New record for simultaneous parts failures
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From: Dallas/Ft. Worth
New record for simultaneous parts failures
My car went to a "fires but immediately dies" state a month ago. I tinkered with it and got it to run and on my test drive it died as if the key were turned off.
My time was scarce so I sent it to a mechanic in Dallas who claimed he had 928 experience. He evidently tinkered with the tricky overhead light and shorted it out and while screwing around with it he broke the sunvisor clip, then proceeded to let it sit for three weeks without making any effort to fix the issues. I paid to tow it back home. (Hance European Car Repair in Dallas)
Here's what was bad, simultaneously:
Broken "button" inside distributor cap
Ground strap (not a sudden break but reached a point where it wasn't allowing starter to turn correctly
Fuel Pump low pressure
Check Valve
Fuel Pressure Controller
Bad Injector
(*headlight relay failed but it's not engine related....also not included is the set of plugs that looked like they were flocked in black from all of the attempts to get it running)
Is that a new record, barring an engine fire episode?
My time was scarce so I sent it to a mechanic in Dallas who claimed he had 928 experience. He evidently tinkered with the tricky overhead light and shorted it out and while screwing around with it he broke the sunvisor clip, then proceeded to let it sit for three weeks without making any effort to fix the issues. I paid to tow it back home. (Hance European Car Repair in Dallas)
Here's what was bad, simultaneously:
Broken "button" inside distributor cap
Ground strap (not a sudden break but reached a point where it wasn't allowing starter to turn correctly
Fuel Pump low pressure
Check Valve
Fuel Pressure Controller
Bad Injector
(*headlight relay failed but it's not engine related....also not included is the set of plugs that looked like they were flocked in black from all of the attempts to get it running)
Is that a new record, barring an engine fire episode?
Last edited by mkhargrove; Aug 17, 2019 at 07:02 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,475
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From: Earth
Rennlist Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 6,125
Likes: 349
From: Texas
Here's what was bad, simultaneously:
Broken "button" inside distributor cap
Ground strap (not a sudden break but reached a point where it wasn't allowing starter to turn correctly
Fuel Pump low pressure
Check Valve
Fuel Pressure Controller
Bad Injector
(*headlight relay failed but it's not engine related....also not included is the set of plugs that looked like they were flocked in black from all of the attempts to get it running)
Broken "button" inside distributor cap
Ground strap (not a sudden break but reached a point where it wasn't allowing starter to turn correctly
Fuel Pump low pressure
Check Valve
Fuel Pressure Controller
Bad Injector
(*headlight relay failed but it's not engine related....also not included is the set of plugs that looked like they were flocked in black from all of the attempts to get it running)
I'm just not sure this is an all time record since 4 of them have to do with fuel pressure/delivery. It's not really likely that it was all 4 things. Was it the fuel pump? Was it the regulator or a dampener? The check valve would likely only delay the engine starting. A bad injector all of a sudden? Possible, but unlikely.
The distributor cap issue could keep the car from running, no doubt. I will tell you that when I got my first 89, I pulled a distributor cap (it has 2 remember?) and the rotor was missing at least a half inch of the contact. The spark was jumping a half inch in 4 cylinders prior to even getting to the plug, and the car still ran like that.
Bad ground will make these cars do all kinds of crazy things with many different symptoms, including not running.
I would like to think you didn't get jammed twice, but........
Thread Starter
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Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Dallas/Ft. Worth
Hey Polecat,
Sean is clearly the best.....and he is in high demand. I don't recall exactly but he said he had some enormous number of cars scheduled for repair.
His problem is the best kind of problem you can have...
Sean is clearly the best.....and he is in high demand. I don't recall exactly but he said he had some enormous number of cars scheduled for repair.
His problem is the best kind of problem you can have...
Thread Starter
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 798
Likes: 104
From: Dallas/Ft. Worth
Hey John,
I diagnosed all of them...stumbling and fumbling all the way. Roger gave me some guidance. You told me at breakfast to clean the injectors but I haven't event made it that far yet. That should happen tomorrow
BTW, I drained my battery using the starter over and over. I hooked up my charger. The battery wouldn't take a charge because the ground strap was so bad. (oddly, the charger that I have has a lot of smarts....I'm not sure exactly how it determines whether or not the battery is grounded, but I ran to auto zone and bought two 4 gauge round cables and hooked them up and finally got a full charge).
I probably could have limped along a bit more with my old fuel pump, but it was definitely performing well out of spec. It was quite the debacle for a while.
(I forgot to add green wire....I can't swear that it was bad....tach seemed to be working correctly and all but it was sort of not green anymore at all and there was no question that it's days were numbered
I diagnosed all of them...stumbling and fumbling all the way. Roger gave me some guidance. You told me at breakfast to clean the injectors but I haven't event made it that far yet. That should happen tomorrow
BTW, I drained my battery using the starter over and over. I hooked up my charger. The battery wouldn't take a charge because the ground strap was so bad. (oddly, the charger that I have has a lot of smarts....I'm not sure exactly how it determines whether or not the battery is grounded, but I ran to auto zone and bought two 4 gauge round cables and hooked them up and finally got a full charge).
