Hey all, I was driving to work one morning, the car started up no problem. Then drove down the street and she shut off. I tried starting her up, no go. She was dead, after a while of sitting I tried it again, she fired up, but was sputtering. She has new plugs, new distributor cap & rotor, new wires, new CPS, new tps, new battery and new alternator. I pulled all the injectors and swapped in some dodge neon 703. I'm getting fuel to the file rail but she still won't start up. Could my fuel pump be dead? I can hear the fuel pump when I turn the key to ignition. Where are the fuel pumps located in a 92, 5 speed, 4.0?? Help, she's my DD!

 

First thing you need to do is make sure that you have spark and make sure that you have proper fuel pressure with a mechanical pressure gauge. Just because you hear the pump doesn't mean you have the right pressure. If I'm not mistaken it should be 39 psi, + or - 5psi.

 

I've checked the spark so far. I pulled the plug wires, I got a couple sparks on all 6 plugs. Would the ignition coil have anything to do with it? One Time I got it started but it sputtered and ran like crap until the car got a lil warm. I haven't checked the pressure with a tester but I did press down the valve on the fuel rail while my dad cranked her up. The fuel shot out pretty good.

 

have you checked your crank position sensor?

 

Yeah, CPS is pretty new, I changed it about a year ago.

I went to the parts store and bought a new Distributor cap and rotor. The one I that was on the car had some scoring on it. I also bought some throttle body cleaner. I sprayed some in the throttle body and She fired right up but keeps dying, it's like she not getting any fuel. So I at least I know now that it's not the ignition/distributor/wires/plugs etc.

Would it be a good idea to change my fuel pump or Fuel pressure regulator next?? Should i wait to check the fuel pressure with a gauge?? Is it hard to change the fuel pump from the gas tank and will I need to empty the tank first?? I have over 3/4 of a tank. She's my DD and I need her back on the road asap. Cheers!!

 

I replaced my fuel pump with 3/4 of a tank. Just park on a steep hill. With my lift and tires I just sat under it and did it no problem

 

A few Things,
1) Just because you changed you cps a year ago doesn't mean that it can't be bad...
2) Before you change out the fuel pump you need to verify the fuel pressure with a mechanical pressure gauge. Why put a new pump if that isn't the problem? Just pushing on the valve will only tell you that there is fuel in the line, Not that you have the correct pressure.
3) When you checked the spark. Did you get a bright blue spark? Any other color will not be sufficient.

 

Hey Thanks for the reply. I did check to see if I got spark on all cylinders. It has spark. I sprayed some throttle body cleaner in the throttle body and she started right up, but it only stayed on if I kept spraying more throttle body cleaner in it. I will have to locate a fuel pressure gauge, my parts store didn't have one at the time, it must have been rented out.

As for the CPS, is there a way to check to see if it's any good??

 

Also, if the CPS gets dirty or has grease caked on it, would that cause the car to sputter or not turn over??

 

Fuel pressure test is in order before changing any sensors.

 

Update. I had a diagnostic ran on my 92 XJ. Had the fuel pressure, compression, spark checked. Everything passed. We swaped back in my old stock injectors, and the damn thing fired right up.

The mechanice said that the Dodge Neon 703 injectos that I put in weren't getting the proper ohms?? I thought they were a direct swap unless I bought the wrong injectors...

Anyways, I replaced the TPS, Fuel Pressure Regulator, Distributor Cap & Rotor. The old Dis Cap had a some scoring on it. I'm not sure what caused it, but the old cap & rotor weren't even 4 months old. Defective Cap maybe?? Thanks for all the Help!!

She rides again!
Cheers!

 

"but the old cap & rotor weren't even 4 months old."


Glad you got it running again, don't feel bad sometimes the junk they sell as auto parts fails right out of the box.