germ79

Last night my wife and I went out for a bite to eat and the car was running great. After we ate and came back out to the car, when it started, it seemed a little funny. As I started to drive, I could tell something was wrong. It was hesitating and missing a little bit. After I drove about a block, it started sputtering and I pulled off into a parking lot and it died. I tried to start it and it just kept on turning over. We waited for about 3-4 minutes and then it started up and drove just fine.

This morning I went to leave for work and it wouldn't start at all! I tried starting it for about 3 minutes and it just kept turning over. It sounded healthy, just never started.

Anyone have any idea what is wrong with my car? Please help me if you have any ideas!

Thank you in advance,
Jeremy

IDOXLR8

Sound like your opti maybe going bad. How many miles does your car have? I knew a few people have had similar issues.

95CamaroZ-28

It sounds like something ignition or fuel related. Try to find a fuel pressure guage so you can see what kind of pressure you are getting. If you have access to another coil to stick on there, you might do that just to make sure that's not it. If both fuel pump and coil check out fine, my next guess would be the opti. Good luck with it.

c0rey

check the easy things first, spark,fuel, fuel pressure that sound help alittle

Fast96WS6

almost 100% positive its your opti. Just had the same problem, changed the opti, and everything was back to normal.

germ79

The car has 47,000 miles on it.

I did mess with some wiring about a week ago prepping the car for an S2000 start button install, but I don't think that has anything to do with it.

I'm not the most knowledgable when it comes to the car's guts yet, so can you guys be a little more specific in HOW I can check these things? If it is the fuel pump, I'll crap a golden brick in my pants because I've heard horror stories about changin those and I just bought the car 3 weeks ago!

Why would it start up and run fine in between dying twice?

germ79

What makes the opti's go bad? They just crap out all of a sudden? Anyway to tell that it really is the opti before I go get a new one?

Fast96WS6

You can check if its the fuel pump. Go to autozone and pick up a FP guage and connect it to your schrader valve



Turn the car to the "on" position but dont start it, and see if the pressure holds around 40-45 psi. If it holds, it prob isnt your fuel pump.

The opti's are known to go bad, not usually at the low mileage you have, but sometimes they are defective. The symptoms you have seem almost identical to the ones I had. Mine ran great one night, then the next morning wouldnt even start. Just cranked and sounded completely healthy. I eventually got it to start after about 2 hrs, and it ran like crap (misfiring). I ordered an opti from Jason Cromer and installed it myself in about 3 hrs. Hard starting and Misfiring gone.

BradZ28

My opti died soon after I bought my 97 also. 49K on the clock. Like others had stated test for fuel pressure, try a new coil, and then dig in to the opti....if you have simple hand tools it's pretty easy. Your fuel pump is fine if you can hear it turn on.

Brad

germ79

What does the fuel pump sound like when it turns on?

I don't want to sound dumb, but what is the coil everyone keeps talking about?

J

BradZ28

When you turn your key to the "on" position you can hear a small motor in your gas tank activate, it's not very loud though. That's your fuel pump. As for the coil it's bolted to the front of your drivers side head and has a spark plug wire going to it. Sorry no pics...

Brad

germ79

Can you normally hear the fuel pump turn on from the driver's seat? I have a "winding" sound that comes from under the hood when I turn the key, so it is kind of hard to hear anythign else.

I tested the relay and it is working. Where can I go from here? I don't THINK I hear the fuel pump turn on. Is there some more wiring or connections to check for the fuel pump before I go and cut a hole in my car?

Thanks for all your help!
Jeremy

tryintogofast

I'd replace te fuel filter first alot cheaper and you don't know how the previous owner treated the car. Cheap part and i had the same problem with my car and that solved it all. 10 bucks over a new opti? I'll keep my 270 thank you very much)

Seal

man, the vented optis should not go out this quick (at 40xxxx miles) but it does sound like your ignition... changing the opti is not so difficult, but it isnt easy as changing a light bulb, gotta raise the car, remove/put in couple bolts, plug/unplug couple things, and ure done :P its not at such a bad place either, right infont of the block...

it can be the fuel too, but sounds more of a opti problem since its not starting up, but fuel can make that happen too...

so get a fuel pres guage, and install it (u gotta read up on that, not hard) and see ur pres, if ure getting decent pressure, time for an opti change

my car has 94K miles, and unless one of the prev owners changed it, she has not missed once!