I probably could have limped along a bit more with my old fuel pump, but it was definitely performing well out of spec. It was quite the debacle for a while.
(I forgot to add green wire....I can't swear that it was bad....tach seemed to be working correctly and all but it was sort of not green anymore at all and there was no question that it's days were numbered
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Dude, give me a call. As long as you didn't want on the waiting list has cost you how much? PM incoming.
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Texas
Hey John,
I diagnosed all of them...stumbling and fumbling all the way. Roger gave me some guidance. You told me at breakfast to clean the injectors but I haven't event made it that far yet. That should happen tomorrow
BTW, I drained my battery using the starter over and over. I hooked up my charger. The battery wouldn't take a charge because the ground strap was so bad. (oddly, the charger that I have has a lot of smarts....I'm not sure exactly how it determines whether or not the battery is grounded, but I ran to auto zone and bought two 4 gauge round cables and hooked them up and finally got a full charge).
I probably could have limped along a bit more with my old fuel pump, but it was definitely performing well out of spec. It was quite the debacle for a while.
(I forgot to add green wire....I can't swear that it was bad....tach seemed to be working correctly and all but it was sort of not green anymore at all and there was no question that it's days were numbered
I diagnosed all of them...stumbling and fumbling all the way. Roger gave me some guidance. You told me at breakfast to clean the injectors but I haven't event made it that far yet. That should happen tomorrow
BTW, I drained my battery using the starter over and over. I hooked up my charger. The battery wouldn't take a charge because the ground strap was so bad. (oddly, the charger that I have has a lot of smarts....I'm not sure exactly how it determines whether or not the battery is grounded, but I ran to auto zone and bought two 4 gauge round cables and hooked them up and finally got a full charge).
I probably could have limped along a bit more with my old fuel pump, but it was definitely performing well out of spec. It was quite the debacle for a while.
(I forgot to add green wire....I can't swear that it was bad....tach seemed to be working correctly and all but it was sort of not green anymore at all and there was no question that it's days were numbered
The thing is I didn't want is for you to be paying somebody else for them to learn how to work on your car. We are lucky to have some really good 928 mechanics local to us. We also have some guys that think they can work on 928s but......well, I guess you ran into another one.
You've got Sean looking out for you now, but if I can help, let me know.
Thread Starter
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From: Dallas/Ft. Worth
Hey John,
I got the injectors out today. 3 of them had a bad pattern but that flushed out in about 2 seconds. I was shocked to see the amount of green/white oxidation on the connectors. I am wondering if those are the original injectors. The rubber hose on top (I believe maybe that was an 84 only thing?) appears to be reasonably new based on how the boots sort of crumbled when I unplugged them I'm assuming the wiring is original.
Honestly I was expecting clogged injectors but not connections what look like the car has been parked at fishermans warf for 20 years..
I didn't get a chance to decipher the issue with the mass airflow sensor...maybe tomorrow.
I got the injectors out today. 3 of them had a bad pattern but that flushed out in about 2 seconds. I was shocked to see the amount of green/white oxidation on the connectors. I am wondering if those are the original injectors. The rubber hose on top (I believe maybe that was an 84 only thing?) appears to be reasonably new based on how the boots sort of crumbled when I unplugged them I'm assuming the wiring is original.
Honestly I was expecting clogged injectors but not connections what look like the car has been parked at fishermans warf for 20 years..
I didn't get a chance to decipher the issue with the mass airflow sensor...maybe tomorrow.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 770
Likes: 106
From: Dallas
mkhargrove,
I'm not sure where you are located in DFW, but I can help if you'd like.
I have a good AFM and other known good components from 83-84 and that can make it alot easier to diagnose your issue.
PM me and I will give you my #.
-Jason
I'm not sure where you are located in DFW, but I can help if you'd like.
I have a good AFM and other known good components from 83-84 and that can make it alot easier to diagnose your issue.
PM me and I will give you my #.
-Jason
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 6,125
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From: Texas
MK, I have a complete set (maybe 2 sets) of US 83 injectors if you actually find you have bad ones. They would need to be cleaned, but I'm sure we could work something out.
You might need to bite the bullet and send yours off to be cleaned.
Sounds like Jason might have you covered on the L-Jet computer and the barndoor AFM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 770
Likes: 106
From: Dallas
Just to add a bit more detail, we did also checked the fuel pressure and it was not up to specs while at idle, and was varying greatly when the engine was revved. We located two different "T" vacuum fittings that were undersized for the lines, and replaced them with proper sized T-fittings. After that Kevin's previously installed new pressure regulator and fuel pump did their jobs, and the pressure was steady and on top of WSM specs.
-Jason
-Jason