Hello all -

I am having a problem with my camaro. It is taking my 95 Z28 several cranks before the engine kicking in. It takes 2 -3 long cranks to get the engine going. I connected a timing gun to check for spark and found that the engine is not sparking until towards the ends of the crank. I have been doing a lot of reading and found that the optispark maybe the cause of this issue. I would like to run it by you all and see if there is anything else I should look for before ordering this part as it is expensive.

Any suggestions or troubleshooting steps are greatly appreciated since I do not have much experience troubleshooting this issue. Thanks.

 

I know injuneer and shoebox know the full answer to your question, but the way to check and see if it is a part in the fuel pump sticking is to, turn the key to on 5 - 6 times, and then crank it over and if it starts right away it is something to do with a part in the fuel pump if i understood correctly. Im sure one of them will follow up with you soon though. Mine is doing this as well.

 

Check the fuel pressure. When you turn the key to on, without starting the engine, the fuel pressure should rise to 40psi, and stay there. It should not drop off rapidly. If it does, it indicates one of the following problems:
-the check valve in the fuel pump is not working
-the injectors are leaking
-the fuel pressure regulator is defective (torn diaphragm)
-leaks in the fuel supply line

Check the fuel pressure, and see how fast it drops when the pump shuts off.

If you aren't getting spark, check it for codes. There may be a problem with the low resolution pulse from the Opti not being there soon enough. But that will set a code, and it does not turn on the SES light.

 

and, it may be you are getting a weak spark that the timing light is not picking up. use a spark tester or test with a spark plug. weak spark could be a coil, ignition modual, coil wire or the opti.

 

Sorry that I took long to reply to this thread but I did some extended period of testing. This is what I found:

When starting the car, if I turn the key to on and wait 15 - 20 seconds to turn the key to the ignition, the car will start on the first try. Anything under that time frame and I'll find myself running into the hard start issue.

When I connected a fuel pressure gauge, upon turning the key i found my full pressure line empty, but as I turned the key I found my full pressure would start to go up. (45 PSI)

- I need to know from you all, if your camaro has been off for a few hours, if you all have any fuel pressure in your lines??

- Any other testing you all recommend on me performing?

Thank you all as always.

 

Did you test your fuel pressure the way Fred indicated? The pressure will eventually bleed down over time on every car, but that has nothing to do with your hard-start condition.

Also, the bolded statement above doesn't make any sense.

 

Alright it took me a while to get the necessary tools as I havent had the extra cash lately to buy the tools. I went ahead and got myself OBD Scanner and I a fuel pressure gauge. I can report that my car has not error codes stored in memory. However, while using the fuel pump I noticed that the car from a cold start upon turning the key to on, the fuel line has less than 20 PSI, turn the key off and then back to on the fuel pressure rises another 10 psi.

The camaro will not start until I am above 40 PSI, so I would have to do this 4 - 5 times to get the desired pressure and the camaro will start without the long start. Ive also noticed that after I turn the key to on, after about 4 seconds the fuel pressure will begin to drop about 2 - 4 PSI per second back down to a little less than 20 PSI.

So In conclusion, I feel that I will be replacing the fuel pump later this week. Any Suggestions on fuel pump?

 

www.racetronix.com makes a fuel pump and hotwire harness kit that is a great product. Also look into the "through the hatch" method for changing the fuel pump.

 

I looked into that hatch method seems reasonable and very easy.

I saw the racetronics and comparing it the TREperformance fuel pump. I would really like a plug and play replacement that I get better performance than stock, but I do not have to solder or splice anything. Is there any pump that wil meet my specs?

I dont need anything too high end. The only mods I plan on doing to my car is exhaust, CAI, headers, and Intake manifold. I plan to stay naturally aspirated.

I'm leaning to either of these two:

http://treperformance.com/i-133147-c...1985-2002.html

http://treperformance.com/i-873-chev...1985-2002.html

 

FWIW, adding an "upgraded intake manifold" won't help you one bit.

Anyway, both of those pumps are more than likely identical and manufactured by Walbro or a Japanese equivalent. Both of them will require minor trimming of the fuel pump bucket to fit.

If you want an OEM fit, you'll need an OEM pump.

 

I wanted to update everyone on the thread. Replaced the fuel pump with an TRE Performance pump and my hard start issues are gone!! My car starts immediately after the turn of the key. I would like to thank you all for your help during this.