the cooling system, and I'm going to have stainless lines made locally since my friends shop has an account with them. The top of the coil where the wire attaches looks like it was dropped at one point and is broke off so I'm replacing it for safety's sake. The ballast got up to 169 degrees this last weekend while letting it idle for 10 minutes. My experience with them is that they should not get anywhere near that hot, so I'm just replacing it to avoid any fire danger.


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In a Delorean they run very hot without failing. The connecters at the ballast are prone to corrosion and loosening and often need replacing. I personally have never seen a ballast fail in a Delorean but they're cheap enough that you may as well replace it if it makes you more comforable. Just don't expect a new one to run cooler unless the electric connections are loose or dirty. Replace those if there's any question.
Rob

[Ron]

You can temporarily bypass the resistor until you get the rest sorted out and then decide...:
37580

[valdez]

Check your battery terminals and cables for corrosion.
I had that be the problem in some other car. Flooded all the time, might get the odd cough out of it, but would not start no matter how much I charged the battery. My raw cable wires were getting rusty where the battery clamps attach to the cable.

It took a lot of swearing and recharging the battery before I discovered it. Eventually I couldn't get anything out of it so I did the trouble shooting with a stick. I had the key turned and was smacking the battery cables out of frustration and to check if they were seated properly then noticed the fan and light came on. Hit it a couple more times until I noticed sparks coming from the battery cable clamp connector each time I hit it (momentarily making a better connection). The fix was 0 dollars -wished I looked there first. Moral of the story: if all else fails, hit it with a stick. - or maybe hit it with a stick first, then swap parts if the stick doesn't work.

Once I cleaned up the cable to fresh metal car started just fine. I guess it had enough power to turn the engine but not enough for a strong spark to ignite the fuel properly.

[David T]

You do not have to remove the tank to clean it.

[DMCMW Dave]

The plan is to drop the tank............



You can do it from the trunk without dropping the tank. The only time we pull a tank is to weld the frame.

[RShroyer]

The battery cables do need to get replaced! The terminals are really haggard. Are your batteries side post? I believe mine was once a side post and has been turned into a top post - I'll check that when I'm out of class. And interesting. I would not have guessed that. I really hope my manuals show up soon, the car is a bag of "I have no clue what we're doing".


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[RShroyer]

Also, thank you all for responding back.


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[Jonathan]

The next best thing to reading through the entire manual library yourself would be to take a number of photos of your car and let the collective intelligence and experience of DeLorean owners on this forum play "I spy" with your car.

I would suggest taking several photos and posting here of the engine bay (from a few different angles including the ballast resistor area, the front showing pulleys as well as throttle spool, and the bulkhead connections area in the passenger corner after you remove the cover), dash and centre console, relay and fuse area behind the passenger seat (including the battery and compartment underneath, and the ECU area behind the driver's seat.

It will take you some time to get up to speed on car specific knowledge, and if you try a few things in the meantime without knowing some of the main basics, you could further damage some of the systems or start a fire. If you don't have a competent local owner to come give it a once over for you, posting pics here is the easiest way to bypass that. And definitely go over to the resources section and get the wiring diagrams and schematics and compare to what you see in your own car (in the fuse and relay area behind the passenger seat most importantly.

Hardest thing to learn is to be patient, yet most common thing for any of us not to have to start. Good luck and congrats on getting your car.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

You can do it from the trunk without dropping the tank. The only time we pull a tank is to weld the frame.
Sure you can do it that way but your access to clean it is much more limited. The cleaning procedure is simplified when you can empty the tank without siphoning and get a gloved arm in there to clean the surfaces more effectively with solvents. It takes a little more time but it results in a better cleaning job.
Also although it's unrelated we are increasingly finding rust up in the L/H frame corner from a leaking brake master cylinder that can only be accessed with the tank removed which adds another reason for pulling it.
Rob

[DMC5180]

Sounds like you will need to do the typical resurrection process.

What are the know history details of the car as told to you by the previous owner?

