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1998 3.1 Malibu 168,000 - No fuel to Engine

Tiny
MORPHEUS7
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU
History:
I'm the Original owner. Only major problem was a leaky lower intake manifold gasket, which was fixed. About a year and 1/2 ago, car would have trouble keeping idle on warm days. I would leave for work in morning and it would drive fine. Upon leaving work on days warmer than about 70 degrees, the car would start, but would fight to stay idle. As I drove it, it would chug along and about 10 minutes later would finally smooth out and be ok. Last fall, it finally took a dump and would not start at all. I had to trailer it to my new home and it sat all winter until now. I just replaced the Mass air flow sensor, cuz it was not working, and I replaced the plugs. I tested the fuel pump and i'm getting great fuel pressure. The wires are newer, air filter is good, and the engine is getting plenty of spark. It just wont start. The engine will crank but not start. When it was running just before it died, I took it to Autozone for a Check Engine Light diagnosis and it came back with the speed input sensor and the EGR valve. Could any one of these contribute to the car not starting now? Thank you for any help you can provide on this. I'm at my whits end on this one.
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 AT 9:27 AM

23 Replies

Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
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Egr valve - perhaps

Speed sensor-no.

Do you know the exact code numbers?
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 AT 2:45 PM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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You know, I don't have that code right now. I hope I saved it. I will look tonight and see if I have the print out and reply tomorrow with it. If I don't have it, do you have any other suggestions on why it does not appear to be getting gas to the engine? Thanks for your quick reply to my problem. I am very appreciative of your help.
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 AT 3:36 PM
Tiny
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Straight forward I don't know how much I can help, but will try. The injectors may not be pulsing, You need a noid light to check that. The code may or may not have anything to do with the problem, but should be investigated at some point.

Crank the engine and then pull the plugs and see if they are wet at all.

Have you done a compression test?
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 AT 3:41 PM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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I will check the plugs when I get home tonight. As far as the compression test, no I have not. Would you happen to know of the best way to perform this test, so I know that i'm not doing something wrong in the process? Thanks again.
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Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 AT 3:50 PM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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Thanks for the link. I will test the compression tonight. I did crank the engine over a few times and check the plugs. It does look like they appear wet. I was thinking maybe the fuel is bad, since it has been sitting about a year without being ran. It did sit thru a winter. Could that be a possible cause to not starting?
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Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 AT 7:25 AM
Tiny
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Strange problems can happen when they set for a year. The fuel may be a problem. After the plugs are dry, use some starting fluid or carb cleaner to spray into the throttle body and see if it fires from that. If not, then check compression. IF good, then would think there is a timing issue that the spark, fuel and combustion are not happening at the right time.
I will be on vacation for several days, don't be afraid to send a pm to any of the moderators for advice.
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Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 AT 7:33 AM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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After I replaced the MAF sensor, I did spray carb cleaner into the throttle body. The car started for a few seconds then died. I'll do some checking tonight when I get home and hopefully figure out what the problem is. Thanks again for your help with my problem and your quick responces. Enjoy your vacation.

Josh
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Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 AT 7:39 AM
Tiny
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Josh,

Do the carb spray again. You might want to pull the fuse or relay to the fuel pump so it is giving any fuel and flood it if there is bad gas. See if you can run the engine off the carb cleaner. Might need to have some one else crank it to do this. IF it runs of the cleaner, check the fuel pressure and make sure it is in spec. If so, drain out the gas and freshen it up.
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Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 AT 7:52 AM
Tiny
PETEY PAB
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  • 6 POSTS
I seem to have the exact same problem. I have a 1997 Malibu LS that will not start. All symptoms are identical to morpheus. It has also sat for nearly a year. I have replaced the fuel pump, starter, crank sensor, and cam sensor. It will start with starting fluid but die shortly after. Have not done a compression test yet, but there is no static fuel pressure.

