fuel problem

[prozak]

Im new and im liking the forums already.

Hey there, owner of a VT SS 5.7L LS1. I have a fuel related problem.. at first it was the odd 1 out of 100 but now its almost every day. I would go to start the car and all she does is turn over but not fire up.
I have to prime the fuel system, reds on for 5 seconds then turn off, then reds on then off etcetc.. then she starts..

My fuel pressure guage at work is broken, so can't really check the pressure, but what im thinking is im losing fuel pressure over a period of 12 hours, the car starts fine if i would go start it every 2 hours..

Now this is the test i performed to see weather if im losing pressure at the injector or the fuel pump, i lifted the fuel rail and turned reds on, no fuel coming out of the injectors.

My general question about this is.. does anyone have any idea i should try.. and if its the pump.. can i just change the pump and fix this pressure problem without changing the whole assembly ie fuel sender etcetc.. they sell just the pump for like $85 by itself..

help much appreciated.

also the fuel pressure regulator.. is it in the tank with the assembly? the VT SS dont have a return line do they??

[blacknight]

hello...

i had the same problem but my car was behaving differently. Its would shudder and shake and at times even when you floor the throttle the car doesnt seem to pick up any speed. My car would seriously be affected by the temperature of the day and would stary easier on cold days but would occasionally start on hot days.

For any car you would need 3 things to start. Spark (engine), fuel and air. Normally the air filter isnt the culprit and if your leads are good and the engine is turning over but isnt firing up, then its the fuel pump. When you set the key to pre-ignition (all LEDS light up), you should be able to hear a slight buzz or whine. that's the fuel pump.

i'm not so sure wat the pressure sould be at the fuel rail but when i had it tested at the shop, they said was engine was straving for fuel. the fuel rail should read a certain pressure. Please check. another sign that you rfuel pump may be going off is that the fuel gauge will not or very slowly register the correct amount of fuel in the fuel tank. Also a dirty fuel pump from dirty gas stations can seriously mess up your fuel pump.

its relatively cheap to replace the fuel pump as long as you know that would will be handling raw fuel. The fuel regulator in situated on the other side of the fuel rail and looks like a dome with tubes (to me that is). Whatever the model, its best not to tamper or modify this fuel regulator as the mechanic said that there are diffrent fuel regulators for the different engine specs. so choose the right replacement. i had my fuel pump, fuel filter and regulator changed. fuel lines cleaned and the injectors flushed out and reinstalled. the problems went away immediately. hope this helps

[prozak]

ta

id would be great if i can check the pressure tho the one at work is broken, atleast 3 weeks before she comes in.. i guess untill then it can go back to the mother inlaws and stay there on the farm while i drive the other car.

cheers..

[jakebell]

to all
I have just had similar fuel problems with my vt until
a complete stop no fuel at all... problem (which I believe to be common)
removed fuel pump and float and discovered that the power cable to fuel pump was burnt out on the inside of the tank...nothing wrong with fuel pump or float after replacing cable and of course sender unit because they are linked with same plugs to power cost genuine part $75.00 did work myself and was pretty easy....it took me longer to get the part jake

[fasamr]

First try replacing fuel filter than add injector cleaner

[jakebell]

if you want to rule out the fuel pump as the culprit for starting problems remove the outlet pipe/hose from the fuel filter (found in front of the fuel tank) this is a quick release clip push towards filter push in tangs and pull away from filter but first take out fuel pump fuse start motor till it stops then do the removal drop filter down and put end in a sutable container fuse back in and turn ignition key all the way but dont start engine do for a couple of seconds turn off check container if petrol pump is ok if no petrol then pump is suspect oh and an old bush remedy..... next time the car stops while driving..... get under car and thump the bottom of the tank the pump is in the middle of the right hand side of the tank a couple of times now try starting if it starts and runs fix the pump or cables in the tank common fault with vt com if you have petrol then check fuel filter thats the easy bit.........