99 SVT DEAD - CEG Archives

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So my car did have MINOR stumbling issues before, but anyways heres the story. I was driving to college today, (350mi) and so i filled up before i left. After 200 miles the sun was killing me so i turned the AC on. i could feel the stumbling issue that i had before come back( above 1/4 tank) on. After stopping for lunch the stumbling was terrible. especially going up hills. Finally when stumbling it would lose power. After pulling over and turning the car off and on the first couple times it started right back up, but from there on i had to wait 20 minutes to start up and could drive maybe 20 miles before it happened again. Finally when i decided to tow it was when i made it maybe 1/2 mile before it stopped again. My firends' dad took a look at it on the road (made it to within 5mi of campus) and suggested it was starving on fuel. I bought ther car recently and was told that the fuel pump was replaced but have no evidence to prive it. But because it will go and then have problems and then run again i do not believe this to be a fuel pump issue. It was all fine until i turned on the AC but since i thought the AC was the cause i drive without it the rest of the trip, heck during one of the stops i treied resetting the computer and did not help. I believe it to be a vapor lock problem, what could be the cause of this headache? BTW i just replaced plugs, wires and cleaned EGR TB passages.

Fuel pump.
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Originally posted by mattp182:
So my car did have MINOR stumbling issues before, but anyways heres the story. I was driving to college today, (350mi) and so i filled up before i left. After 200 miles the sun was killing me so i turned the AC on. i could feel the stumbling issue that i had before come back( above 1/4 tank) on. After stopping for lunch the stumbling was terrible. especially going up hills. Finally when stumbling it would lose power. After pulling over and turning the car off and on the first couple times it started right back up, but from there on i had to wait 20 minutes to start up and could drive maybe 20 miles before it happened again. Finally when i decided to tow it was when i made it maybe 1/2 mile before it stopped again. My firends' dad took a look at it on the road (made it to within 5mi of campus) and suggested it was starving on fuel. I bought ther car recently and was told that the fuel pump was replaced but have no evidence to prive it. But because it will go and then have problems and then run again i do not believe this to be a fuel pump issue. It was all fine until i turned on the AC but since i thought the AC was the cause i drive without it the rest of the trip, heck during one of the stops i treied resetting the computer and did not help. I believe it to be a vapor lock problem, what could be the cause of this headache? BTW i just replaced plugs, wires and cleaned EGR TB passages.

what plugs and wires did you use? have you filled the tank back up with gas recently?

Used the autolite iridium platinum plugs and borg-warner wires. I dont think this a fuel pump issue as it will still work sometimes,but then again what do i know. and no i have not had a chance to try more gas, the thought of water in fuel did run through my mind.

Originally posted by mattp182:
Used the autolite iridium platinum plugs and borg-warner wires. I dont think this a fuel pump issue as it will still work sometimes,but then again what do i know. and no i have not had a chance to try more gas, the thought of water in fuel did run through my mind.

the fuel pump might be fine... the sock filter over the fuel pump might be causing for poor fuel pressure... did the check engine light ever come on? you can have that scanned at a local autozone or advance auto for free... get the code and bring it back and post the code...

Fill the car back to full and see if that makes a difference, if the car runs better you might a) have water in the gas or b) your fuel pump is the culprit.... Which is actually pretty easy to replace.

The strangest thing is the whole time my CEL never came on. I had the car towed to a mechanic and they are supposed to look at it tomorrow, i guess i will pay for a diagonsis but just wanted to know what might be causing the problems. Any other ideas?

Is it possible that I may have been experiencing vapor lock? or has anyone had similar issues?

Originally posted by mattp182:
... I had the car towed to a mechanic and they are supposed to look at it tomorrow, i guess i will pay for a diagonsis but just wanted to know what might be causing the problems. Any other ideas?

If you are paying, they will let you know what is wrong. No point worrying about it now.

Well the reason i am worrying about has come out, they replaced the fuel filter, told me it was the original and that they test drove it and it was fixed. Sure enough 5 minutes after driving it, it started to act up again.... Evidently they are getting misfire codes and the coil plugs and wires they determined to be fine. They said it could be the pump going out but wouldnt know until monday....

Anyone know of causes of bucking usually increased when traveling uphill leading to complete loss of power, then the engine dies and wont run until it sits for awhile?

Originally posted by mattp182:
Anyone know of causes of bucking usually increased when traveling uphill leading to complete loss of power, then the engine dies and wont run until it sits for awhile?

The shop should put a fuel pressure guage on it.

If the pressure is low or drops when the symptom appears, then the fuel pump or it's drive circuit is the most likely source of the problem.

Steve

Originally posted by mattp182:
Is it possible that I may have been experiencing vapor lock? or has anyone had similar issues?

Is vapor lock even a possibility with fuel injection and the high fuel pressure created by the electric fuel pump? Seems like, unless the pump was going bad, this is a non-issue. Even in the pre-fuel injection days, vapor lock usually happened after the engine was shut off and it was then that the fuel would percolate in the fuel lines. When you energize the ignition just before starting the engine, the fuel pump pressurizes the system, and that should take care of any possible vapor lock problems - IF the pump is working correctly. At any rate, I know when I turn on my AC, it seems like the engine is surging because, well, it is due to the extra load everytime the AC clutch engages.

Karl

Well sure enough the shop called to tell me it was the fuel pump. I authorized the $550 repair. Hopefully this does not happen again for a long time.....

Originally posted by mattp182:
Well sure enough the shop called to tell me it was the fuel pump. I authorized the $550 repair. Hopefully this does not happen again for a long time.....

First reply to this thread.

Originally posted by Tony2005:
Fuel pump.
Click Duratec Maintenance FAQ for how to

I have/had the same �??bucking�?� problem on my 99 SVT. I too recently changed the plugs, wires, and preformed a few other small fixes but to no avail. While it may be a matter of coincidence, I disconnected my stereo system and all is well. When I reconnect the stereo the intermittent stalling comes back. The fuel pressure remains fairly consistent even when it stalls out (this is one of the first potential problems that came to my mind). Please let us know if the new pump is the right fix.

Originally posted by whitesvt:
I have/had the same �??bucking�?� problem on my 99 SVT. I too recently changed the plugs, wires, and preformed a few other small fixes but to no avail. While it may be a matter of coincidence, I disconnected my stereo system and all is well. When I reconnect the stereo the intermittent stalling comes back. The fuel pressure remains fairly consistent even when it stalls out (this is one of the first potential problems that came to my mind). Please let us know if the new pump is the right fix.

Most probably a cross feed or short between the fuel pump wiring and stereo wiring. You need to check the wiring to see where it may be crossing (look for exposed or "nicked" wiring).

Turns out disconnecting the stereo proved to be a coincidence today. The problem almost always occurs as I am traveling downhill. At this point it seems that it is obviously a fuel delivery issue. I would think however that the fuel pressure would definitely reflect it if this is indeed the case. Will the fuel system maintain pressure if the pump is faulty or the in tank screen filters are clogged ,or would there be obvious fluctuations? I recently changed the fuel filter and the pump sounds just fine. I could use some insight before I decide to rip into it. In the mean time I will be driving my old Chrysler where diagnostics come easy and the only computerized component is my dash clock.

Sorry to hijack this thread but it made sense to continue it given all the info thus far

Originally posted by whitesvt:
... ...or would there be obvious fluctuations? ..

Fuel pressure test should confirm it.

Well as it turnes out the pump was fried, evidently the guy that replaced the pump did a half ass job, so basically the pump was not secured to the tank it was just floating around. So anyways i think the problem is solved might still have a slight misfire but im gonna recheck the plugs/wires today.