The Pree And Loomie Both Down In One Day-Help Please!!!

[1990 Lumina Euro Coupe]

Today something pops in the front of the Lumina, and coolant pours out from under the bottom of the car. Poor Loomie.

 

I crawl under the Loomie tonight to see the top radiator hose dangling in front of the engine. I think the hose has just blown loose from the radiator, I look only to find that the cheap plastic radiator has caused the neck to break off of the tank and half of it remains in the hose. *SIGH*

 

I have three W's. On to the next.

 

I get into my 'Pree and start her up. She acts like she does not want to run, so I think that she may be out of gasoline.(her gauge is a little off from a blow to the tank.) Five gallons of gasoline later she is still doing the same thing. Poor. Poor Pree

 

Here is what she does:

 

You can start her up, but when you give it any throttle, it tries to die and you can often hear it backfiring through the fuel injection. The more throttle you give her, the lower she goes. She will idle fine. if you don't let her go back to idle soon, she will stall.

 

Can someone answer these questions:

 

Could a tank off of a junk radiator be used to replace the tank with the broken neck?(I.E can the radiator fins and tanks be separated?) The rest f of the radiator is flawless and clean.

 

And:

 

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong with the GP? I've never had this with a fuel injected car before.

 

All help is welcome.

[Guest TurboSedan]

Lumina - i would just get a radiator from a W-body in the salvage yard. i know Davis has or had one for sale.

 

Grand Prix - sounds like the fuel pump or clogged filter maybe....

[Baddflash]

I would say it's a waste of time to try and swap the end tank, it's difficult to keep it from leaking under pressure. I might try to fix the neck before I went and got another rad or stole it from one of the other cars.

 

Was the GP running fine the last time you drove it?

Anyway it almost sounds like there is no input from the TPS.

[cutlsp]

i know Davis HAD one for sale.

sorry just trying to make it clear the radiator for sale and it is now in my room waiting for my black car's new motor. :?

[Guest TurboSedan]

it was just a suggestion :?

 

someone else here might have one for sale, but one from a salvage yard would probably be cheaper considering shipping. i bought a TGP radiator from a guy online a long time ago and it was damaged BADLY in shipping i think the radiators in the DOHC cars are 2-core, wheres the other W-bodies (besides TGP) got a single core. i would think you might be able to score a used one for around $50-$100. until then you could borrow a radiator from one of your other W's. good luck.

[cutlsp]

still i find it funny his 89 cutlass is the only one still going

[1990 Lumina Euro Coupe]

still i find it funny his 89 cutlass is the only one still going

 

That is strange, isin't it? The oldest car is the only one still running. .

 

It also has the 2.8, while the two 3.1's sit as lawn ornaments. I suppose you can just never tell.

 

I think I should change my username to "1989 Cutlass Supreme SL Coupe"

[cutlsp]

gee you think you can but you can't oh well how many miles are on your 2.8 i have about 200k on mine with no rebuilds or blown headgaskets.

[Guest TurboSedan]

221,000 miles on my 3.1 heads have never been off, completely stock shortblock. i've had it since 111,000 miles and it was very clean and obviously well-taken care of when i got it, so i don't think it's ever blown any head gaskets or anything else before i got it. i have never even had the lower intake or oil pan off. it's not fast, but i would definately trust the car on a trip to the east coast and back. i blew the 2.8 in my '88 Corsica, but that was definately the drivers fault...cough cough....

 

i doubt either 2.8 or 3.1 are more durable than the other, but wouldn't the 3.1s piston speed be higher than the 2.8 due to the difference in stroke?

[cutlsp]

actually i think its slower but has a tad bit more power then a 2.8 which makes it seem like its faster :? i'm not 100% sure on that

[SigEpCutlass]

dude i definately agree the fuel filter could be the problem. W's have a tendency to use them up. If the thing is clogged or old, it could very well cause a problem. I think you're suppossed to change the fuel filter every 40 or 50k miles. You might want to check on that.

[scorpion_x9]

I get into my 'Pree and start her up. She acts like she does not want to run, so I think that she may be out of gasoline.(her gauge is a little off from a blow to the tank.) Five gallons of gasoline later she is still doing the same thing. Poor. Poor Pree

 

Here is what she does:

 

You can start her up, but when you give it any throttle, it tries to die and you can often hear it backfiring through the fuel injection. The more throttle you give her, the lower she goes. She will idle fine. if you don't let her go back to idle soon, she will stall.

 

I can second that. Mine just started doing it too. :cuss: Now mine won't start at all and I have no fuel pressure, even when I use the little guy near the bettery. So I'm thinking it's the fuel pump. I think I might try a new fuel filter, but that means cutting the line and reflaring it and putting a new fitting on it, due to it being rusted like a mofo. I hope it's just a clogged fuel filter.

[1990 Lumina Euro Coupe]

Well here is the update:

 

I went to a junkyard today and purchased a radiator for the Loomie for $30.00. Not to bad I think. The auto parts stores all did not stock them, and if they ordered them it would take at least three days. What happened to Parts Delivered Quickly? I started installing it today, but ran out of light, because this morning when I first awoke, it had been raining, so it was dark. In my dazed groggy state I mistook it for dawn, and went back to bed. It turns out that it was 10:00 as I found out two and a half hours later at 12:30 when I awoke again. Yes I am very embarassed. :oops:

 

The Pree will be next.

 

On to the questions and comments:

 

My 2.8 has 163,000 miles on it and still runs fine. I was making a joke about the 3.1's both being broken and the 2.8 still running. Being that there are two 3.1's, the chances of a 3.1 breaking are, or course two to one. Both are fine engines. I seem to be able to tell a little power difference in the 3.1's.

 

I recently changed the fuel pump and filter and cleaned the tank on the Pree. I hope that it is not the pump or filter. You can hear the pump priming when you turn the key to "run". When the pump went out, you could not hear the humming sound of the pump. I can get up under the can and pull the fliter and blow through it to see if it somehow is clogged up again if tests prove that could a problem. Looks as if it's time to check the fuel pressure again. :?

 

I'll keep this thread updated on my progress on both cars. Perhaps it will help some other people solve their problems when they occour also.[/i][/b]