How well did it run when you picked it up? How long since the car had been driven? Has the car been sitting for years ?
Did the PO do just enough to make it run prior to sale?

Prior to purchasing the car, did you follow any of the forums to get familiar with the typical issues other new owners would likely have?

[valdez]

The battery cables do need to get replaced! The terminals are really haggard. Are your batteries side post? I believe mine was once a side post and has been turned into a top post - I'll check that when I'm out of class. And interesting. I would not have guessed that. I really hope my manuals show up soon, the car is a bag of "I have no clue what we're doing".


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The car I had that problem in was top post, but it doesn't matter the principal is the same. The cable could look crappy, but as long as the + doesn't touch any extra metal and you can find some shiny clean metal in there somewhere to make decent connections you can get it going temporarily if that is all you are dealing with. I hit it with a stick and shook it around to confirm lol :) then sanded it off. Hillbilly diagnosis-fix that also is good for troubleshooting noisy computers. As I smacked at the cable I saw sparks from the positive cable where the corrosion was, confirming a bad connection that made some contact when moved around.

[bfloyd]

I went through the same thing about this time last year. Bought my car that hadn't run for over 20 years. It had 20 year old gas in it, and just about everything in the fuel system was gummed up. Fuel pump was shot, fuel distributor was gummed up and it had the original 34 year old fuel lines on it.
My previous extent of mechanical knowledge was changing the oil on my lawnmower. I'm not a Delorean expert, not even close - but I was wearing your shoes almost exactly one year ago, and I've been right where you are now.

I pulled the fuel pump out and siphon pumped the old gas out of the tank. After the pump was out, I dumped a gallon acetone into the tank and let it sit for about an hour, then crawled up into the trunk and scrubbed the tank. Nasty job, and smelled like funky gas for a week. I probably scrubbed that tank 2-3 more times with acetone before I ever felt comfortable enough to install my new fuel pump and new gas.

I replaced the fuel pump (and hoses), fuel accumulator (and hoses), fuel filter, and all of the fuel lines from the distributor to the injectors. Don't bet your investment on 34 year old fuel lines! Just don't. Separate the fuel distributor (the black octagonal shaped thing on the top rear of the engine) from the air metering assembly by removing the three screws on the top of the distributor, and gently pull out the stuck plunger with a pair of needle nosed pliers. It's stuck - which is why your engine is flooding. Only pull the plunger out by pulling on the small tip of the plunger. Don't drop the plunger, don't sand or polish the plunger. Clean the plunger with acetone (2-3 times), wrap it up in a shop towel, put it in a zip lock freezer bag and leave it alone. Do not try to separate the halves of the octagonal distributor itself.... just don't.

Pull your injectors and either send them off to be cleaned or drop them in a jar of acetone (or Berryman's B-12), put the lid on the jar and just let them sit. They're not gonna rust. Go ahead and order new rubber injector boots from your favorite Delorean vendor while you wait.

Once you get the tank cleaned, fuel pump, accumulator, fuel filter, and fuel lines replaced (with brand new copper crush washers), then try to give it a shot again.

Just about every question you have regarding your engine and every sub-system on your car has probably been asked and answered here on these forums.
Like others have said, get your copies of the parts manual and the shop manual and learn as you go.

[OverlandMan]

I went through the same thing about this time last year. Bought my car that hadn't run for over 20 years. It had 20 year old gas in it, and just about everything in the fuel system was gummed up. Fuel pump was shot, fuel distributor was gummed up and it had the original 34 year old fuel lines on it.
My previous extent of mechanical knowledge was changing the oil on my lawnmower. I'm not a Delorean expert, not even close - but I was wearing your shoes almost exactly one year ago, and I've been right where you are now.

I pulled the fuel pump out and siphon pumped the old gas out of the tank. After the pump was out, I dumped a gallon acetone into the tank and let it sit for about an hour, then crawled up into the trunk and scrubbed the tank. Nasty job, and smelled like funky gas for a week. I probably scrubbed that tank 2-3 more times with acetone before I ever felt comfortable enough to install my new fuel pump and new gas.

