My kid Brother needs your help!

[DrJ]

My brother bought a cheap '97 Geo Metro to get to work after the trans went out in his old Astro Van and now the Geo won't start. He's stranded at home up a dirt road outside of Grass Valley.
When it started acting up it was not restarting after driving just a few blocks, now it won't start at all.
It will fire if he puts some gas in the air intake so it's got spark and the fuel pump is pumping gas to the engine, but it's not getting to or past the injector?
It has a throttle body injection.
I don't know * about them and I know it's a "new car" but if any of you could give me a few ideas about what he could look at first I and he would  really appreciate it!

[kb426]

My thought is to find someone with a code reader and plug into the port under the dash. If it spits out some codes, you will find what they are on the internet. Short of that, I'd look at the fuel pump and associated circuits.

[enjenjo]

There is a relay that runs the pump for 5 seconds when you turn the key on. It sounds like that is not working. That's where I would look.

[DrJ]

Thanks Enjenjo,
HE was asking me earlier what a relay is, so he is on that track, I think.
I just wish he wasn't 500 miles away!
and sorry about the #'s, forgot my manners... :oops:

[wayne petty]

the fuel pump is accessed through the back seat floor..

http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0900c152/80/04/89/1e/large/0900c1528004891e.gif

there should also be a fuel filters stashed near the corner of the tank.. but that has to be accessed from under the car...

the autozone site only goes up to 93... on this model for repair info.


if he has a friend.. at the same time..... have one pound on the bottom of the gas tank.. while the other cranks the motor.. this will usually get electric in tank fuel pumps to spin again....   this really does work... about 90 % of the time..

[DrJ]

The fuel pump IS pumping gas.
He disconnected a line at the engine(?) and turned it on and it DID pumped gas.

We're figuring the pump is NOT the problem. It's something after that like a relay or regulator or something.

Thanks for all the suggestions anyway!

[wayne petty]

does he have a digital volt meter.... or a test light???

see if he can unplug one of the TBI injectors...   or trace the wire to the connector...  

see if he gets power to the injector when he turns the key on... this would indicate that the injectors are getting power... most of the time.. the injectors are switched with the key...

if he can figure out which side gets power..  with the test light to ground..

move the test light to positive.. touch the other connector while someone cranks the engine...  all current ECM s pull the injector to ground to make it spray...  see if the test light pulses...   this is the ONLY SPOT on a computer fuel injection system were you can use a test light.. too many people have used them to probe the 5 volt circuits.. and let the smoke out of the ECMs  


does the check engine light come on for 5 seconds when the key is turned on... this would indicate that the EFI main relay is probably getting power through to the ECM...

i wish everybody had a code reader in their car..  no need for scan tools... but code readers will usually help...


so...    power from the wire to the top of the injector when the key is turned on... probably white and blue wire...

flashing test light on the other side of the injector connector when the clamp on the test light is hooked to positive... and the engine is cranked...
probably yellow and black wire


does the check engine light turn on for at least 5 seconds when the key is turned on.. ....


has there been any rodent damage to the wiring harness.. where they have eaten the ecm wiring.?

[phat46]

Had a friends Ford truck that acted like that. The computer was shot. It would fire if you sprayed carb cleaner or whatnot in the throttle body, but would not start.

[DrJ]

Would you believe, today it started up like nothing was ever wrong...
Darn.
Intermittent short somewhere...

We thank you for the help.
Yes, He's been reading it too!

[zzebby]

I had a similar problem with a late 80's El Camino V6,  throttle body.  Checked that there was fuel coming to the injectors in the throttle body, but in reality the pump would not provide enough pressure to spray into the intake.  Did a new pump and all was well.  It also had been working intermittently for a few days.

[Leon]

I had a 93 Geo Tracker that wouldn't start all the time, or it might die an hour into a trip.  I found the transistor that the computer used to fire the coil would fail intermittently.  It was the three terminal part mounted to the coil bracket.  Chevy wanted way too much for it so I got one from the junk yard and it's still running today.
It could be the transistors that fire the injectors, they can get intermittent.