Stranded!!!

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 02:55 PM

So there i was 12 am driving home from the little ladies house and as i round the corner and start to accelerate, my car hesitates and then dies. As I sit sheepishly near a busy intersection trying to start my pride and joy, all i get is the engine turning over, I notice oil pressure and a slight hesitation trying to start but nothing. All i can think of ( which isn't much by the way) is a bad fuel pump. The car has 102k and the original pump. I keep regular maintenance intervals and also i might mention that earlier in the day i filled the tank up.

Any Ideas?

Details about the car.

88 coupe, stock except Autothority chip

bell · bell's Garage

is the pump coming on? could be the dme relay. does it even try to fire?

gorfllub · 04-17-2005, 02:59 PM

Had a similar problem.

Was simply a vacuum hose behind the motor that popped off. Everything was good, would crank like madness, not fire.

I was driving, then nothing at all, almost like the key was turned off.

Blew my mind for about 1/2 hr till i figured it out. The only reason I started to look back there was that I had recently had the rear shocks changed (About 15 mins before!!). Seems a hose was bumped during the shock work, then vibrated off shortly afterm commencing the test drive. (New shocks kick a$$ BTW!)

Best of luck to you!!

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 03:05 PM

It seemed like if I let the car sit for awhile and then tried to start it, it would attempt to fire. After cranking it a couple more times though thats all it would do is crank.

gorfllub · 04-17-2005, 03:06 PM

Yup. Sounds like my prob. Check for hoses behind the airbox.... I couldnt see, I had to feel

RoninLB · 04-17-2005, 03:08 PM

you need carbs.

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 03:09 PM

Sorry i'm on a no carb diet!

Steve87-911 · Steve87-911's Garage

When was the last time the dme relay was replaced? A notorious point of failure for 3.2s. Many of us here don't leave home without a spare dme relay in the glovebox.

Dynamik · 04-17-2005, 03:51 PM

Check the coil wire to the distributor. They sometimes go bad while the car is being driven. If it is frail then it might be suspect.

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 03:54 PM

Cheked the hoses behind the airbox and everything appeared to be attached. Not sure about the fuel pump coming on. Would i hear it if i turn the key on? If so then no i don't think the pump is coming on.

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 03:58 PM

Jeez i had no idea. I know i have never changed it and i have owned the car five years. Does this mean i am going to Porsche purgatory? How difficult are they to change?

ruf-porsche · ruf-porsche's Garage

Get a can of starting fluid from the manual zone or pep girl and spray a little into the intake for the air cleaner. If the engine starts, but dies, you need a new fuel pump.

86 911 · 86 911's Garage

Yes, you should hear the fuel pump humming if the fuel pump is good. If it doesn't hum at the position before starting, then you have a bad pump or relay. A new fuel pump costs about ~$200 and takes about two hours to install. The pump is located under the car, and behind the fuel tank. You will need to remove the belly pan in order to see it. Do you have 101 Projects for Your Porsche 911? If not, then get the book. It helps a lot with plently of projects and includes replacing the fuel pump.

Hope this helps.

Steve87-911 · Steve87-911's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by kg911
Jeez i had no idea. I know i have never changed it and i have owned the car five years. Does this mean i am going to Porsche purgatory? How difficult are they to change?

DME relay is plug and play. Search here for DME Relay and you will see. Easy to replace temporarily (under the driver seat, front). To replace permanently you R&R the driver seat to get to it properly.

ZOA NOM · ZOA NOM's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by kg911
Jeez i had no idea. I know i have never changed it and i have owned the car five years. Does this mean i am going to Porsche purgatory? How difficult are they to change?

Piece of cake. It's mounted under the driver's seat. 10mm nut holds it down. Buy two relays and keep one in the glove box as a spare.

scottb · 04-17-2005, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve87-911
To replace permanently you R&R the driver seat to get to it properly.

I was able to permanently R&R mine without removing the seat, and I've got pretty big hands! If you don't know when the relay was replaced, then replace it. They are prone to failures, and even if that's not the cause of this problem, you'll have bought yourself some peace of mind anyway.

masraum · 04-17-2005, 04:24 PM

I have good ears, drove my '88 daily for about 4 years, and I never heard my fuel pump. I'm guessing it wasn't bad

I'm not sure they are really that easy to hear normally.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 04:27 PM

Thanks i am already ordering my parts.

kg911 · 04-17-2005, 04:36 PM

Hey Zoanas, Love the avatar. Where can i get one of those?

kg911 · 04-18-2005, 06:13 PM

hey guys,

Just wanted to follow up on what happened. I did replace the DME relay but no success. So i toed it to my mechanic and detemined the fuel pump to be bad. So hopefully tomorrow i will be back in business. Thanks for all the great advice.

Kelly

Black 88 coupe