so i was driving home from work when all of a sudden the rpm went real low and there was no response on the throttle.. it died and i went to the side of the road.. got home after a tow i checked the gas line from the filter foward cranked on it and gas went everwere so its all good there, checked my alt and thats all fine.. it will start and rev upto 2000 rpm like normal than just die it wont stay started for more than 2 seconds. any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

any ideas guys i really dont want to pay another 150 bucks for a tow to the mechanics

 

Something that has been recurring over and over within the past couple weeks here on CF. Many people with similar symptoms as yours. There are a few different things that could cause that.

Check for fuel at the rail. Unscrew the cap on the schrader valve on the fuel rail get a rag under it and press in on the valve (like you would to deflate a tire) Does it dribble out or shoot out. If you have good pressure it will shoot out with pretty good force. No pressure? You could have a clogged fuel pump or a cracked fuel line.

Also. Check fuel pump relay, if it is not working properly it could cause the fuel pump to go in and out on you.

Last but not least and I am sure not the only suggestions you will get the CPS (crank position sensor) could have gone out. This will also cause it to start and run or start and die or start sometimes but not other times. Basically inconsistent starting behavior.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

now should i be checking that valve while i am cranking the engine

 

Just turning the key to "on" should work. You should be able to hear the pump come on briefly.

 

well ok i checked the valve and all i got was a dribble i looked through the fuel line going down the frame and all looked good.. is a possible for the fuel pump to be in a sense half way out, because when i disconected the fuel line from in front of the filter and turned the filter with the outlet tube up and cranked the engine i saw were gas had spewed out but i could not look at how fast it was coming out or if its was a steady stream while working the ignition... also i cannot hear the fuel pump engage when i turn the ignition i dont know if that is normal as i have never tried to hear or listen for it b4.. i did try to jump the pump at the relay and all i got was a click coming from the drivers side if that means anything it wasent a ongoing click just one when the paperclip i was using met both sides?

 

Yes it is possible for the fuel pump to be on its way out. However don't make my mistake I did and dive right in to the fuel pump issue. That can get spendy if you don't really need the pump. It could be a simple 10$ relay and/or 15$ filter.

Find or buy a known good relay and pop it in where the fuel pump relay is. If that solves your problem awesome. If not you can always keep checking. You can also take the relay out, bridge the connections in the socket so the pump will be constant on and you will be able to visually see the fuel come out. Connect up a hose and let it pump into a gas can or something.


OH also. Be sure to disconnect the neg battery cable before each step just to avoid any unneeded shorting/sparks etc etc.

 

ok so when i am jumping the pump it is ingaging the egr solinoid witch is right next to the fuel pump ballast resistor i am confused if that resistor is out will it cause the types of problems that i am having is there a way to test that

 

is there even any connection between the egr and the resistor

 

Yes. Take the leads off the pins to the ballast resistor connect a wire across the leads and see if you get fuel/engine start/engine stays running etc.

 

there it is i crossed the two lines comming out of that resistor and there it was starts and runs just fine... is it going to be ok to run it that way for a while untill i can get a new one i drive 45mil each way to work.. will it be ok for that or should i get a new one asap

 

Well It would be a good idea to get a new one asap but you can run it like that for a while.... grab your wire and put in a fuse just to be on the safe side but should be fine otherwise. Tape it off well so it doesn't contact other stuff under the hood.

 

well hey thanks alot for all the info and advice compleatly priceless you saved me alot of money and aggervation thank you again

 

lol. No problem. I JUST went through this crap for about 2 weeks and I ended up going the expensive route....fuel pump, filter, got towed home, had to cab it back and forth to work for a while....so yeah.

Glad it worked out for ya.