Ive never had an injector problem and searching didn't yield many relevant results to my problem. So, help is much appreciated

Modifications: Stock Ports. Compression is okay, not the best; but its a old engine. Stock ECU. Stock injectors and as far as I know it, stock Fuel Pump. The car has some bolt on but shouldnt be relevant to this.

It was having a lot of flooding problems. Coupled with a bad battery (cranking and draining the battery) the car just wouldn't start consistently. After a really clean/fresh unflood would the car start and drive normally. It wasn't ever driven hard, so we are unaware if the car has any stumbling problems under boost/load.

I suspect a stuck open injector, hence the flodding. When the car is off, you can turn the key to the on position and normally, the fuel pump will prime for a couple of seconds and then turn off and hold pressure. Unfortunately, I don't have a fuel pressure gauge handy so I cant check for fuel pressure. That would be my next step. But. with this car, the fuel pump continues to stay on. You can even hear the feeding of the injectors on the engine side, can feel the rushing of fuel through the lines.

So I did the click test. All injectors clicked when power and ground were applied to them. They "sound" like they are working fine.

But when I went to turn the key to the on position again, the pump primes non stop.

Is it possible to have an injector that clicks fine but still leaks fuel?
I will check the fuel pressure and actually remove the injectors next time to see if they really are leaking or not, but I was hoping to get some insight from the you all as I dont get very many opportunities to work on this car. THANKS!

 

Another quick test:

Removed the harnesses from the injectors and turned the key on. Fuel still rushes into the lines and the pump stays on. Leads me to believe it HAS to be an open injector. But then why would the click test pass?

Pulling off the injectors and rails this weekend...

 

Do you have a gas smell but aren't seeing it anywhere? You may have a bad o ring.

 

No smell of gas at all and no apparent puddle of it either. Everything seems to be sealed up just fine.

 

I would say bad or sticky injector. When you pull the UIM try the click test again. You'll be able to here the fuel pretty clearly. One of your injectors may be gummed up and not closing right away like it should.

 

If the battery voltage is down then starting is going to be an issue - the result of not starting & keeping on trying is flooded engine.

ECU should control fuel pump through relay - check function of relay to see if someone has fooled with it. A separate issue to your starting though.

 

I was refering to an internal leak into the engine. I know of a guy who had a similiar issue as you(but could smell fuel, but not see it) and it ended up filling up his engine.

Also, I may be out of my element here as it's been a while since I've played with a mostly stock FD, but if I remember correctly, the fuel pump turns on for X number of seconds and cuts off, not X psi of fuel pressure, which would mean there is another issue if your pump is staying on. I need to verify that information though.

 

Nomoregoats - I am aware of the battery voltage problem causing flooding from weak starts/voltage. It was a weak battery, Ive got a new one with 880CCA so it should help now. Ill definately check out the relays. Perhaps the pump has been wired to stay on constantly instead of high and low.

Im in the same boat Memphis, first time in a long time Ive fiddled with a mostly stock setup. Pretty sure there is internal leakage (sounds dirty...) Hence the flooding. Ill turn the key to on, "let it flood" and then rotate the motor by hand to expose the flooded chamber and sniff into the LIM. I would imagine if its really flooded, it will be an overwhelming smell of fuel.

Nero - Would it still flood/stay open even when the click test was passed? I read through your thread about your flood. This is similar but what boggles me is that the injector clearly clicks when tested, but still seems to flood...

From what I remember, the pump would prime to X Pressure, not for X Time. Anyone verify?

 

The pump should power up for x amount of time (2 or 3 seconds) when key is first turned on. The ECU will then turn on the pump via the relay as soon as it detects an rpm signal. This is a seperate issue to your starting issues - but needs to be put right for safety reasons.

Start with the basics - make sure you have a good spark and its at the right time. Check the compression is ok. If these are good & you still suspect the engine is flooding with fuel, unbolt & lift up the fuel rails and allow the pump to run. The FD's have side feed primary injectors which have an oring at the base of the rail - if these leak then fuel will flood its way into the engine.

 

If they're sticky they might not be closing right away causing it to flood. In this case they would still click. That's why I suggested to try the click test when the UIM is off. You should be able to clearly hear the injectors spray pattern with it off.