My car quit on me and I think it's a fuel delivery problem. I was traveling at about 55 mph and it just died. I ran out of gas once and the shutdown was similar. I couldn't get it re-started. It cranks and cranks and seems to catch for a second and then it just dies. I don't remember hearing anything out of the ordinary (noticible fuel pump buzzing) leading up to this problem. The car was running very strong. One thing the car did in the mornings or after sitting through a workday, was stall once or twice when I started it. After that, it ran great. I took the fuel pump relay out and jumpered it and still no start. One thing I did notice, when the key was in the ON position, was that the fuel rail felt like it was vibrating. I don't know what this means. I'll start with the fuel filter and go from there. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
That generation had 2 fuel pumps, as another poster mentioned. On transfer pump inside the tank, and one main fuel pump under the car, just in front of the right rear wheel.
The in-tank fuel pump is notorious for failing. It is easy to check. You get access to it by pulling away the carpet in the trunk, then removing the cover (3 screws). Unplug the connector from the pump and measure the voltage at the connector as a helper cranks the engine. You should see battery voltage. (The connector also has the wires for the fuel gauge sender, I don't remember the wire colors). If you don't see battery voltage while cranking you have an electrical problem somewhere. If you do see battery voltage, go on to test the pump. You will se two hoses coming out of the pump. One is fuel out to the main pump, the other is excess fuel return from the fuel distributor. The plastic nipples on the pump have arrows showing which is in and out. Remove the hose from the "out" nipple an put on a piece of plastic tubing a few feet long instead. Reconnect the wire harness. Put the other end of the plastic tube into an empty gallon-size water bottle and have a helper crank the engine again. You should see a good stream of fuel come out. If you don't, the transfer pump is dead.
If you need to replace it, make sure the tank is not full (I seem to remember Bentley saying no more than 3/4 tank) before you start. Unscrew the plastic retainer ring that holds the pump, and then pull the whole assembly out. The floater for the fuel gauge will come out also, so make sure you don't bend things out of shape. The pump is just friction fitted in the housing. Make note of its orientation and twist/pull it out. Put the new one in and reassemble.
The first time I did this it took about 1 1/2 hour, the sec>
Do you hear the fuel pump pressurize? Seeing that everyone else has touched on the big issues...I'll go with the ignition switch. On my '89, I'd turn the car over, it would start and then I would have to turn the key back towards me about 1-2 mm for the car to stay running. Sounds funny, but it's true! Has your switch ever been replaced?
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