I replaced the fuel pump (and hoses), fuel accumulator (and hoses), fuel filter, and all of the fuel lines from the distributor to the injectors. Don't bet your investment on 34 year old fuel lines! Just don't. Separate the fuel distributor (the black octagonal shaped thing on the top rear of the engine) from the air metering assembly by removing the three screws on the top of the distributor, and gently pull out the stuck plunger with a pair of needle nosed pliers. It's stuck - which is why your engine is flooding. Only pull the plunger out by pulling on the small tip of the plunger. Don't drop the plunger, don't sand or polish the plunger. Clean the plunger with acetone (2-3 times), wrap it up in a shop towel, put it in a zip lock freezer bag and leave it alone. Do not try to separate the halves of the octagonal distributor itself.... just don't.

Pull your injectors and either send them off to be cleaned or drop them in a jar of acetone (or Berryman's B-12), put the lid on the jar and just let them sit. They're not gonna rust. Go ahead and order new rubber injector boots from your favorite Delorean vendor while you wait.

Once you get the tank cleaned, fuel pump, accumulator, fuel filter, and fuel lines replaced (with brand new copper crush washers), then try to give it a shot again.

Just about every question you have regarding your engine and every sub-system on your car has probably been asked and answered here on these forums.
Like others have said, get your copies of the parts manual and the shop manual and learn as you go.

And once you get here, you still may have problems with mixture, WUR, CSV, etc. It can be a frustrating process, one that I find myself still a part of unfortunately. :banghead:

[David T]

And once you get here, you still may have problems with mixture, WUR, CSV, etc. It can be a frustrating process, one that I find myself still a part of unfortunately. :banghead:

The good news is that once you get the car running again (and keep using it) the K-Jet system is pretty reliable. The worst thing you can do is let it sit with old gas.

[RShroyer]

Awesome! Thank you so much for the detailed advise! I'm currently looking into a carb setup for the car, but these will be good trouble shooting tips to go over while I wait on parts! Thank you once again, I really appreciate the advice!


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[DMC5180]

If you're looking to do a carb project. You should also join
www.dmctoday.com. The carburetor conversion folks hang out there.

[RShroyer]

I actually joined that forum when I did this one, and have already been put on the waiting list for it :) thanks!


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[David T]

Without getting into personalities here the main thing is the car is always going to be worth more the closer you can keep it to "stock". The K-Jet system CAN be fixed up and CAN be at least as reliable as a carburetor. It shouldn't even cost more than converting to a carb. Start with cleaning out the fuel tank and replacing the rubber parts and the fuel pump. Flush the piping, replace the accumulator, and unstick the fuel plunger. Replace hoses and clean the fuel injectors. That should get you going.

[Lou and "Boo"]

Hey guys ! Can you tell Rachel the member's name here that's in New Mexico? I can't think of it and I figured he is probably the closest one to her location.

[David T]

Out of curiosity, where did that quote come from? DMCH lists is as $495 on their site. Pelican Auto and other Porsche and Ferrari sites also have threads about how to disassemble and rebuilt your entire distributor yourself as well for a fraction of the cost. Granted though, that's a much, MUCH more advanced repair that I wouldn't casually toss out to just anyone. If needed, this car's distributor just sounds like it just needs to be soaked if anything.

The interesting thing about K-Jetronic CIS is that before the rise of EFI and subsequent turnkey systems, allot of oldschool semi-pro sand rails, dune buggies, and offroad trucks (high speed or rock crawlers) would sometimes graft K-Jet or Hilborn CIS fuel injection systems onto their engines from junkyard Peugeots and Mercedes. Unlike carburetors they can operate at much, MUCH more extreme angles, can take sudden acceleration better, and even be jumped with no problem because there is no bowl to slosh fuel out of. So if you were crawling around boulders at nasty angles, or even jumping at high speeds across the desert, CIS would keep on going and not starve the engine to rob it of power. Rather important during a competition. I know that some carb manufacturers have introduced alternate carbs for extreme angles, as well as relocated bowls for acceleration. But nothing is as superior to Fuel Injection, nor as reliable as mechanical when it comes being able to practically operate upside down as opposed to just extended degrees of angles.

