Okay, apparently the guy at Sears was talking out his ass. The service guy at the new place tested the fuel pressure and it’s fine.
No spark, that’s the problem. Ignition system. Car will still be fixed tomorrow.
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I’m suspicious. I hope he’s right.
My Grand Prix had a fuel issue that got misdiagnosed as an ignition issue (car would run, but then cut out). Turned out to be in the circuit which switches between high and low fuel pump speeds. The misdiagnosis lead to a huge runaround when the mechanics fixed what they thought was the problem, and after new coils, wires, plugs I still wasn’t running.
In my car (and also apparently in the del Sol after a quick googling), there’s a relay that switches between these two modes. If this goes bad, the pump might run under one condition but not the other. For instance, if “low” works and “high” is bad, it might idle and cruise fine and cut out under load or when starting.
(In my GP’s case, it was actually a resistor that the relay was switching in and out that was bad, but sometimes the relay itself can be the problem. So with my GP, it’d cut out during cruise and idle, but work fine under load. If I revved the engine or kept it in too low of a gear, I could keep from stalling out.)
I wonder if that doesn’t explain a problem that Shelly’s car used to have, where it would consistently die at idle but run fine if you revved the engine, even though the air filter (my first suspect whenever that happens) was fine.
I’m suspicious. I hope he’s right.
My Grand Prix had a fuel issue that got misdiagnosed as an ignition issue (car would run, but then cut out). Turned out to be in the circuit which switches between high and low fuel pump speeds. The misdiagnosis lead to a huge runaround when the mechanics fixed what they thought was the problem, and after new coils, wires, plugs I still wasn’t running.
In my car (and also apparently in the del Sol after a quick googling), there’s a relay that switches between these two modes. If this goes bad, the pump might run under one condition but not the other. For instance, if “low” works and “high” is bad, it might idle and cruise fine and cut out under load or when starting.
(In my GP’s case, it was actually a resistor that the relay was switching in and out that was bad, but sometimes the relay itself can be the problem. So with my GP, it’d cut out during cruise and idle, but work fine under load. If I revved the engine or kept it in too low of a gear, I could keep from stalling out.)
Oh, car issues. Bane of our existence. They are terribly aggravating, and always come at the worst of times.
Thankfully I haven’t had engine troubles yet *crosses fingers*, but have had various steering and wheel-related issues, including a bearing gone bad, suspension knocked out of alignment, and a bent strut. I also seem to be one of the few people who carry jumper cables in their trunk–I wonder why? You’d think more people would have a pair on hand.
I used to carry jumper cables. It’s a good habit to be in, and one I really ought to return to.
Oh, car issues. Bane of our existence. They are terribly aggravating, and always come at the worst of times.
Thankfully I haven’t had engine troubles yet *crosses fingers*, but have had various steering and wheel-related issues, including a bearing gone bad, suspension knocked out of alignment, and a bent strut. I also seem to be one of the few people who carry jumper cables in their trunk–I wonder why? You’d think more people would have a pair on hand.
Sounded like ignition system.
You know, when the car first failed to start one of the first things I did was pull a spark plug wire, hold it near the engine block, and crank it over. Didn’t see a spark, though I didn’t know if that was because the ignition system wasn’t working or I wasn’t holding it near enough to the engine block. Seeing a spark would have ruled out ignition problems for me, but not seeing a spark didn’t conclusively identify the ignition system as the problem.
I told the guy at Sears about this, but he insisted (insisted!) that the problem was the fuel pump. Ah, well.
I agree — wouldn’t have been conclusive, but based on what you described, I would have started by troubleshooting the ignition system, too.
Anyone suggesting a fuel pump right off the bat would’ve gotten the hairy eyeball.
Sounded like ignition system.
You know, when the car first failed to start one of the first things I did was pull a spark plug wire, hold it near the engine block, and crank it over. Didn’t see a spark, though I didn’t know if that was because the ignition system wasn’t working or I wasn’t holding it near enough to the engine block. Seeing a spark would have ruled out ignition problems for me, but not seeing a spark didn’t conclusively identify the ignition system as the problem.
I told the guy at Sears about this, but he insisted (insisted!) that the problem was the fuel pump. Ah, well.
I wonder if that doesn’t explain a problem that Shelly’s car used to have, where it would consistently die at idle but run fine if you revved the engine, even though the air filter (my first suspect whenever that happens) was fine.
I used to carry jumper cables. It’s a good habit to be in, and one I really ought to return to.
I agree — wouldn’t have been conclusive, but based on what you described, I would have started by troubleshooting the ignition system, too.
Anyone suggesting a fuel pump right off the bat would’ve gotten the hairy eyeball.
I hope you got your car fixed. I drive older vehicles because I can’t afford to worry about car payments so I get to know my mechanics on first name basis @.@
I’ve been using different Goodyear branches for 10 years now and I am happy to say that the vast majority of times I’ve had trouble with my cars they’ve taken Very good care of me. Even to the point where at one time they couldn’t pin down exactly what was wrong with my car.. they stopped charging me when I brought it back until they fixed it. Only took 3 trips but I appreciated their honesty.
And really.. having a mechanic that knows You and Your car I think helps tremendously.
I hope you got your car fixed. I drive older vehicles because I can’t afford to worry about car payments so I get to know my mechanics on first name basis @.@
I’ve been using different Goodyear branches for 10 years now and I am happy to say that the vast majority of times I’ve had trouble with my cars they’ve taken Very good care of me. Even to the point where at one time they couldn’t pin down exactly what was wrong with my car.. they stopped charging me when I brought it back until they fixed it. Only took 3 trips but I appreciated their honesty.
And really.. having a mechanic that knows You and Your car I think helps tremendously.