Urgent advice required - car broken down on road

[trd_st184]

hey all,
i was driving up a hill this morning when i went to accelerate slightly, the car started to stutter and i lost all power, same feeling as when you run out of fuel.

I tried to start it again and there was a popping noise from the exhaust, sounded like it was maybe running rich?

i have noticed my water pump is now leaking more but the timing belt wasnt broken.

These are the following things that could be the issue i think

Fuel pump (i did have to drop the tank straps just 2 days ago to fit sway bar, i thought this may have been as a result)

I am used to high flow bosch pumps so i am not sure if i can listen out for the fuel pump working?


Fuel filter
Hasnt been changed in a long time by the look of things, maybe its completely blocked?

Rotor and distributor cap (replaced recently)

leads

Plugs


I would have tried the car in diagnosis mode but didnt have a spare paper clip

I thought it could have been efi fuse but that was fine.

Any help or suggestions at all would be hugely appreciated.

[river]

Hi,

Switch on the ignition without starting the car and see if you can hear the fuel pump.

If you disturbed the petrol tank you could of dislodged some slush and shit which has blocked the fuel filter.

seeyuzz
river

[takai]

If you cant hear the pump, hit the top and bottom of the tank with the heel of your hand, that can commonly get the pump working again.

[trd_st184]

I am guessing this might have been the problem. After dropping those straps maybe something got lodged in. I will check the strainer filter tonight. Maybe some muck got into the tank when I was putting the sway bar in.

[BLK_20v]

I'd start by checking in the following order as they are generally easiest.

* Got spark (our friend murphy usually causes things to break when you play with unrelated items)
* Got fuel pressure
* ECU / Diag
* Blocked exhaust, seen cats collapse

[punkture]

hahahaha sounds like my recent troubles, i agree with BLK_20v, take lead out, hold near body, check for decent spark, should be orange/blue. (orange when furthest away.) if no spark, then ur cap may be broken even if it was recently replaced..mine was..and rotor. if it popped there's too much fuel so i doubt its ur pump, if ur filters blocked it can cause this as ur fuel pressure lowers alot, but to me sounds like its ur rotor, that was my troubles.

[checksix]

I'm an "old schooled" mechanic, and as a recent member take my suggestions lightly, but I have been building cars for 40 plus years. The popping of the exhaust note when trying to start would have me looking at timing issues (right after checking if I had proper fuel and electrical connections). Did the belt slip a cog or two? Please keep us posted.

[Talasas]

The fuel pump won't always be on when the key is set to ON. 4AGE smallports for example won't pump until you start cranking and will delay the starter from cranking until there is adequate fuel pressure. Yu will however hear them pumping after cranking it if the fuel pressure was low enough.

[trd_st184]

This is going to sound wierd but my previous exhaust set up didn't correctly mount the exhaust pipe. I got a 2.25" flex pipe back exhaust and i've noticed that the exhaust has been rattling, and as a result hitting against the fuel tank, could this vibration have caused a problem with the fuel pump maybe?

Thanks to all that helped. Will be sure to update rep when i'm not at work lol

[punkture]

This is going to sound wierd but my previous exhaust set up didn't correctly mount the exhaust pipe. I got a 2.25" flex pipe back exhaust and i've noticed that the exhaust has been rattling, and as a result hitting against the fuel tank, could this vibration have caused a problem with the fuel pump maybe?

Thanks to all that helped. Will be sure to update rep when i'm not at work lol

Probably could, a loose vaccuum module for the cruise control destroyed my dizzy cap..wierder things have happened, but i doubt it knocked the wires of the fuel pump, the timing suggestion sounds good, also is it AFM?

[trd_st184]

Well I got the car towed home, fun eventful night.

The RACV guy tested the spark, and fuel pump

Fuel pump was working perfectly, but the car has no spark.

The wierd thing is that the car has been working fine, literally going up a hill this morning the car lost all power.

I have no error codes on the car

I am guessing its either the Ignition Coil/Module

Any suggestions would be HUGELY APPRECIATED

[punkture]

take off dizzy cap and get some one to turn the key, see if the rotor spins. if yes then put cap back on and then hold lead next to car, if no spark then id suggest its ur coil as u said, usually the coils slowly die..did it get wet??

[pandaah]

Fuel pump was working perfectly, but the car has no spark.

very common on the 5sfe mate.. its your ignition coil, these are removable from the distributor...

place motor on TDC piston number 1 and whip the dizzy out (dont be too stressed its a slotted dizzy that only goes one way), theres 2 bolts holding it in (the ones you loosen as if you were going to adjust your timing), take the cap off, and take the rotor button off and dust cover, from memory theres 2 little nuts holding wires and 4 screws holding the coil to the dizzy..

bobs your uncle

[trd_st184]

very common on the 5sfe mate.. its your ignition coil, these are removable from the distributor...

place motor on TDC piston number 1 and whip the dizzy out (dont be too stressed its a slotted dizzy that only goes one way), theres 2 bolts holding it in (the ones you loosen as if you were going to adjust your timing), take the cap off, and take the rotor button off and dust cover, from memory theres 2 little nuts holding wires and 4 screws holding the coil to the dizzy..

bobs your uncle

Would this be likely to have caused the problem? I have been rather tentative with detailing the engine bay recently (and may have been a bit more thorough than I would have liked.

Thank you to all that have assisted, I will source out a coil.

[allencr]

...I have been rather tentative with detailing the engine bay recently (and may have been a bit more thorough than I would have liked.

What does that mean?
Nothing in there is designed against maybe 1500psi liquid pointed at it, though almost all of it will survive if you don't try to directly spray it. Is it a show car, otherwise leave it alone & only clean it up just to make the job easier when it needs some work done on it?
Coils can slowly degrade or be intermittent or go from good to dead in a second.