The only design problem I've ever had with the DeLorean was the pickup hose collapsing. which was remedied by eliminating the hose and relocating the baffle (or you can opt for the DMCH all-in-on pump/sender unit). And the only other "failure" with the system was my own fault of trying to run a cocktail of alcohol and B12 Chemtool through the fuel system to clean the injectors. It kinda did, but it also compromised the rubber O-ring on the Primary Pressure Regulator. That threw-off the entire mixture and the car ran like crap. After I replaced it, she fired right back up and ran like nothing ever happened.

*technicly* the emissions on the car *should* pass. HOWEVER, if the vacuum diagram does not match up with what is on the car, some smog techs might actually fail you for that.



As for Bill, his attitude will change depending upon how much use he has for you. Totally cordial with me for many years, not happy when I told him that I had no desire for people to come to my house, and then as soon as I literally said that he shouldn't be the only source for carburetors, he turned on me like a wild animal. Nothing of value was lost when than happened. It's just a repeated process over and over again. It happened with Louie, it happened with me, it now happened with Chad, and who knows who is next... And that is about all there is to say about that.



http://www.quickmeme.com/img/3d/3de4c0e02f5f238610de9062ec468aad8ddd38dfd825fdce63 2fe47116791901.jpg

Dragging this thread back to topic again, the pick-up hose can be used if you stick a spring inside it. Most systems (not just Deloreans) won't tolerate a highly concentrated home-brew type clean-up and if you have the flying version of the Delorean you will have trouble with the fuel bowl and float in a carburetor. Fuel injection IS a better choice when flying the car. If you feel you must clean the system, clean the tank, replace the filter and add ONE can of Techron to a full tank of fuel and use it all up before filling the tank again. After that you may still need to have the injectors cleaned.

[Lou and "Boo"]

lets let her get back to us with any further issues that she may need help with and end all this nonsense that helps no one.


:thumbup:

[Lou and "Boo"]

Dragging this thread back to topic again, the pick-up hose can be used if you stick a spring inside it. Most systems (not just Deloreans) won't tolerate a highly concentrated home-brew type clean-up and if you have the flying version of the Delorean you will have trouble with the fuel bowl and float in a carburetor. Fuel injection IS a better choice when flying the car. If you feel you must clean the system, clean the tank, replace the filter and add ONE can of Techron to a full tank of fuel and use it all up before filling the tank again. After that you may still need to have the injectors cleaned.

Thank you sir.

[Rich_NYS]

Pretty much everything since post #23 is useless - which I'm also guilty of posting nonsense. the OP has the information she needs, lets let her get back to us with any further issues that she may need help with and end all this nonsense that helps no one.

+1
(If people want to go at it, they should agree to a separate thread.)


Rachel, I just removed my tank this past weekend so I can access the frame. My tank also needs to be cleaned out, but I would've left it in place if I didn't need to access the frame. Here's a link to some pics from this past weekend: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?11936-VIN-4728-Running-Resto&p=183202&viewfull=1#post183202

Also, here's a pic of my siphon hose where you can see some of the black gunk that was in there (and what can mess up a fuel system.)

37611

Maybe there was some crappiness in your tank that got stirred up (?) If it was me, I'd stop and not try to start it again without first cleaning up the fuel system.

[Lou and "Boo"]

Good advice Rich, as usual.
My arm was too manly and muscular to fit into the opening in the tank so I removed the tank.
Just goofing! I am fat and I was too cramped in the bonnet so I removed my tank and it had about an inch of goop on the bottom. So I took it to a radiator shop and they "boiled it out" for $20. Came back perfectly clean, but still had a varnishy smell.
I do say though , if you don't have to remove the closing plate and the tank, don't.

[bfloyd]

Didn't Rachel say she came home to gas leaking underneath the car around the engine compartment? That sounds like a busted fuel line or leaking fuel filter possibly.

