i was wondering if it was possible to clean my fuel injectors and fuel rail before i absolutly had to replace them. i am having trouble starting my engine, i have narrowed it down to the fuel. although i dont know what part of the fuel delivery system it is, im taking a huge chance on the injectors. i have replaced the fuel filter and thats it on the fuel side of the problem. on the other hand i have replaced the battery, the spark plugs, the spark plug wires, the distributor and i have plenty of fuel in my tank. i am dumbfounded on the situation and now im looking for any suggestions.

when i go to crank the enguine it turns over and acts like it wants to start after a few minutes of cranking. but it just never fully starts. should i get a new fuel pump before i try the injectors or what. any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Pump or injectors are both kinda pricey. Before randomly replacing either one, I'd try some basics.

Run some F-I cleaner through the gas tank (Seafoam, Techron, whatever) to see if that improves things. Injectors getting clogged up is not nearly so common these days. There's place where you can send the injectors to be cleaned, but I'd try the stuff in the gas tank first.

Before buying a fuel pump, I'd measure fuel pressure.

 

i have actually put some in through the gas tank but every since then i havent been able to get the car itself started.so it hasnt been cycled through, should i or could i just pour it onto or into the injectors. i have done some reseach to find out that i could send them off, yet i wasnt too interested in waisting that money if it wasnt a problem. i basically wanted to see if that could have been what wasnt allowing my car start. and yes fuel injectors are a little pricy. i noticed that the cheap brand was estimated around 100 bucks, although i could probally do further searching and find them for cheaper.

i saw that i could use chem-tool, which do you think would work better? i know that chem-tool can really mess up plastic, so i was hesitant on using that. would soaking them in F-I cleaner or seafoam work better without weakening the intensity of the plastic sensor plug? i am a little savvy with disassembling things and putting them back together without further problems, so would it be wise or possible to do that to my fuel injectors?

Thanks Jim

 

Maybe soaking them would help, not sure. Get all new O-ring seals; age & heat will have hardened yours so they won't re-seal when you put them back in.

 

Go to your local pick in pull and just go stick them in your pocket. I do that all the time with little stuff. Free way to see if it's your injectors or not.

 

haha, how come every mechanic tells me to stick the small things in my pocket? thats great, but true, they seem to fit so well.

 

I would spray some gas or starting fluid into the throttle body while held open and if it starts easy you have narrowed it down to a fuel problem.

 

Starting problems are typically due to lack of spark or lack of fuel. The simplest way to determine adequate spark is to hook a timing light up to each spark plug wire and see if the light flashes when you try to start the car.

Also, I would replace the spark plugs, distributor cap, and rotor if they are due soon to avoid having a regular maintenance item cause your problem.

There are several things you can do to test the fuel supply system. First, turn the key to the II position, but don't try to start the car. Listen for the fuel pump to turn on for ~2 seconds during the main relay clicks. It is a faint buzzing or whirling sound that comes from the back seat. Connecting a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail will tell you if the fuel pump is giving you adequate pressure.

For the injectors, with the key still in the II position, see if there is voltage to one of the pins on each injector. The pin you want to check for 12V will be the same color on all 4 injector electrical plugs. You can hook up a 12V test light across the two pins to the injector and see if the light flashes when you try to start the car.

 

so far i have replaced my whole distributor not just the cap, spark plug wires, spark plugs, fuel filter made sure there was fuel in the tank. i have replaced all belts except the timing bkuz i dont want to go inside the engine, just yet. i am extremely hesitant on even starting the engine right bkuz i just found out that i have a oil leak too. i think its coming from the drain plug, the oil pan gasket and the rear main seal. so i indeed have alot of work in the near future. starting the engine without any oil, even for a split second, wont it give me a change to ruin my engine. if i am wrong please let me know i am just trying to be extra cautious bkuz im not willing to pay for a stupid mistake.

thank you

 

Check the oil level on the dipstick. Add oil until it is between the two dots.

As long as your car is not gushing oil, then you can try to start it.

Check the oil level before you attempt to start if you want to be cautious.