Anyone in the Diamond Bar, CA area?

[DavidI]

...............

[DavidI]

Anybody in the area?

[nostatic]

I'm not close to DB, and wouldn't be much of an educator, but if you give a bit more information people might be able to lead you in the right direction. For instance, what does "would not start" mean? Does it turn over? Does it fee like it wants to catch but doesn't? Or is it turn the key and "click".

One thing that happened to me on a non-start (car would turn over but no hint of starting) was that the fuel pump relay had worked itself out of the socket. That is located up front in the fuse block assembly. The cover has the legend for what relay/fuse is what. Pull out the fuel pump relay and reseat it and see if that helps.

[DavidI]

THe car will turn over, but that's it. It seems starved for fuel. Which line do I remove to check if fuel is being pumped- or is there a better way?

[nostatic]

first check the fuel pump relay like I said. That is a lot easier than pulling fuel lines.

If you do a search for the words fuel pump, you'll find threads that talk about how to hear it fire up. It does not run except when the engine is cranking or running.

[rsr808]

No offense... but have you check to see if you have fuel? Sometimes the fuel guage/sender go kaputz and give you a false full reading when you're really empty.

I live in Diamond Bar off of Longview and have a 1984 Cab but am not as "mechanically" inclined as some of our more senior members.

Good Luck!

[DavidI]

I checked the relay. It was firmly seated. Just to be sure, I removed it and reseated it. Unfortunately, no change.

I verified that there is fuel in the tank.

If I poured fuel directly into the fuel body opening would it be similar to do the same thing for a carb'd car? Or should I do something else?

[sammyg2]

Do not pour fuel into the intake system.

Instead, remove the air filter cover and air filter.
Turn the ignition on.
Go back to the engine, and with the ingintion on, carefully lift the air sensor plate a little and listen to see if the injectors fire. If your fuel pump is working you will hear a definite buzzing sound when you lift the plate.
If you don't hear a buzzing sound when the plate is lifted, you don't have adequate fuel pressure to the injectors.
If you hear the buzzing sound, try and start the car.
If you hear the buzzing sound and the car still doesn't start, it is prolly ignition related.
I'd be willing to come over and take a look but today is not good, have a turkey in the oven and in-laws on their way over.

maybe tomorrow morning?
I'm not that good with ignition/electrical, but I'm OK with CIS.

[DavidI]

Thanks for the suggestions, but still no luck. I lifted the sensor plate (kind of like the carb butterflies) and was not sure if I heard buzzing or not. There sounds like a fan is running, but I think it is something else.

I know I am asking a lot of questions, but I am frustrated. The weather is about 75 degrees, the sun is shining, and my car is stuck in my garage! It just does not seem right........

[sammyg2]

If the injectors were firing you would know it.
based on the limited info we have it looks like your fuel pump is not pumping.
That means either it is broken, not getting anything to pump, or it is not getting any power.
next step is to check the pump to see if it is getting any electricity to it.
If it does have 12 volts at the pump (when either you crank it or when the sensor plate is lifted or when you jumper the relay) and you still don't get any fuel pressure, the pump is bad.

The fuel pump on your car is only supposed to run when the engine is running or when the starter is cranking for safety reasons. If your car was in a crash and the engine stopped but the fuel pump kept running it could be cause a fire hazard. Porsche designed the system to prevent this from happening. Lifting the sensor plate with the ignition on tricks the fuel pump into thinking the engine is pulling in air (running).

You have to simulate one of those two conditions in order to test the pump, unless you jumper out this safety protection loop.
You do not want to do what many newbies do, and that is to throw money (and parts) at a problem hoping it will go away. That is expensive and frustrating.
With methodical testing we can nail down the problem with no guessing, all it takes is the right tests. Think process of elimination.

The relay is the most common culprit. Sometimes they work loose, sometimes they go bad. I'd test the relay or try a known good one before going any farther.
if that isn't the problem the fuel pump becomes a suspect.