Car starts for second then shuts off

Tiny
YOUTECH
  • MEMBER
  • 1990 BUICK REATTA
  • 3.8L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
The car will fire for a second then shut off. If I put a charger on it for a while it might start. When it does start it runs great and will stay running. At the suggestion of others, I am embarrassed to say what I replaced. I am fortunate I have a matching Reatta that runs and starts, so much of what I list I just switched out. I have only owned this car one year and when I first purchased it ran okay for a while then it would not start, I replaced the ECM and it ran good for a while. The car sat for several months while I did body work and repainted the car. I took the car in for a new radio system the car started and ran great, then I took it to the shop to get the A/C converted to R134a and it would not start at the shop. They put a charger on it for a while and it started. That is when everyone started to make suggestions. So here is what I have done to this point: I have put in a new fuel pump pressure now reads 40+, replaced the fuel pump relay, but just in case I hot wired the pump, it still will not run. We sprayed starter fluid into the air mass unit the car it would start and run until we stopped spraying. While it appears, the car is not getting fuel, the pressure will stay at forty. Here is the list of what I have replaced: the crankshaft sensor, another ECM, oil level sensor, oil pressure sensor, air idle sensor, air mass sensor, coil unit, BCM, battery (new), had the alternator tested. My latest thinking is the injectors are not working unless they get a lot of power to start with. I have run out of ideas.
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018 AT 4:43 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,885 POSTS
Hi and thanks for using 2carpros.com

If it starts with starting fluid, then it's getting spark, so it is fuel related. The pressure, 40psi, is at the lowest end of the manufacturer's specs. However, it should run on that.

FUEL PRESSURE:

Ignition ON Engine OFF .................... 40.5 to 47.0 psi

What I need you to do is check for an injector pulse. Here is a link that shows how it is done. Check this and let me know what you find:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-a-fuel-injector

Also, if you haven't already, check to see if there are trouble codes stored in the system:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/buick-cadillac-chevy-gmc-oldsmobile-pontiac-gm-1983-1995-obd1-code-definitions-and-retrieval-method

Let me know what you find.

Take care,
Joe
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Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 AT 7:39 PM

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