I posted a while back about my 1999 grand voyager 3.3 flex fuel van. I've been working on it but it still isn't right. The engine runs roughly because it is getting way too much gasoline. All spark plugs are wet with gas when checked. There are new plugs, wires, EGR valve and PCV valve, which I replaced because they all needed it. Things are slightly better but the engine still has a severe problem.
It won't start unless I push the accelerator, because of the excessive fuel. It will not idle. When it runs, it runs roughly and makes a black mark under the tail pipe as well as a cloud of unburned gasoline. I haven't been able to find any vacuum leaks. The check engine light doesn't come on, and a scan tool doesn't show any codes. The injectors all make the proper clicking noises when checked with a stethoscope, and it holds fuel pressure when the engine stops, which tells me that I don't have an open injector.
The only thing that I can point to as being wrong right now is that the fuel pressure is at 60 psi while running, instead of the 49 psi specified in the manual. I looked up the fuel pressure regulator for this vehicle and found that it is a $100 part, so I got one from a wrecked van at the self serve junkyard for $3. I would rather have a new one of course, but I couldn't pass up that kind of savings. I installed the new (used) one, started it up, and read the fuel gauge at
60, just like the one I had just replaced! What are the odds of that? Do you suppose the former owner junked that van for the same problem mine has? Incidentally, my other van, a 1999 Voyager 4 cylinder, has the fuel pressure dead-on at 49 psi, and it runs great.Considering that I don't have a lot of dough to spare, I figure I could try another $3 part from the graveyard (it's no so hard to get the tank up and down, etc), or buy a new one for $100, and see if correct fuel pressure makes it run right.
Alternatively, I could take it to the local dealer shop for a $90 diagnosis to get an expert opinion of what is causing the problem. I suspect that if I ask them, they will simply tell me that I have a bad pressure regulator, even though something else may be wrong with it that I haven't even considered yet....
What would you do first? I'm kind of leaning toward the $3 part myself. Can you guys think of any other factors in addition to bad fuel pressure that may cause this problem? Or should I just shut up and change the regulator again?