Problem: Car won't start, or will start but barely and then shut off. The motor will run at about 200 RPM it sounds like.

Test performed already:
Compression Test: 200-215 across the bored.
Valve Clearence Check: All within specs with only .001-.002 difference in them.
Timming: Cam gears line up, haven't checked to see if the bottom lines up though.

What happened?:
Car running great! I started jamming around a downhill highway onramp. I started accellerating out of the turn and then the car bogged down pretty bad. Big loss of power. Werid thing was this bogging of the motor was intermitent not consistent. The problem contnually got worse (over a one days period) and now the car will not start.

My hypothesis:
Not timming because cam gears line up and while I didnt check the bottom end to see if it was aligned as well ... it wouldn't make sense for it to be timming because the problem was intermitent at first then progressively got worse. I dont think there is anythhing mechanically wrong as far as head components and bottom end because compression tests were good and when it was not bogging down the motor ran great. I dont see how vaccum could be an issue but even so I do not have any known vaccum leaks.

So this brings me down to fuel or ignition. At first I felt ignition was the culprit. Tested plug wires - good shape. Put new spark plugs in - problem persisted. This ruled out ignition for me. Although I did not touch the distirubtor. This left me with fuel.

Put new fuel pump in. That can't be it. Put fuel pressure gauge on the fuel filter. Noticed fuel pressure was normal 40psi. But! when I blipped the throttle cable the pressure did not move up. I have the B&M adjustable regulator set at 55 wtih vaccum line off. When the problem got so bad that the car will not start now I noticed fuel pressure is now only 30psi and will not rise, in fact when fuel is added (blimpping the throttle cable) I notice pressure dropping a point or two. My theory is now that my filter has gotten clogged.

What do you think is wrong? If it is my filter and I have starved my motor of fuel what signs should I look for or things I should be worried about now. Could I have damaged anything?

Thanks in advance.

 

sounds like a clogged fuel filter or some sort of blockage in the fuel lines....

 

Yes well I have a new fuel line on order (hard line) because the line leading to the fuel filter is all 'chingered' up and cross threaded so I am going to replace it. I really hope this solves my problems. Any other suggestions?

 

fuel pump could be going bad as well

 

MMM cant be that. I had a new fuel pump sitting at home. Problems started so when I isolated the problem to fuel I put my new Walboro pump in.

 

when u put in the new pump what happened?
to me it sounds like a clogged FF...
i cant believe i never asked. is ur CEL on?

 

I wish I had a CEL. Much easier way to diagnois. When I put in the new fuel pump. Problem persisted. Well I ordered the new fuel line today and filter so they said they should be here in 3 days or less. I might have the delarship install the line though if it looks too involved.

 

lmk what happens
i was thinking yesterday about this and i started thinking about the injectors...who did the wiring in the car? how was the job done? does it look clean and factory or does it look all hacked up?

 

ya the injectors were a thought of mine too but that wouldn't cause the fuel pressure reading off of the fuel filter to be so low. as far as the harness its all clean and factory ... the only real mods is running of vtec wires to my obd2a harness --> obd1 jumper harness at the ecu.

 

Figured out the problem. Performed many tests. Found out that the bracket that holds the fuel pump got bent up a little and that caused it not to be submerged in fuel with the gas tank getting low. In other words it was now at a different angle. So things are good now.