Uh oh, Grimace. :(

This is for Grimace, not my car...

It will randomly stall sometimes if you take a corner too fast, or things like that. For instance, I backed into the driveway with the car yesterday, and in the process, it stalled twice.


Please don't say fuel pump...

Is it fuel pump related?

Bleh.

Thoughts?

sounds fuel pump related.....

In an unrelated matter, you may want to check out the new line of fuel pumps.

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Well, it was at 1/4 tank. Just filled it. We'll see what happens.

Perhaps (hopefully?) the gas gauge is just less accurate than mine is.

How many miles on the current pump?

No idea.

Stingroo wrote:

No idea.

Well, here's your chance to "head 'em off at the pass"...
or be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bum pump immersed in a FULL tank of gas.
.
What say you?

I say....


F**!$!$#!!@$@

I can't recall if Grimace is an TBI or LT1. I have a spare TBI low pressure fuel pump. I took it out of Shammoo during the conversion to TPI, as that required a high pressure pump. I also have a spare Hi pressure pump as well. I took out the one which is now spare, and put in a Walbro instead. Both have only a few thousand miles on them.
let me know if you need one.

I'd suspect an inaccurate/bad gauge sender, that when you have only a little fuel, it all sloshes to the side of the tank on cornering, and isn't picked up.
you'd need to get into the tank to fix that. I think Joel (sherlock9c1) had a nice article on it. While you are in there, replace the pump anyway.

Both of our wagons are TBI. Grimace is a 305, mine's a 350 (not sure if it makes a difference pump wise?)

Inaccurate sender could be it. I was thinking of putting my spare OCC cluster in the car that has a working trip odometer, and seeing when it really runs out...

Not a bad idea.

If you put more gas in it,. does it still stall ?


Nick

I don't know when it started. I'll have to keep an eye on it and when it starts.

Here's the resistor you want to " tune " your fuel gauge:

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You use the resistor to dial down the excess signal to the gauge. It works when your gauge reports too full. You use this resistor from the sender wire to a ground, usually at the base of the driver's door footwell under the rug where the fuel sender wire passes by.

For some odd reason, my dial in works best down while he motor is running. Might be a distinction between key on, engine off battery voltage and running voltage, but then again I'm using a digital gauge.

Hmm... this might not be fuel related.

Sprocket said that sometimes pressure would randomly drop, and he could give it gas and continue as normal, leading him to believe it was just a bad sender. This happened to mom today, but she said she couldn't get the car started back up until 4-5 tries later. I checked the oil before she left and it was at the right level, and looked fine.

Oil pump? No idea.

BUY GAS DAMMINT!!!!

I told you 1/4 = EMPTY in that car.

EVERY TBI I have owned 'runs out' of gas around the mark where 17-18 gals fills it.
EVERY LT1 car I have driven, will take 20-21 when the fuel light comes on. Tank Baffling sux in the TBI cars.

Call me with any questions about Grimmy. I spent a month and a half getting the fuel system straightened out in it, the fuel pump has been replace, although with a used unit about 10K ago, the rest of the system is completely rebuilt.

Yeah, will do.

WHen I bought Ruby, the seller said, "My mechanic said it needs a fuel pump". I drove it away and sure enough the first corner I went around it stalled. gauge was at 1/4. Shifted to neutral started it up and drove to the gas station and filled it up. 35K later, it's still on the same fuel pump.

Grimace, and Radio flyer and the new OCC all the same. It's a design flaw. You will always have about a 1/4 tank if it stalls when cornering hard. The gauge isn't really off, the fuel just sloshes around too much in the early cars, especially during 'spirited driving'

I didn't know that the newer gas tanks had improved baffling.

It's weird, because mine doesn't do that. I had heard it a million times, but I've run mine to 1/8th just fine on several occasions (broke college student and what not).

So... back to oil thing.

Maybe you have a later tank in your car? I can't imagine the tank would be different.
Mine have all been 91&92 cars. Can't speak for 93s never drove one

Mine's a '92 as well.

No clue.

