1993 Suburban with 5.7L V8 will not start

[Donald]

I had the battery out of my Suburban for a few weeks to clean and spray under coating on the battery tray (and then got busy doing other things). When I put it back in, it fired for a second but then would not fire again. Tried turning off the key, then back on to get another few seconds of the fuel pump running, but that did not help. A spray of starter fluid down the throttle body and it fired for another few seconds.

The vehicle has 155K on it, but I replaced the fuel pump last year (10 months ago) and since then have only put on 1K-2K miles (who can afford more).

Its also above 90 degrees here in NY and has been for a few days.

Ideas other than to check for fuel pump pressure?

 

[Oldswagon]

Check to see if you have spark. Do the injectors spray when the truck is cranked?

 

[Donald]

Given that it fires when I spray in some starter fluid, I assume I have spark.

 

[Rickey]

Starter fluid can fire from compression alone. Still your assumption about ignition is probably correct. I would check ignition anyhow just to be sure. I assume that you can hear the fuel pump running? Is there fuel in the tank? Stuck fuel senders have created many a mystery! Good luck. Rickey.

 

[Oldswagon]

If you're sure you have spark, check your fuel pressure. You need 9-12 PSI for a TBI fuel system.

 

[Donald]

That is my next thing to do. Do anyone think that my new electric fuel pump (Napa) should have only lasted 2K miles and 10-11 months? I am really NOT looking forward to pulling the gas tank a second time to fix this. Its a big job.

 

[Drew99GT]

Could be, but the Lifetime Napa pumps are pretty good. The ones you get at Autozone or Advance Auto parts will last 2K!

 

[kc8adu]

there is a connector at the top of the pump/sender assy that tends to burn up.you change the pump and disturb it enough to run when you are done but fails later.a friend got a chevy van free that everyone was scratching heads and cussing about.$800 worth of parts and would die at random.dead giveaway was fuel gauge went crazy when it happened.free van and a cheap fix.

 

[Donald]

I replaced the entire fuel sender assembly along with the pump (and strainer). In my case the gas lines snapped when trying to unscrew them from the flex gas lines.

 

[kc8adu]

i got a free van with tbi that had sat dead for 2 years.
the injectors had gummed up.had good pressure and noid blinking normal.
whacking the injectors with a screwdriver handle while cranking freed them.
while cranking shine a flashlight at the bottom of the injectors .you should be able to see them spray.
note also the rotor button sometimes arcs through to the shaft.

 

[rmattingley]

not sure if they are the same, but I had a 93, 4.3 vortec in a s10 blazer that did this. The fuel injection system in it was all one unit, central port injection, I think. Its a known fact that the fuel regulator on these units would go bad. Mine went out 2 times, once after a new fuel pump. The other thing that can go bad with these central port injection (cpi unit) devices is that the power cord to it can get cracked and cause it to short out. With the 4.3, you could check the unit, by looking inside the intake and observing how dirty it is. Both sides of the intake should be equal. If you have a bad regulator, the passenger side will be all washed out. I know there are pitures of this on the internet, just do a search for cpi unit on google.