suspect your electric (in tank) fuel pump

[WebPilot]

• As I said before, after I got behind the wheel of the car, it began to act up on me. I'd be driving down the road and realize a sudden loss of power. I'd pull off the side of the road and it would stall. It would start back up again if I turned the key to IGN, but it would not take any throttle and would stall again.
  
  I waited awhile and eventually "babied" it home. The next day it acted like nothing had ever been wrong ... again.

[WebPilot]

• Well, on my list of low cost fixes to try, I could either replace the fuel filter which I've never replaced or the Hall Effect stator inside the distributor.
  
  To install the stator, I would have to pull the distributor, remove pin and pull the end gear off, remove/replace the stator, reassemble the gear and pin just right, insert the distributor back into the engine and check timing.
  
  I opted for replacement of the fuel filter which resides on the passenger front inner fender.

[WebPilot]

 

• It worked fine for the rest of fall and winter.

[WebPilot]

• The car again died on my Mom in early March.

[WebPilot]

•  I was able to almost "baby" the car home from 15 miles away, but it kept stalling on me more frequently as I got closer to home. Finally, about 2 miles away, it stalled. I was able to coast it into a restaurant parking lot. The engine would crank and start, idle for a bit, but when I tried to accelerate in D, it would hesitate and stall.

[WebPilot]

•  I parked it and had mom pick me up in my car. Later, I got a buddy to tow it home for me.

[WebPilot]

•  Of course, the very next day, I could start it up and drive the thing. My list of suspect items was down to two: the stator in the Hall effect circuit in the distributor or the electric (in tank) fuel pump.
  
   I decided to drive 10-15 miles to a buddy's home who runs a garage. I was actually hoping the car would "act up" so a test with a fuel pressure gauge or ignition tester would be informative. No such luck.
  
   The car did break down after I left his house, about a mile and a half down the road. I let it cool periodically and eventually got it home. It was no fun let me tell you.

[WebPilot]

•  The next day, I went and bought a replacement stator, it was under $20.
  
   You have to remove the distributor and must mark where the rotor is in reference to the housing and where the housing is in reference to the engine block in order to not "disturb" the engine timing. If you don't do this, you get to spend time, "timing" the engine again.
  
   The next dilemma is you need to remove the end gear from the distributor shaft with a gear puller after first driving out the pin with a drift. Further disassembly is ez pz and installation of rep stator is not difficult. However, you have to eyeball the gear pin hole with the hole in the shaft before driving the gear back on to the shaft. You have to get it right from the beginning. There is no moving of the gear once it is on the shaft. You'll have to remove the gear and start over.
  
   I aligned it with a scale and got it back on correctly the first time.

[WebPilot]

 Due to my numerous alignment marks (tape, marker and straight edge), I was able to re-install the distributor and rotor without disturbing the prior ignition timing.

[PyroJoe]

Noticed the wifes S-10 is skipping a few beats at low acceleration, will check the ignition system with a timing light tonight, if it tests clean it is most likely the fuel pump. Mileage has also been decreasing with the engine putting off a rich smell from the exhaust, another sign that points to the pump. This slow phantom fail mode can be aggravating!

I miss the older mechanical fuel pumps, often they would make a tick-tick-tick sound, like a single lifter was sticking. I miss points distributors also, but thats another story.

This on the heels of swapping out a five-speed manual tranny in my daily driver S-10 last weekend, blasted vehicles are testing my patience lately.

[hinote]

Noticed the wifes S-10 is skipping a few beats at low acceleration, will check the ignition system with a timing light tonight, if it tests clean it is most likely the fuel pump. Mileage has also been decreasing with the engine putting off a rich smell from the exhaust, another sign that points to the pump. This slow phantom fail mode can be aggravating!

What year is that S-10? Unless it's pretty old the timing light is an interesting exercise but little else.

Are you getting a "check engine" light?

Also, if you're having fueling issues you should check the MAP and the pressure regulator--they're also weak points in the system.

FWIW,

Bill

[WebPilot]

 For me, I had a car that would once in a while, stall, and not make it home under it's own power unless it cooled off. I tried replacing easy to get at and cheap stuff first. A fuel pump for this car ate up a hundred dollar bill and required dropping the tank--and I wasn't certain at first that was the problem. As I slowly discovered what the problem wasn't, the times the car would stall, etc. became more frequent and would occur over a lesser distance traveled.

 Having replaced the stator (Hall effect) in the distributor, I tried to get to my buddy's garage again. I made it about 8 miles and the engine "conked out" at speed. It would start up again, idle but as soon as I gave it some gas it would stall again.

 I somehow nursed her home, parked her overnight and I was able to start her up the next day, and drive her up the road a bit. However, I now didn't trust her. I brought her back home, turned off the engine and tried to start her back up again. I was always able to hear the fuel pump run when I first turned the key to the "on" position, but this time I heard the pump "squeal". "Not good", I thought to myself.

[WebPilot]

 I went to the auto parts store and bought a fuel pump pressure tester. It was not cheap but it was supposed to fit the Schrader valve on most fuel rails. Naturally, the tester did not fit my car.

[WebPilot]

 I think it set me back about $45. I didn't use it--no gas in the line--so I was able to convince the parts guy to refund my money. I used it for partial payment of a new fuel pump--80 bucks.

[WebPilot]

 So, I disconnected aft fuel lines, removed the rubber filler neck, drained the tank with a hand operated kerosene siphon pump into 2 gal fuel can (several times), removed tank strap nuts and carefully dropped the tank with a floor jack. I still had to spring the tabs on the electrical connector sitting on top of the tank.