Will not start

JOHNNYBOY1990-

MEMBER
1998 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
5.7L
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
145,000 MILES

I have the SUV listed above 1999 5.7 Vortex engine. I recently replaced the intake manifold gaskets and have had the truck apart for several months. It ran when I parked it.
I was sure to set the engine to top dead cylinder on number one and properly aligned the distributor (I’ve check it several times).
I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge to the rail and it reads 54ish psi. The vehicle wants to start and spins freely when I turn the ignition on. It sputters 3 or 4 times and I hear a little volume coming out of the exhaust.
I’m thinking that I possibly have a bad fuel pump as the pressure is supposed to be 60-66 psi. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated on what I could be missing.

9 Replies

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Let's start from the basics. We need three things, fuel, spark, and compression to run the engine.

You are correct that your pressure is a little low but 55ish should be able to run start the engine. However, let's check the easy way. Get some starter fluid and spray it in the intake and see if it starts. If it does then the pump is most likely the issue.

If it still doesn't start then we need to check for spark at the plug. You do this by pulling a plug and holding it against the block and crank the engine to see if it starts.

Here is a guide that talks about this in more detail but let me know about this info and we can go from there. Thanks

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-cranks-but-wont-start

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Sunday, April 19th, 2020 AT 8:05 PM

JOHNNYBOY1990-

MEMBER
19 POSTS

So I shot the starting fluid into the intake with my buddy and we couldn’t get the vehicle to fire.

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Tuesday, April 21st, 2020 AT 4:42 PM

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Okay. So if it doesn't fire off of starter fluid and it has spark then compression is the only other thing. We should run a compression check but I would circle back and pull a plug and hold it against the block just to confirm it is getting to the plug because if it just sat there, it is unlikely to be a compression issue.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 AT 7:22 PM

JOHNNYBOY1990-

MEMBER
19 POSTS

I did replace the distributor and made sure to set it to top dead center on number one.

The original one worked fine byte was an open unit. I’ll grab the old cap and rotor and if that doesn’t work I’ll grab the old unit in it’s entirety put it back in.

The vehicle worked when I parked it back in November. It had an intake manifold leak and I replaced the upper and lower gaskets and followed approved procedure for re-installation.

I’ll check compression, tinker with the distributor and look into the spark plugs.

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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 AT 10:34 PM

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Sorry for the delay. If it was running when it was parked then I suspect we are just missing one of the basic items. Normally compression doesn't deteriorate to the point of causing a no start when it was parked running. So while we need to check it, I suspect it will be fine. If starter fluid doesn't work then it would have to be spark. Either weak spark or spark at the wrong time, meaning timing. But again, it wouldn't lose timing by just sitting so I am going with weak spark or no spark.

Keep me posted. Thanks

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Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 AT 4:28 PM