87 Pathy starts and dies.

[OmakZ31]

As I mentioned in the title, my 87 pathfinder (VG30i TBI) starts, revs to 1200 rpms then almost dies (~5 rpms) only to recover to 1200 rpms and do it again. By the fourth or fifth cycle she finally dies. Opening the throttle seems to do nothing but when the throttle closes (I take my foot off the gas signaling the ECU to run idle mixture via the TPS) she recovers a little then relapses. I can almost drive her down the street by pumping the gas in this manner.

This started after a short (~30 min) drive on the street. Up until that point she ran fine with no smoking, overheating, or missing. The gas pedal was somewhat sensitive though.

There is gas in the tank and I just added 3 more gallons today. The plugs, wires, cap and rotor are new. Plenty of battery. The ECU threw no codes when the problem first started but now throws a code 13 (engine coolant temperature sensor).

I'm guessing this is a fuel related problem and I'm hoping I just have a sensor that is on it's way out. I may replace the engine coolant temperature sensor but I wanted to check here first. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[elwesso]

did the code for the coolant sensor go away?

I might suspect something in the EGR... can you hold the revs at say like 3000 RPMs or so?

[OmakZ31]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I unplugged the ecu for about a minute to clear the codes and code 13 popped right back up (or never went away).

I am unable to hold the engine at any constant speed. I can open the throttle (doesn't appear to matter how far) and the engine just bogs down until I close the throttle, at which point it revs back up for half a second.

[elwesso]

I would definitely check your fuel pressure and for that matter make sure the fuel filter isnt plugged..

Has the vehicle been sitting for a long time?

[OmakZ31]

The pathy has been driven regularly for about 3 months. Before that, I don't know...I won't have a chance to check the fuel pressure untill Saturday. I'll check/ replace the fuel filter then. Could this be the fuel pump?