My car has taken a big crap on me 2 days before a potential buyer is supposed to come look at it... here is the rundown:

I drove the car all AM with no problems whatsoever I come home after work to change and the go to head right back out to run some errands. I jump in the car and fire her up.. as soon as she fires up it starts to miss-fire and run like a$$! I give it a little gas and she dies.. I was able to crank her over a few more times and it would do the same thing.. now she will not fire up at all... she'll turn over but not fire. I scanned the car for codes and found none.. and my SES light never came on. I was thinking it was the OPTI but everywhere I have read they all say that they had problems with it for a while before it died... My baby only has 42K on the clock so I can't think of anything that would go bad already.. my water pump is not leaking onto to the opti or anything like that and she has fresh plugs and wires in her as well as a fresh fuel filter. Can anyone help me out here!!!!!

Thanks!

 

Sounds like it could be the fuel pump--mine died in a similar fashion, except that mine died at a gas station. Test for pressure at the shrader valve on the fuel rail. Should be ~42-44psi.

 

Thanks man I appreciate it.. I'll check it first thing in the AM....

 

Thats what mine did when it was the water pump.. check that too while your at it.

 

Thanks for all of the help.... but I'm curious as to how the water pump would make it so my car wouldn't start?

 

Because when the water pump goes out, it tends to dump coolant onto the opti, thus causing a very crappy running car.

 

Ahh I see... I thin kI can rule that out though since I do not have a coolant leak and my opti and water pump are both bone dry. Thanks for clearing that up for me though.

 

You didn't wash the engine up for the sale did you? I'd have that spark checked.JMHO

 

Nope I didn't wash her.. I just wipe the dust off with a towel... Thanks for the help though.

 

Well I finally got a chance to go outside and start playing with her.. What I have found so far is that I have no fuel press at my schrader valve with the key turned to the on posisition. So what I want to check next is the fuel pump fuse or relay.. but do not know where these items are located. I looked in my Haynes manual and they mention a Power Distributor block.. but the only 2 I know of are the ones under the hood.. (next to air box) and the one on the side of the dash near the drivers door... does anyone else know where I can find these Items...... wouldn't you know though I have gotten 3 more phone calls about my car since it broke down. Darn the Luck.

 

Doesn't sound good. You can check the relay & fuse, but I'll bet it's the pump. The relay is in the passenger compartment, below the dash on the left, behind the side panel just to the left where your left foot would rest. I'll have to check my Helms to see where the fuse is.

 

Can you hear the pump whine when you turn the key, or is it just totally dead?

Here is a picture to locate the fuel pump relay on my '95. Should be identical for your '96. The fuel pump fuse is labeled PCM BAT.

 

Well I turned the key and I hear NADA! All I could hear is my AIR system going and I even went so far as to put my ear up to the bottom of the tank. I took off the line that lead from my tank to my filter and then turned on the key and got nothing there either.. I think I have found my problem.... but my only question is why? I have only run the car out of gas once in it's life and I ususally never let it get below 1/4 tank... hmm oh well. Thanks for all of the help you guys.

 

Maybe that one time you ran out shortened it's life.

 

Yeah probably it's just y luck though. Once again thanks for all of the help!