kirkh34

My water pump went out on me and I just finished replacing it and putting everything back together. Now, my car will not start. It will turn over but it just won't quite get there. As it is turning over you can see the "fuel cutout" light blink as you can hear fuel burn just a little. I have been able to pump the gas and kind of have it run very very badly. Once I stop doing that, the car shuts off. The spark plugs, distributor, starter, and battery are all good. In the past I have had problems while driving the car. Sometimes it would not start, then it would magically start one day. Other times while driving, If i throw it in neutral or have the clutch in it will die (fuel cutout light comes on). While driving, I can drop the clutch while in gear and it comes right back on. As long as I have it in gear it would not die. Very annoying for stoplights and stop signs as I would have to keep gas going to it. I can hear the fuel pump come on when I turn the key but barely. I'm pretty sure it was a bit louder than I am hearing it now, but I can definitely hear it coming on. Is it possible that my fuel pump is dying? Would a fuel filter be a problem also? I have to drop the gas tank in order to change the pump. Is there any way to troubleshoot this to figure out exactly what it is?

thefonz

If you have no idea when the filter was changed, That would be first on my list. No improvement-- check fuel pressure.

kirkh34

I replaced the fuel filter...same problem....since I had changed my water pump, I figured I messed up the timing. Took everything back apart, fixed timing issue. Car starts and will run. I still have the same problem with it staying alive. I can start it but I have to immediately pump gas to it and hold the pedal down while in neutral. I do not have any problems in gear but I have noticed it is not accelerating as fast as it used to. It is very sluggish. I did check the fuel pressure after I replaced the filter but I could not do it while the car was running since my timing was messed up. After turning the key a few times on and off, it built up to 45 psi. So, I figured it wasn't the fuel pump and I returned the gauge. Fixed the timing, and now I have this problem. Could my fuel pump still be the problem? should it build up to 45 psi as soon as I turn the key? I can hold the pedal down very lightly when I start it to have it run as it should at about 500 rpms. Does this rule out an air issue? If it were an air issue, could I give it more gas like I do in order for it to run?

CRose777

idle is bad, no way you should be holding the pedal to make the thing go UP to 500 rpms bro. Idle air control valve is bad.