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Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
okay...i posted this awhile ago, but now i now whats going on a little better.
About a month ago, my dad was driving my car and it died on him. So i posted a topic and the bestt suggestion was the fuel pump. The whole reason I posted was cause he took it to a mechanic who could find absolutely nothing wrong with the car. So after a brief description someone said it was an overheating fuel pump.

after driving it around for a month without a single problem, it died many times today. I was leaving school and it died. so i start it back up and it dies again. so i let it sit for a minute or two and crank it up and it works...for a minute. I get to the next level of the parking structure and it dies again. i restart it and it dies on starting again. so i get out and pop the hood. I noticed that the fuel pressure gauge was bouncin around a bit. then i waited and started it up and got to the stop sign before it dies again!!! so i try to start it and it dies again. After a few minutes it fires up and i made it home. After the few deaths at the stop sign, it ran home (which is pretty close- couple of blocks) perfectly. Also, it was early and i was not driving the car alot, so i dont think the fuel pump is overheating, although i am not saying that the pump is good either.

description of how it died. It started when i was attempting to leave the parkining garage. when i gave it a little gas to go around a corner(not mashing the pedal, pretty normal driving) it seemed to cut out for a second, then jump forward. next thing i know check engine light comes on and the car starts to rev itself down. once the light comes on, it is going to die -> i tried to keep it from dying by revving it, but as son as i stop, the revs dropped real fast and the car dies. and like i said before, i had to wait a few minutes to restart it or it would die again. Also, the check engine light does not stay on, it only comes on when it is going to die, once it is restarted, the light is off....until it is about to die again.

This is a 96 cobra with a few basic bolt-ons. i do have o/r bbk h-pipe and there is an exhaust leak where the driver side header meets the pipe. it is not a huge leak...and i dont think a leak would do this. I could be wrong, but does this sound like anything to you guys.> i am gonna fix the leak soon and maybe get a new fuel pump, although i am not sure that is the problem cause i only drove it for 5-10 minuutes I then parked it for an hour and i get back in to leave and thats when the shit started.

thanks foor any help.
 

Posted by imbroken (Member # 165) on :
 
its probably not the fuel pump...

the exhaust leak can cause a few things.. incorrect readings by your 02 sensors and it will deliver either too much fuel or too little.. and this will cause the car to shut off or idle real odd... same thing with your MAF... if you pop your filter off.. and put your hand over the maf and block most air from coming in the car will die or idle odd... i'd fix the exhaust leak and make sure all of your vacuum hoses and the intake is all secured...
 

Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
after it died and i popped the hood, the fuel pressure gauge was dropping to like 15-20, then back up to th 40-45 range.......so maybe it is the pump. also, i did try pusshing the throttle with the hood open, but it wouldn't die for me then.

as for the codes, the mechanic did check em and got nothing- also the check engine light does not stay on, it only comes on right before it dies, then goes off when you restart the car.

i dont think it is the leak, but i have heard of exhaust leaks causing the car to die
 

Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
and as for the drive home... i'm a little worried cause if it dies on 101, it could be some serious trouble

but then again, i have to get home somehow, and i need to bring the car to fix it. hopefully i will fix the leak and get a fuel pump over spring break...i may even slap on the pullies i have [dance] .
I'm just hoping i can get to san jose in one piece and it'll be all good
 

Posted by imbroken (Member # 165) on :
 
hm, could be several things.. when i had my leak.. it was throwing the 02 readings off... and was killing the car.. if your fuel pressure is dropping.. it's probably the pump
 
Posted by DjJoOnie (Member # 378) on :
 
it could be many cylinders misfireing by sparkplug wires damage, spark plugs, or ur pumps
or even disconected fuel injectors,(witch happed to my car b4)
best thing to do is going to dealer

[ March 20, 2002: Message edited by: DjJoOnie ]


 
Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by DjJoOnie:
it could be many cylinders misfireing by sparkplug wires damage, spark plugs, or ur pumps
or even disconected fuel injectors,(witch happed to my car b4)
best thing to do is going to dealer

[ March 20, 2002: Message edited by: DjJoOnie ]

only problem there is ford will blame it on the o/r pipe and not even look atanything else. i dont feel like swapping the pipes again, but i may have to to get some info from ford
 

Posted by Stroked and Blown (Member # 998) on :
 
If it's the pump and you make it to San Jose I can help you replace it. It's pretty easy. Just make sure that you have like 1 gallon of gas in the tank. Otherwise it's a bitch to hoist it back up. I put in a Walbro 190 lph and it didn't take long. I have to replace mine with a 255 lph next friday. If you want to meet me at my friend's shop, we can use the pit or maybe the lift if it's not in use, to do yours. Let me know.(408-590-8919)-Aaron
 
Posted by PunkINa5.SLOW (Member # 10) on :
 
Like I remember telling you before it is the fuel pump.

Fuel pump.

Fuel pump.

Fuel pump.

Did I say fuel pump?
 

Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
okay, i have two questions now....
if i did have a bad fuel pump, would it sometimes run perfect and other times do what i've listed.

second - it started acting weird on friday. this time the check engine light came on, but the car didnt die. i popped the hood to check out the fuel gauge and it was staying constant at 40. while the engine stayed on with the light, it was moving like a motha and it sounded and smelled like a lawnmover(granted ther is an o/r pipe) but it was like smoking out the tail pipes> would a fuel pump do this?

and punkinaslow5.0, you said before the pump was overheating right......the only two times its been wierd on me were in the morning during the its either first or second drive
 

Posted by sic91sleeper (Member # 1029) on :
 
I was wondering did u have gas at these incidents?
Sounds like when u were in the parking garage and u went around the corner the gas swished to one side of the tank and missed the fuel pickup and that starved your motor.....


I dont know though....
 

Posted by PunkINa5.SLOW (Member # 10) on :
 
I pressure checked the pump fine many many times.

I would replace the fuel pump but if an engine code is being thrown that is a different story.

I dont think you said the code was being thrown earlier.
 

Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
to answer both questions-
the time it died in the parking garage it was on a FULL tank of gas...maybe 4 or 5 miles since i filled it up.

and yes, there were no codes comin up
 

Posted by JohnB (Member # 969) on :
 
This may sound a bit weird...but check your brake booster/master cyl/ABS pump set-up. I was having the SAME exact problem with my 97 Cobra about a year ago; car would die coming up to stop lights, run like sh!t in general, acted like a bad fuel pump. Car only had 27,xxx miles on it. The DEALER went through the car, from head to toe...ended up being my ABS pump. Talk about a goat rope from the dealer- anyway, THEY changed the fuel pump, regulator, fuel pump again...then finally got smart and checked out the brake system. It was starving air off the engine, in turn...making it run like crap.
I bet each and every time this began to happen..your check engine light never came on.
 
Posted by Blu50Stang (Member # 489) on :
 
Fuel pump
 
Posted by 96WhiteSnake (Member # 229) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by JohnB:
I bet each and every time this began to happen..your check engine light never came on.

actually the check engine light comes on every time, about a30 seconds before the car dies. However, the light goes off when you restart the car, and will only come back on again before it dies.....with the exception of when it acted wierd on friday morning. the light came on, but the car never died, it only ran fucked up. however, the mechanic did pull the codes and nothing came up.
 

Posted by PunkINa5.SLOW (Member # 10) on :
 
For the 100 dollars that a pump cost I say it is worth a shot.
 
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