I've got a 93 and have not experienced the stall while cornering problem you are discribing when accompanied by 1/4 tank or less of gas. I have had that stupid little low fuel light constantly on and she still hasn't stalled on me. I ended up putting 19.++ gallons in at that fuel up. Now I go by mileage too and I try to fill up around 350 or more but always less than 400 miles on a tank of gas. I agree that the fuel sloshing in these tanks is a pain in the rear simply because when I get to 1/4 tank or less the low fuel light starts to come on when braking and go off when accelerating or during straight and level driving; until it finally gets low enough to stay on completely it can drive me batty. Some times. But again I haven't experienced the stalling issue while cornering.

As a side thought could this be related to the little hose that is in the tank between the pump and the sending unit? Could it have enough of a crack/split that it still provides adequate fuel to the system until it gets below a certain level in the tank? Like say when you're at 1/4 or less and you start to slosh the fuel around by cornering? I'm no expert but I would think that if the line is split big enough that the fuel pressure will drop rather quickly when the car is turned off, as compared to the normal drop due to the bleed off/recurculation curcuit built into the tbi cars. But testing that requires a special adapter and tool for our cars. Here is the one available from my local auto stealer store : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
I found it way cheaper with shipping included on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], or you could go all out and buy the expensive [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on stealBay.

Yeah, I'm not sure.

I don't think this is fuel related anymore, just because it died on mom in a turning lane yesterday when the car had 3/4 tank of gas.

Uh oh. Grimace is knocking....

NOT GOOD!!!!

How is the oil?

Looked kinda dark on the stick, going to drain it and run a magnet through it, I guess...

scoffman wrote:

...when I get to 1/4 tank or less the low fuel light starts to come on when braking and go off when accelerating or during straight and level driving; until it finally gets low enough to stay on completely it can drive me batty...

Now, THAT'S the way they should work. Start 'tapping you on the shoulder' when the gas gets low... but not stay on steadily so you (me) ignore it.

Update: Oil was NASTY AS HELL. Dad and I adjusted the valves, and it got a little quieter, but it's still making noise.

Dad's theory is that a bearing is going out.

Oil was every 3-3.5K when I had 'em. How many miles rolled up since your Mom took him over?

The fuel pump I replaced in there was not a new unit, but one I had recovered out of a parted car so as you know they run fine, then just quit one day...

but from what your Dad told me the other day, it doesn't sound too good for Grimmy's heart, may need a transplant.

Stingroo wrote:

Dad's theory is that a bearing is going out.

Mine spun a bearing at around 160k, and I drive it like an even older man.
They DO do that, sometimes...

Yeah... transplant might be necessary. Must find tree-fitty.

tree aighty tree

or a fo-hundy small block

Nah, this would be super budget swap... assuming it comes to that.

Engines are 150 bucks at the U Pull It in Ft Laud...

Yeah, but lack the tools to pull one at the moment. A friend might be able to help here, though.

Tools? You need a socket set. The yard has engine cranes.

I see you are ignoring Sprocket's question about oil change intervals...

We put about 2000 miles on the car.

What's the noise like? Tapping? Like a screwdriver on a tool box? Or knocking? Like a 5lb sledgehammer on a manhole cover?

I'll take a video. Sounds closer to tapping than sledgehammering.

well I changed the oil (checked my notebook today that now is in the other car), at 118,856 indicated, so you are in the ball park (was a touch over 120K when it left here)

Describe NASTY AS HELL please....I'm wondering if that oil pump finally gave out.

Thick. Black. Sludge. Like absolutely horrid.

How does oil get that bad that fast??

Ray,have you checked your coolant for any oil or a change in its appearance?Use your nose and sniff the oil and coolant for anything different!

Oil doesn't come out black if it has coolant in it.

jayoldschool wrote:

How does oil get that bad that fast??

That's a good question. Even if the car overheated, it wouldn't be all sludgy.
I had a rad hose go in my v12 jag and thought I could nurse it home but was way wrong and baked the oil. it smelled burnt, but was still sorta brown and flowed normally.

Could there have been a block of sludge or something that broke loose? Kinda like a blood clot?

It would have to have been a really big clot to completely gunk up the oil.

When I first bought my former TBI car, I changed the oil a few times at 500 mile intervals. Under the VCs was horrid and the oil was always filthy. After a few quick changes, it was always as clean as a fresh engine at 4K intervals.