Not starting

Tiny
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No parts place in the area can get the injectors in. Out of stock everywhere they are all telling me.
I did, however, find some on amazon. But they are 6 weeks shipping. I'm going to try some salvage yards tomorrow first.
But I have a question, when the injectors have an internal leak like that, is it cause by debris so it's not closing all the way, and if this is the case could have them professionally cleaned fix the issue? Or is it because they are likely internally worn and there's no fixing them?
I did clean them myself a couple months ago, but in hindsight I should have back flushed them, I flushed them in the normal flow direction. They did, however, have a nice spray pattern.
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 AT 3:50 PM
Tiny
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Correct. They have what is called a seat where they are sealed off to the combustion chamber when they are supposed to be closed.

So, this means when they are open, there is a solenoid that moves the needle, and it allows pressurized fuel to leave the nozzle.

When they wear out the seat no longer seals and when they are closed, the pressurized fuel is still able to get into the combustion chamber.

Think of it like holding your thumb over a hose. If you have a large enough thumb, you can seal the hose completely. If not, the water will still come out.

Normally a leaking injector will drip and not spray the fuel, but the idea is the same.

Sorry to hear about the parts delay. It appears the whole industry is affected the same way.
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 AT 4:22 PM
Tiny
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Update:

So, today I thought about it, it hadn't occurred to me before, but I had changed the oil about 2 months ago and hadn't really driven the car much since, more out there trying to diagnose the no start and trying to start a lot. Oil level was perfect when I changed the oil.
When I just checked my oil level it was way over full and smelled like gas. So, 100% confirmed, leaking fuel injectors.
I'm looking at a set, it's just going to take 6 weeks to get them. I may be able to get another set faster, I'm waiting to hear back from those before I order the others.
But I'll have time to do another oil change I guess at least.
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Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 AT 8:45 AM
Tiny
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Great job. I never thought of that because they normally don't leak enough to cause that issue but clearly you confirmed it.

Thanks so much for updating us.
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Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 AT 3:37 PM
Tiny
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Okay, so here's where I'm at now:

I got the new injectors and installed them. The car will start with a spray or start fluid and keep running great. Unlike before, where it bucked and backfired. It doesn't do that now; it runs smoothly after it starts. It runs, it revs it sounds good. If I shut it off, it will fire right up again on its own, even if I leave it off for a few minutes, if fires right up on its own.
But it needs the spray to start when it's cold.
Today I did start the car without spray, but it was 6 degrees Celsius our, it cranked way longer than it should have, but it did eventually start. But if it's below 0 it will definitely not start without spray.
So, I believe it enriches the air fuel for a cold start. And it seems like that's not happening. If I add fuel via spray it starts. But it's not adding extra fuel on its own. Where do I look for this? I did try a new coolant temperature sensor with no luck.
Should I maybe check the fuel pump for voltage while it's cranking cold?
It doesn't need the spray on a warm start, so that makes me believe the fuel pressure is fine, it's only an issue on a cold start. I'm not sure where to go from here.
Actually, I'm going to get it running and use a propane torch to check for vacuum leaks next. But after that I don't know what else to look at.
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Saturday, February 12th, 2022 AT 2:50 PM
Tiny
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A couple of things first. I would not use a propane torque for vacuum leak check. Use the combustible parts cleaner to spray down the areas and when it pulls it in through a vacuum leak the RPM will come up. So, get it running and start spraying down the manifold and other intake areas.

Next the most likely cause of this not starting in really cold weather is moisture in the fuel. Basically, the water in the fuel is frozen and doesn't atomize well enough to get the engine started.

Then once it is started, the cylinder heats up enough that it can vaporize the water and leave the fuel to burn.

I know we covered this, but have you completely drained the tank and put brand new fuel in it?
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Sunday, February 13th, 2022 AT 5:51 AM
Tiny
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It is new fuel, and I also put in gasoline antifreeze to evaporate any water that may have been in there.
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Sunday, February 13th, 2022 AT 6:06 AM
Tiny
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Okay. I just want to stress this again. If you just added new fuel and the additive, then I would suggest we completely drain the tank and add new fuel. I am only stressing this because I have been burned by this exact thing. The only difference is the engine would start but it popped and ran poorly until I completely drained the tank. Adding new fuel and Heet did not correct the issue.

If you drained the tank, then we need to check the pressure when it is cold outside and see if the pressure is just too low compared to when it is warmer because I would then turn to a power issue in the cold weather.
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Sunday, February 13th, 2022 AT 6:54 AM

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