Re: GTV-6 non-electrical problems

[James Montebello <jamesm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 26 Aug 2003, Joe Elliott wrote:
> Now I've noticed since installing a fuel pressure gauge that my car
> doesn't hold residual fuel pressure like it should.  I assumed that
> this meant the check valve in the pump was bad, so when the pump
> seized up two weeks ago and I replaced it with a brand-new one I
> expected that problem to go away.  Not so!  It seems to lose fuel
> pressure as fast as ever after shutoff, although I'm tempted to think
> that it's not consistent from shutoff to shutoff.  So what else is
> leaking???  An injector??  Would dumping all that gas into the engine
> prevent proper lubrication and destroy my engine, causing the oil
> consumption issue?

Yes, a constantly rich mixture will destroy the engine, by washing the
oil film off one or more cylinders.  An injector that's stuck open and
leaking (I'd check the cold-start injector first) can (worst case)
cause the engine to hydro lock on startup (instant engine rebuild).
In your case, it sounds like the rings could be bad enough that this is
no longer a problem.  A leaky injector like this could also explain your
"electrical" running problem in your previous email.  You might try just
running a few bottles of injector cleaner through the engine first, and
when that doesn't fix it, start taking things apart.

As for oil consumption problems being too expensive to fix: it's possible
to do a cheap partial rebuild that can extend the useful life of the
engine.  New rings and bearings aren't all that expensive, and replacing
them just costs you time (well, assuming you have basic hand tools, one
precision measuring device, and something to hoist the engine out with).
You could do this over the course of a Christmas break.  If you could
find someplace to keep the car and bits, you could do it piecemeal over
the course of the semester.  I know too many people who rebuilt engines
and gearboxes in dorm rooms, laundry rooms, storage places, etc., while
they were poor students to listen to a plea of penury as an excuse not
to do it.  The quality of those rebuilds was relatively poor, but it
got them through school and into their first job, where they could then
afford to do the job properly (or, more likely, get a better car).

jamesm
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