Something I've noticed on my 87 5.0L Tbird is that when turning left, any harder than just a normal easy turn, I lose engine power. It seems to have to do with momentum, as it happens when I make the turn at faster speeds. I could go around a highway bend at 55MPH and punch it, and it just doesn't put out any go. Or, I can take off from a stop and swing a left and midway through the corner, it just coasts, and then regains power. It does this more when there's less fuel in the tank. Does anybody else have this happen?
I'll bet the fuel tank needs to be replaced. There's a reservoir that the pump fits in. It keeps gas from leaving the pump when you turn or accelerate. It's tack welded in, and those welds can give way and the pan starts to move around. I reached under the car and smacked the tank, and could hear the pan moving around.
What Vinnie said , or it could be something as simple as the incorrect fuel strainer on the pump.
The strainer/sock may have come off of the pump as well.
What sucks is the only way to find out is to drop the tank and take a look inside, which is not fun.
I had the exact thing happen to a cutlass I owned and it was the strainer fell off so it's just pulling gas from the small tube... Your lucky though mine would stall.
Sou
I'm sticking with loose baffle.
Sounds like you are low on your left blinker fluid. Sorry, couldn't resist!
Several have reported similar problems, mine does it on a hard launch and the baffle is in place...
Keep the tank at least half full, problem solved...
Mine starves sometimes, but only when I'm sliding it sideways or doing something with really extreme lateral Gs. I'm gonna have a look in the tank to check on the hose and baffle. I'll report my findings. I should probably take some pictures of the opening I made in the floor of my trunk for quick fuel pump access too, incase anyone else wants to do the same. I highly reccomend it.
Interesting. I never had this problem before having the fuel filter replaced.
I swear, I've had more shiznit on this car broken by a service shop than anything else.
I have the same problem with my daily driver DeVille, whenever it gets below 4 gallons, it will near stall on right hand turns. I read somewhere that it was caused by the baffles coming loose over time and making the fuel pump starve on right hand turns. I just make sure to keep it above 5 gallons and have no issues.
Filter is on the discharge side of the pump so I doubt that has anything to do with it itself. Fuel pump overheating, soft rubber line between the pump discharge and the hard line leaving the tank, tank has all kinds of in it and when making a hard turn the fuel sloshes all the debris over the sock, sock is missing, or the baffle is loose. Either way you chalk it up pulling the tank is about a 1 hour job and if you do it replace the pump, sock, and soft rubber line.
Darren
Yup....been there done that.
That 10 cent piece of rubber hose in the tank gave me fits with my 89 Lincoln MK VII with super low fuel pressure.
Also
I pulled my pump out tonight to check the hose and baffle. both seemed to be fine. My baffle was made of plastic. I also used my air compressor to pressure test the hose against the check valve. All looked good. I'm gonna get some new injectors to see if that's where the fuel pressure is going when i turn the key off.
(http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu352/bryan163photobucket/IMG_20111018_191605.jpg)
this was the pressure test
(http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu352/bryan163photobucket/IMG_20111018_193002.jpg)
The hole i cut in the trunk floor so i dont have to drop the tank to service the pump
(http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu352/bryan163photobucket/IMG_20111018_191405.jpg)
OK you checked the tank and related components. Did you check the pump for delivery VOLUME?? And Pressure?? How about the tank VENT and charcoal canister?? And the Gas cap?? I know this is picking at straws and sounds DUMB but you never KNOW. Either way i think you ruled out the tank components. Are you loosing shut down pressure?? And how long does the pressure hold for?? I would think that at this point it is not fuel related. Why would it not do it on a right hand turn?? This is nuts and i find it rather BIZARRE. An EFI system does not care about G force if the pump is surrounded by FUEL. Could something be shifting like a wiring harness touching the BODY??? I would love to see what this car is doing in person because it is NUTS. Good luck
Most of the baffles i have seen are made of some kind of PLASTIC.
That's weird. All my tanks had metal baffles. I learned something new about plastic baffles.
Both tanks I have had in the Bird have had metal baffles and the on in the Coupe is also a metal baffle. Never heard of a plastic baffle in a fuel tank in the 80's or 90's so that is definitely interesting.
Darren
Did a quick search and evidently the GM's had it in the third generation Cameros, TA's, and Firebirds. From what I can tell the Mustangs have the plastic ones but its later in the SN95 models. Could not find anything on the Thunderbirds but thats nothing new.
Darren
If it were the injectors you'd likely have a flooding condition when hot(at least on one cylinder), I'd bet on the regulator... Still fuel pressure bleeding off isn't likely to cause any problem other than longer crank times when cold... Just flip the ign sw on, wait two seconds then crank...
[QUOTE=Aerocoup
, I just noticed you are in CT Tom. You're welcome to stop by our shop in Glastonbury any time. I hang out there just about every night working on my cars. I do have a FP gauge under the hood, but I can't see it when I'm driving the way its set up now. I am loosing pressure rapidly after shutdown. It goes to zero within 5 seconds. My regulator is an Aeromotive. I guess I could pull the pump while someone shuts the car off and see if fuel continues to flow from the return line back to the tank.
As far as the loss of power under heavy G's, I still think the baffles are failing to keep fuel near the pump. It doesn't usually starve till half way through the second donut, which would probably give the fuel time to drain out of the baffles. I think filling the tank completely might eliminate that problem. I haven't had more than a 1/2 tank since I started driving the bird again. Its been in storage for a few years.