1987 Nissan Laurel Fuse Fault

[stonyray]

datman that never occurred to me, good to know

Yeah, that does look like fuel pipes. Are they moist with fuel or is that WD40 or something you've sprayed on them?

[datman]

Fuel tank may have a drain bolt on the bottom of it. Certainly most of the earlier models did.
Failing that, take off the fuel supply hose in the engine bay and run the fuel pump, one way of doing this might be to crank the engine, if car is auto (most C32s are) try cranking in Drive , of course the startermotor will not be activated but it might activate the fuel pump.

[oedgson]

Jul 18, 2022 19:55:22 GMT stonyray said:

datman that never occurred to me, good to know

Yeah, that does look like fuel pipes. Are they moist with fuel or is that WD40 or something you've sprayed on them?

Thanks to what datman suggested, I have emptied the fuel tank. I have filled it up with 2 gallons of petrol, and I tried to start the car but no luck. I then checked that rusting fuel pipe and it was leaking petrol, so it leaks when you try to start the car. Because I checked it this morning and it was dry, but when I tried to start the engine its leaking. is it possible that this is meaning the engine isn't getting enough petrol, and thus can't start?

Otherwise, any other suggestions as to what to check for?

Thanks,

Owen.

[datman]

its unlikley that would be causing it not to start, it would have to be spraying out a lot under the car for it not to get enough to the engine. you can try taking off the return line (after the pressure regulator on fuel rail ) to check fuel is coming out you could try spraying some carb cleaner or easy start into the intake to see if engine will fire up, it is possible the injectors are gummed up also.

[oedgson]

Jul 19, 2022 14:21:59 GMT datman said:

its unlikley that would be causing it not to start, it would have to be spraying out a lot under the car for it not to get enough to the engine. you can try taking off the return line (after the pressure regulator on fuel rail ) to check fuel is coming out you could try spraying some carb cleaner or easy start into the intake to see if engine will fire up, it is possible the injectors are gummed up also.

There was quite a lot of petrol on the ground, but it's hard to know if it just looked a lot, but actually wasn't, if that makes sense. I could maybe set up my phone camera and record it so I know how much comes out when I try to start it. I think I'll also give the easy start a try. Presumably if it starts with easy start we can infer the rusty fuel pipe isn't providing enough petrol?

[datman]

from your description i don't think that's the cause but you need to fix it anyway.

[oedgson]

Jul 20, 2022 8:47:04 GMT datman said:

from your description i don't think that's the cause but you need to fix it anyway.

Yeah I doubt that'll be the issue either, but I'll check. Assuming it's not, is there anything you would suggest inspecting next to try and identify the problem?

Thanks.

[oedgson]

Jul 20, 2022 8:47:04 GMT datman said:

from your description i don't think that's the cause but you need to fix it anyway.

I've taken a video of the fuel leak, and you can see it is quite a large leak; to watch it, the password is "nissan", I don't know why it's made me put in a password. Do you think it's enough to stop the engine from starting? I still need to try with the easy start, I just haven't done it yet.

[datman]

not until you've tried running it by spraying something into the throttle body or airbox (take filter out) if it runs then, check the fuel pressure, check injectors are clicking, check for signal at injectors etc.

[datman]

christ on a bike, stop buggering about and fix that leak now!

[oedgson]

Jul 20, 2022 11:07:39 GMT datman said:

christ on a bike, stop buggering about and fix that leak now!

haha yeah I didn't realise the extent of the leak. Albeit this is quite a big project for me, I've never fixed cars in the past, I'm really just doing this out of interest.

[jimi]

Jul 20, 2022 11:07:39 GMT datman said:

christ on a bike, stop buggering about and fix that leak now!

Couldn't have put it better, that's a bomb waiting on a spark ! Get it fixed before the car and you go up in flames

[oedgson]

So a bit of an update. We’ve had the fuel pipe that was leaking replaced, and the engine is now starting. However, it idles but when you press on the throttle it cuts out. The mechanic we had round had a look and tried a few things but he said the car was to old for him, as he’s used to working on newer cars. Does anyone have any idea on what it could possibly be?

[datman]

well done.
check the airflowmeter is moving correctly as i think it is a mechanical type on those.

[oedgson]

Jul 29, 2022 11:51:25 GMT datman said:

well done.
check the airflowmeter is moving correctly as i think it is a mechanical type on those.

Thank you

How exactly do I check the airflowmetre? Is it by using a multimetre?

or as it maybe manual is there an easier way to check if it's moving correctly?

Thanks for the advice and help!

[oedgson]

Just a thought, is it possible it could be a clogged fuel filter? If so, I will order one and replace it to see if that solves it

[datman]

airflowmeter, take the air filter out and try pushing the flap with your fingers

[oedgson]

Jul 29, 2022 23:33:39 GMT datman said:

airflowmeter, take the air filter out and try pushing the flap with your fingers

Ok I’ll give that a go and let you know the result. I did take a picture of that part yesterday and tried to push it a little bit, but I didn’t use much force because I didn’t really know what I was pushing. So is it this part I should be pushing? 

[oedgson]

So some good news! The car is now starting and when pressing the throttle the car accelerates with no problems. Massive thank you to datman for your reply about the airflowmeter, the flap was stuck, and needed a fair bit of force to get it open. Now the car just needs new breaks, replacing fluids and should be good to go

Here's a video of the engine revving, the password is "nissan" again. Again huge thank you to everyone who's offered advice, wouldn't have been able to get the car started if it wasn't for all of your help!

[datman]

Yay!