fuel lines for a 1990 grand marquis?

[BerniniCaCO3]

Hi!

I'm new to doing my own car repair. Last week, or maybe a week and a half ago, tired of occasional lugging on the highway up hills I replaced the fuel filter and spark plugs. Ran much better; not a stall since.

But this past weekend on a trip to Virginia, 5 hrs each way, there were two times... you know that sputtering screeching sound when you first start the ignition? Is that the fuel pump, or the starter motor?
Well, we'd headed off after starting fine and then not a minute later it made that screeching sound again, which I've never heard at speed, for several seconds up a hill before clearing up for the rest of the trip.

Then parked in DC on the way back to show some friends around the monuments, we get back in. Very hot day, two days ago, and very humid. We try to start the car... it fails to start several times in a row. Finally it starts, but has a very very rough idle for a few seconds until my sister, who was driving at that time, floors the gas; then it clears up again.


Now when I replaced the fuel filter, the two lines that go to it were very, very gummy. On the advice of one friend I'd tried pinching them to keep fuel from squirting out but abandoned the idea when it seemed to me that there was a steel core inside the rubber (about which I could well be mistaken), and when I was very worried about the rubber deforming under the vise grips. I took off the grips, and the fuel just dribbled out anyway. No 35psi of pressure there, and I never did flip the inertia switch (I looked for it, what does the inertia switch look like anyway?).

So if there was no steel core, and that rubber indeed held the fuel, I could simply have a pinched fuel line, or bits of hose clogging the filter forcing the pump to work harder?

First: is this correct? Would it explain my one stall, and the noise like when you first start your car, even when driving at speed?


And if this does sound right, and I should replace all the fuel lines: salvo and autozone both only sell tubing by the foot, and then separate connectors as well. They can't tell me what I need to buy without me bringing in my old fuel lines. Before I prop my car up on jacks and pull the old lines out, thus preventing me from taking the same car out to the store to buy new fuel lines; anyone know about how many feet of what diameters hoses I need, and what connectors?

How hard are fuel lines; is it just one from the tank to the filter, and another from the filter to somewhere near the engine, easy to get to, or are there more? Never done this before.


thanks for the help!!!
-Bernard

[91grandmarquis]

I have heard of the starter motors in these cars sticking or engaging when they shouldn't, it sounds like you may have 2 different problems going on. I know if the starter motor where to engage while the car was running it would make a screeching sound, the fuel pump just sounds like a pump, a little electric whine, not really that noticeable. Just my 2 cents.

[1987cp]

I'm not following what you mean by "sputtering screeching sound", in part since you weren't clear about the conditions under which it makes it.

I've lived almost exclusively in carb land for several years, but when you go to start a EFI car, and move the key to the Run position (don't crank it yet), the fuel pump should run for about 1-3 seconds to pressurize the fuel system and then shut back off. This process will be characterized by a low humming sound from the rear of the vehicle, as on most models the pump is in the tank and the tank is mounted below and behind the rear-seat area, just ahead of the rear axle.

Once you turn the key all the way forward, that energizes the starter solenoid and cranks the engine (duh). That makes it easy to distinguish between starter and fuel pump noise if you really don't have any clue where to start.

BTW, no need to pinch off lines when changing a fuel filter. The SEFI filter is just in a sucky place and difficult to get at until you get the hang of things.

If the "screeching" noise is indeed coming from the fuel pump, I'd strongly consider replacing it. It's actually not that bad a job, and there are lots of folks here who can help talk you through it.


If your starter solenoid were failing, it'd be pretty obvious since (in my experience) they normally just stick in the closed (on) position and allow the engine to keep cranking endlessly until either the starter fails (congrats, you just blew at least 60 bucks) or you hop out and disconnect the battery (my preferred course of action in such a situation).


It should be pretty obvious if the inertia switch has been tripped, since then the fuel pump won't run at all, and hence the car won't run at all. I got pretty familiar with the original one in my '87 wagon when I stupidly left it unbolted for a while, and got to jump out and reset it every time I made a sudden stop. The switch (on a wagon, anyway) is located inside the driver's side quarter panel, accessed (on a wagon) through the little cargo compartment off the side of the cargo area. Presumably sedans have them in the same place, but I wouldn't know because both of my sedans have a more, er, reliable, fuel delivery system.