BTW, the codes I am getting at the moment are:
P0122 - TPS/Pedal Position Sensor A Circuit Low Input
P1406 - EGR Valve Pintle Position Circuit
P1655 - EVAP Purge Solenoid Control Circuit
P1675 - EVAP Vent Solenoid Control Circuit

Hope this helps any and any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 AT 7:18 PM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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Weird. It is like you own my car. That is the exact same thing I am finding on my car. I drained a sample of the fuel in the tank and it looks ok. I have tested all the fuses, I tested the Throttle position sensor, MAF sensor, Cam Sensor, and both Crank Sensors. As long as I feed fuel into the engine manually, the engine runs, and sounds great. I did notice that the Tachometer is not registering any RPM's on my dash, when the engine runs. I'm looking over the electrical schematics and trying to come up with my next plan of attack. I'll let ya know what I find, but would appreciate any suggestions in the meantime. Thanks for contributing petey pab.
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Thursday, August 9th, 2007 AT 6:27 AM
Tiny
PETEY PAB
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Well, my next thoughts would be the FPR or the injectors themselves. But I am just puzzled as to why I have no static fuel pressure. Have you tested the fuel pressure yet?
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Thursday, August 9th, 2007 AT 6:53 PM
Tiny
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Hey guys, just got back to town, I think I would do a volume test on the fuel pump ( I assume we know the pressure is in spec at this point?) Or use a noid light to make sure the injectors are firing.
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Friday, August 10th, 2007 AT 4:50 PM
Tiny
PETEY PAB
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Forgot to mention that I have taken the line off at the filter and turned the car on. The pump makes a buzzing noise, but no fuel comes through the line.
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Friday, August 10th, 2007 AT 9:38 PM
Tiny
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Time for a pump, the way it looks to me.
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Friday, August 10th, 2007 AT 10:46 PM
Tiny
PETEY PAB
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So you think my new pump was a dud? I have yet to check voltage, but that will be next. Thank you for your insights.
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Saturday, August 11th, 2007 AT 2:25 PM
Tiny
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If there is gas in the tank, the pump is getting power because you can hear it, and there is no volume, then I have not seen this be anything other than a pump. However, that doesn't mena that there aren't things that happen that I haven't seen

A smart service writer avoids geting painted into a corner.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/30961_winkbaby_4.jpg

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Sunday, August 12th, 2007 AT 6:21 PM
Tiny
PETEY PAB
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Ok, thank you very much.
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Sunday, August 12th, 2007 AT 7:24 PM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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Ok, I had a buddy come over and help this weekend with my car. He is a mechanic and has all the special tools of the trade. Anyway, we tested the crank and cam sensors and both appear to be functioning. Fuel pressure is not an issue for me, plenty of it. My buddy seems to think that it's either my Ignition Control Module, which I'm taking to Autozone tonight to have tested, or a bad wire from the ICM to my computer, or, and I hope not, my computer is faulty. When he reviewed the wiring schematic, he concluded it has to be one of the above that is the problem. If anyone has any other thoughts or ideas on what is wrong, they are very welcome to contribute. I will post the results of my ICM test this evening. Thanks again for all the input.
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Monday, August 13th, 2007 AT 11:02 AM
Tiny
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Thanks for the update Josh. These two cars should be on different threads, but make a great case for what sounds like may be the same problem isn't. You had fuel pressure or some fuel pressure anyways but Petey pab does not have any. I believe these are separate issues, but have seen stranger.
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Monday, August 13th, 2007 AT 3:01 PM
Tiny
MORPHEUS7
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So Autozone tested my Ignition control Module and it tested good. I verified that the test was accurate and asked if they ever get any false tests. They said no. However, they did say that a common problem they have seen with GM vehicles of my type, is that one wire from the ICM to the computer can get damaged/loose or the like. My buddy is coming back over Wednesday night and we are going to test the wires between the two and make sure everything is right. I will continue to update as I dig deeper. Anyone else experience a wire problem with GM vehicles of this type? Thanks again.
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Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 AT 1:12 PM

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