'85 244 GL with fuel problems.

[n5uhg]

I recently bought this car with 182,000 miles on it. After a short
period of time, it seemed to start losing a little power. Actually it
seemed as if it was losing torque. It would wind out more before
shifting and would seem to shift more between drive and overdrive.

Then I noticed it idling a little rough.

Next thing that happened was that it starting cutting out the other day
when I was driving over a mountain. It was at about a half-tank. I
turned around and headed back down the mountain, and it actually
completely stalled out once, and I had to crank on it quite a bit to
get it started. I topped off the tank, and it then got me where I was
going.

The next morning I drove it about 30 miles to a friends house and when
I went to crank it, it just wouldn't run. It was running so rough, it
was undriveable.

I suspected the filter. I pulled the filter and outer pump assembly,
and in trying to pull the filter off I damaged the hose coming out of
the filter. I replaced the hose all the way to the regulator.

I don't have any way of knowing what the pressure is coming out fo the
pump, but it's really under pressure, because it really lets go when I
disconnect the fuel line from the regulator.

I've got nothing coming out of the regulator. I unhooked it from the
rail and nothing. I find that a bit strange as everything I've read on
this group suggests that when the regulator goes bad it let's too much
pressure through, not that it shuts off.

I'm also a bit confused about that whole 1/2 tank thing, as that would
suggest a bad low-pressure pump in the tank.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Taylor

 

[Gary Heston]

Next thing that happened was that it starting cutting out the other day
when I was driving over a mountain. It was at about a half-tank. I
turned around and headed back down the mountain, and it actually
completely stalled out once, and I had to crank on it quite a bit to
get it started. I topped off the tank, and it then got me where I was
going.

This is usually a fuel pickup hose or bellows inside the tank which has
rotted away and leaks air into the fuel line, starving the engine. Filling
the tank gets fuel above the leak, so you end up with fuel being pulled
in through the leak. Once you burn off enough fuel, it pulls air again
and the engine stumbles. You saw this on the mountain because when the
car was at an angle, the fuel moved away from the pickup, exposing the
damaged area.

[ ... ]

I've got nothing coming out of the regulator. I unhooked it from the
rail and nothing. I find that a bit strange as everything I've read on
this group suggests that when the regulator goes bad it let's too much
pressure through, not that it shuts off.

[ ... ]

Sounds like it got clogged, likely by bits of hose or bellows.

I don't know if they can be cleaned; it'd be safer to replace it.


Gary

 

[n5uhg]

Thanks Gary,

That sounds like a logical explanation. I was wondering what would make
the regulator completely shut down like that. I don't know how the junk
would get past the filter though.

I'm down in Mexico right now, and I am having both pumps, a filter and
a regulator sent down to me since I was unsure of what the problem
might be. Crawling around under this thing impressed upon me the
importance of having some spare parts while I'm tooling around in
Mexico.

I'll have the tank dropped while I'm here, as labor is practically
nothing here.

Taylor

 

[n5uhg]

Any other thoughts by anyone before I start working on this thing? I
was thinking of putting an extra in-line filter before the high
pressure pump. It seems to me to be a rather strange design to have the
filter after the high pressure pump. Shouldn't be too good for the high
pressure pump. Plus, I spend a lot of time in Mexico and the gas is not
so great here. They recommend you change the fuel filter every time you
change your oil. I'd rather change a cheap one on the upside of the
Vovo filter.

Taylor

 

[Michael Pardee]

Any other thoughts by anyone before I start working on this thing? I
was thinking of putting an extra in-line filter before the high
pressure pump. It seems to me to be a rather strange design to have the
filter after the high pressure pump. Shouldn't be too good for the high
pressure pump. Plus, I spend a lot of time in Mexico and the gas is not
so great here. They recommend you change the fuel filter every time you
change your oil. I'd rather change a cheap one on the upside of the
Vovo filter.

Taylor

I wonder if the flow resistance of the filter before the pump will be a
problem. The in-tank pump is very low pressure and it could starve the main
pump.

Mike