Would the excessive flooding with a stuck plunger in the distributor cause enough fuel to fill the cylinders to the point where it ran down past the rings and into the oil pan? She did mention that when they changed the oil it was more gas than oil.

Like I said earlier this morning, I'd start at the tank and work my way back to the engine.
1.) Pull the fuel pump and get rid of any and all gas left in the tank.

2.) Clean the tank with acetone and a disposable plastic toilet brush and plastic paint scrapers..

3.) Clean the tank again.

4.) Disconnect both front fuel lines. If they are the factory originals.... throw them away. Cut the ends off the old lines and keep the barbed fittings. You'll need them for the new fuel lines. Be careful not to score the barbed fittings, they'll leak if you do.

5.) Remove and inspect the fuel accumulator. Replace if unsure of age. Remove and replace both flexible hoses if original. Same as above, cut the flexible lines away from the barbed fitting. Do not attempt to remove the barbed fittings here. Leave them on the car.

6.) Remove and replace the fuel filter. Remove 90 degree angled fitting before throwing the old one away, you'll need to reuse it. Don't install new filter until you flush the nasty gas from the hard lines.

7.) Remove the banjo bolts from the fuel distributor and remove all fuel lines connected to the distributor. Keep the banjo bolts, but throw away the copper washers. Don't even think about trying to reuse them.

8.) Disconnect the flexible fuel return line (right side of engine) and throw it away. Same goes for the flexible line from the fuel filter on the left side of the engine. Toss it.

9.) Remove each injector and disconnect old fuel lines from them. Injector clips are a pain. Use a piece of stiff wire or cut up a metal coat hanger and fashion a hook on the end of it to assist with injector clip removal . Don't bend the clips.

10.) Remove injector boots and toss them. You want new ones. They are $3 a piece.
Place injectors into a glass jar filled with either acetone or Berryman's B-12, put the lid back on, put it on your workbench and walk away.

11.) Remove the 3 screws on the top of the fuel distributor. Use the biggest, beefiest flat blade screwdriver you've got. They are very tight , but they will finally give. Once the screws are out, take the distributor to your workbench and turn it upside-down so the plunger is sticking straight up. Take a very small amount of either gasoline or acetone and put a couple of drops in the hole where the plunger is stuck. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, grab a hold of the tip (only the tip) of the plunger and gently pull and twist the plunger until it slides out. Once it's out... treat it like glass. Don't drop it, buff it, polish it.... Just don't. Wipe it down with acetone a couple of times, wrap it up in a shop towel and place it in a zip lock freezer bag and put it away.

12.) Wipe down the outside of the fuel distributor (top and bottom) and use a q-tip soaked in acetone to swap out each of the banjo bolt holes and the bore where the plunger came out of. Do not try to separate the halves of the distributor body. Do not soak or submerge the distributor body in any solvent based cleaners. There are rubber o-rings and other bits inside the distributor body that can be damage if you do.

13.) Remove the fuel line to the Cold Start Valve and throw it away along with the copper washers under the banjo bolt. Remove the cold start valve body from the mounting pipe and clean the valve with acetone. See the tiny O-ring on the bottom of the valve... order one. Like the plunger, wrap it up in a shop towel, put it in a zip lock freezer bag, and place it on your workbench next to the plunger. Put those 2 Allen headed bolts in the bag too!

14.) Repeat #12 for both the warm up regulator (left side of engine) and the frequency valve (right side valve cover).

By this point, anything with liquid fuel has been removed from the car. Flush out the metal hard lines with Berryman B-12. After flushing, blow them out with compressed air.

Re-assembly starts at the tank and work your way back one piece at a time. You will learn a lot about your car along the way and have a very impressive set of tools when you're done.

[Ron]

Now that's how to get the thread back on track! :thumbup:

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Yeah, a stuck plunger or even injectors could contaminate the oil...running or not, if the key is on, fuel would be flowing.

I would add two things. I guess the first is obvious, but, make sure you flush the individual components while removed. And, to avoid one of the most common and costly mistakes IMHO, ACQUIRE A SUITABLE PRESSURE GAUGE!

