Nope... Not normal at all. That sound you are hearing is not electrical, but probably the accumulator clunking as it looses pressure. I think you have a fuel leak, bad "O" ring in the fuel distributor, bad fuel pump/backflow valve, or a bad accumulator.
I am still very intrigued and equally puzzled by your problem, although I have not found anything that jumps right out other than the fact that it’s probably fuel system related.
If I were to guess (having not seen the problem first hand), I believe you may have a large fuel leak internal to the system somewhere. The fact that your accumulator is “clunking” almost immediately after the fuel pump stops/engine stalls indicates that the system is loosing fuel pressure very quickly. Although the fact that it is clunking, also indicates that the accumulator is probably not the source of the problem. The fact that the car no longer starts and stalls right away indicates that the system is probably not generating the required pressure to open the injectors or keep them open.
A few things that I would double check:
- Double check that the o-rings did not prematurely fail in the fuel distributor (I know they were already replaced, but early failure has been a problem with some types recently)
- That the check valve is working correctly in the fuel pump. This may require a CIS pressure test gauge set, know anyone that may have a set to borrow?
-I'd say check the injectors and make sure they are not leaking, there is really only one way to do this: Take all of the injectors out of the engine with the fuel system still attached and place each injector in a glass jar, pressurize the system (by jumpering the fuel pump on at the RPM relay and see if any of them are spraying or leaking [no fuel should come out at all], equally you can check if they are opening by pushing down on the metering plate which will direct the fuel system pressure to the injectors). This is kinda a pain, but is a good way of testing the functionality of the entire system at once. A CIS gauge set would help here also…
It’s very hard to tell where the problem is by not being able to see the car first hand. If you would like, I would be willing to drive up to take a look at the problem. Either way, I’ll see if I can get my hands on CIS gauge set (if you don;t have access to one) which will probably help you diagnose the problem quicker.
Nope... Not normal at all. That sound you are hearing is not electrical, but probably the accumulator clunking as it looses pressure. I think you have a fuel leak, bad "O" ring in the fuel distributor, bad fuel pump/backflow valve, or a bad accumulator.
ReplyDeleteMatt
Vin# 3157
I've already changed the accumulator (twice), the fuel pump, and the o-ring. What else should I check?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... this is a tough one...
ReplyDeleteNo fuel leaks that you know of?
Won't start at all, sometimes, or just hot start problems?
It won't start at all. It started out as a hot start problem, but then one day it just wouldn't start at all.
ReplyDeleteI am still very intrigued and equally puzzled by your problem, although I have not found anything that jumps right out other than the fact that it’s probably fuel system related.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to guess (having not seen the problem first hand), I believe you may have a large fuel leak internal to the system somewhere. The fact that your accumulator is “clunking” almost immediately after the fuel pump stops/engine stalls indicates that the system is loosing fuel pressure very quickly. Although the fact that it is clunking, also indicates that the accumulator is probably not the source of the problem. The fact that the car no longer starts and stalls right away indicates that the system is probably not generating the required pressure to open the injectors or keep them open.
A few things that I would double check:
- Double check that the o-rings did not prematurely fail in the fuel distributor (I know they were already replaced, but early failure has been a problem with some types recently)
- That the check valve is working correctly in the fuel pump. This may require a CIS pressure test gauge set, know anyone that may have a set to borrow?
-I'd say check the injectors and make sure they are not leaking, there is really only one way to do this: Take all of the injectors out of the engine with the fuel system still attached and place each injector in a glass jar, pressurize the system (by jumpering the fuel pump on at the RPM relay and see if any of them are spraying or leaking [no fuel should come out at all], equally you can check if they are opening by pushing down on the metering plate which will direct the fuel system pressure to the injectors). This is kinda a pain, but is a good way of testing the functionality of the entire system at once. A CIS gauge set would help here also…
It’s very hard to tell where the problem is by not being able to see the car first hand. If you would like, I would be willing to drive up to take a look at the problem. Either way, I’ll see if I can get my hands on CIS gauge set (if you don;t have access to one) which will probably help you diagnose the problem quicker.
Let me know...
Matt