My son's 89 240sx run out of gas (yes, I know) and since refilling the tank it has had a problem with not wanting to stay running on start up. It will start but immediately chugs out. The problem is intermittent with no pattern to it that I can see. It might not start in the morning but will start later in the day for no apparent reason other than my cursing at it. It can run perfectly for a week, then suddenly reoccur, only to be fine an hour later.
I changed the fuel filter and ran some injector cleaner through it when it first happened (which had also been done a month previous to this happening) and it ran fine for a few days so I thought that fixed it, but then it reared up again.
Last night it stalled out when he was at a stop light. It finally started and stayed running again after about 10 mins of trying and he crawled home but now the overdrive light stays on.....which may or may not be related.
I intend to get a repair manual this weekend (suggestions?) but in the meantime, any ideas on where to start diagnosing this thing? I drove it all over the place today without a hitch (except the overdrive light glowing brightly) but he's too gun shy to drive it now.....
Thanks!
Ran out of Gas, Now Starting Issues
Thank you! Will give it a go this weekend I hope. I had a mechanic out here last week to look at it and of course the problem didn't occur when he was here.
He guessed it could be the fuel regulator or the injectors needing to be sent out to be cleaned but I wanted to see if I could rule some things out (or in) before I committed to anything so any other suggestions are more than welcome
He guessed it could be the fuel regulator or the injectors needing to be sent out to be cleaned but I wanted to see if I could rule some things out (or in) before I committed to anything so any other suggestions are more than welcome
"Theoretically", If your son ran it dry then it could have picked up some sediment in the tank.. Happens all the time with older cars. The problem is that this sediment could have gotten clogged anywhere from the pickup before the fuel pump, all the way up to the injectors. My only suggestion is to start with the cheapest fix up to the most expensive or dificult. Fuel filter was definatly step one. You would assume that there was a good chance that the filter would catch anything big, so I would start back at the pump. The problem with any additive cleaners is that they are really only made to disolve petrol type of sediment.. If it was a peice of dirt, rust or coroded rubber, then an additive will have little or no effect.Hey, at least you know the problem lies in the fuel system somewhere...You could be startin from scratch.. Hope I helped and didnt bum you out.Good Luck!!
Thank you so much for the advice and the link to the manual! Definately will be a help!
I just want to confirm that the fuel pump on the 89 accessible via the trunk? Besides releasing the pressure keeping away from lit flames, any other advice on changing this out? I would like to have my son do it if it's pretty straight forward. It will be a good reminder for him to not let the car get that low on fuel again!
And, as far as the overdrive light staying on: Just clicking the button does nothing. The light stays on and the change from overdrive OFF to ON doesn't happen. But if I hold the button in it does switch to overdrive. Loose connection?
I just want to confirm that the fuel pump on the 89 accessible via the trunk? Besides releasing the pressure keeping away from lit flames, any other advice on changing this out? I would like to have my son do it if it's pretty straight forward. It will be a good reminder for him to not let the car get that low on fuel again!
And, as far as the overdrive light staying on: Just clicking the button does nothing. The light stays on and the change from overdrive OFF to ON doesn't happen. But if I hold the button in it does switch to overdrive. Loose connection?
Hmmm, likely a loose connection within the shift stick. I believe you can take it apart and find it, if not, use a multimeter to test across the circuit in the switch to make sure it's reading correctly. The fuel pump IS accessible through the trunk, I believe four screws with 10mm heads hold the cover on. Remove the cover, unbolt the pump, pull it out. Release the fuel pressure first and be SURE to keep it away from any electrical things that could arc onto the chassis or near the tank. The install of a new fuel pump is very straightforward.
Any advice on how to remove/open the automatic shifter to get at the OD button? It seems like it's one solid piece.
The shifter has 3 screws on the side facing the dashboard. 1 right at the level of the OD button. If I remove that screw does the button just pop out with wires attached?
There's also 2 screws along the length of the handle.
While i figure this out, if I hold the button in the overdrive works. Can I just tape it down in that position until I get this resolved?
Thanks!
The shifter has 3 screws on the side facing the dashboard. 1 right at the level of the OD button. If I remove that screw does the button just pop out with wires attached?
There's also 2 screws along the length of the handle.
While i figure this out, if I hold the button in the overdrive works. Can I just tape it down in that position until I get this resolved?
Thanks!