[dn010]

Would the excessive flooding with a stuck plunger in the distributor cause enough fuel to fill the cylinders to the point where it ran down past the rings and into the oil pan? She did mention that when they changed the oil it was more gas than oil.

When I had fuel distributor problems the fuel was pouring out of my exhaust while running. It made a large puddle under the car and I immediately turned the engine off and cleaned up the mess once I noticed what was going on. If the system was primed enough that the fuel filled the cylinders without running and forcing the fuel out the exhaust, it will go past the rings.

[DMCVegas]

Dragging this thread back to topic again, the pick-up hose can be used if you stick a spring inside it. Most systems (not just Deloreans) won't tolerate a highly concentrated home-brew type clean-up and if you have the flying version of the Delorean you will have trouble with the fuel bowl and float in a carburetor. Fuel injection IS a better choice when flying the car. If you feel you must clean the system, clean the tank, replace the filter and add ONE can of Techron to a full tank of fuel and use it all up before filling the tank again. After that you may still need to have the injectors cleaned.

Agreed. Here are the original instructions. (http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=dmc12;id=5;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdmcnews%2Ecom% 2F) The only caveat I would add to this is that you would do best to cut the spring in a slightly shorter length than the straightaways, and ONLY let the spring reinforce those areas. The molded curves in the hose will hold up themselves just fine. If you try and insert the spring into any curves, it will straighten out the hose and eventually tear it.

Techron is also the ONLY Fuel System Cleaner that I've come to trust. It's petroleum distillates mixed with detergents so it will dissolve gum and varnish, but it's not corrosive to where it dissolves rubber components that are sensitive. Just as long as you follow the dilution instructions.

For this owner, I'd go with bfloyd's instructions and just start from scratch with sorting out the fuel system. The only thing though too is that once this all is done, that CO mixture is going to need to be adjusted. So even after following those instructions, it still may not run right if it isn't tuned properly. Along those lines too, you'll need some jars to test spray patterns as well as fuel flow. If the car is already running, but not that well, this may not be a basket case that needs a complete rebuild, but the system should still be given a good once-over.

[sdg3205]

The only question I haven't seen asked yet:

Rachel, are you comfortable performing these troubleshooting tasks? Do you have some tools? If not, use a lifeline and call a buddy. You'd be surprised how far owners will travel to help each other out. It's kinda great.

[David T]

The only question I haven't seen asked yet:

Rachel, are you comfortable performing these troubleshooting tasks? Do you have some tools? If not, use a lifeline and call a buddy. You'd be surprised how far owners will travel to help each other out. It's kinda great.


This post is probably the most important so far. Depending on the owner's level of skill and tools they may not be comfortable doing this stuff. In any case it all needs to be done. In fact, it MUST be done. Otherwise the car will never run right.

[Lou and "Boo"]

Awesome guys ! Nice detailed posts that can help any new owner !

:thumbup:

[DMCVegas]

A human being can drown in just a few inches of water. So when if you're in the middle of the ocean, what the hell does it matter how deep the water is? You just gotta keep swimming so that you can survive.

Or to put it another way, this owner states that she's 400 miles from the nearest mechanic. Doesn't matter what the distance, she'll probably have to work on the car herself since a proper garage isn't near by. And it is something that she, like most anybody, is perfectly capable of. It's just a responsibility that has to be taken on. She'll be fine.

[Dangermouse]

Based on Today posts, she can build a rock crawler, presumably the jeep based thing rather than quarry equipment.

So she's probably OK with it all.

[Rich_NYS]

Based on Today posts, she can build a rock crawler, presumably the jeep based thing rather than quarry equipment.

So she's probably OK with it all.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Lou and "Boo"]

No word back from Rachel, I think we scared her away.
Either that or she's doing fine without our advice and guidance.

[DMCVegas]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/fb0875f182f29fa753415dcd6a5812a5/tumblr_n4kc2ffJui1txb8sho1_500.gif

[Lou and "Boo"]

O ... K ...