My 85 SE v-6 seems to be using more gas as of late. Also, when at idle.. I seem to get gas spitting out the tailpipes. Is this from leaky injectors or something else.?

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'85 SE - '86 Fastback SE - '99 Chevy K-1500 Z-71 - '00 HD 1200XL Sportster

no, not the injectors.could be a bad gasket. how does it run,smooth or rough?Hows the Idle?

Sure that's not water being spit out? A lot of condensation/puddling/spitting in the exhaust is from normal use, especially in colder weather...

Leaking injectors usually are only noticed in bad idle quality. It is possible that you have an injector stuck wide open which would cause gas to come out the exhaust. More likely would be an electrical or computer problem. Bad coolant temp sensor, TP sensor, and/or bad MAP sensor can all cause an excessively rich condition. However, any of these should cause a DTC to be set and illuminate the SES light. Check your trouble codes. A bad ground or a grounded injector circuit could ALSO cause this problem and most likely would not set any DTC's.

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Fiero-related Conversions Performed:

1985 SE 3800 Series 1 SC 4T60-E
1987 Coupe 3800 Series II 4T60-E
1987 SE 3.4 TDC 5-speed

http://dtcc.cz28.com

[This message has been edited by Darth Fiero (edited 01-27-2003).]

this is just top of my head.

But hard starting condition when the engine is hot, is one symptom.

One symptom of a leaky injector would be hard starting after the car sits for a while. This would be due to the fuel rail depressurizing when the engine is turned off. It would take a few seconds of extra cranking to get pressure up in the fuel rail.

It is very common to see water spitting out of the exhaust pipes especially when the engine is cold. Water is a product of combustion and is always there. It is just more noticable when the engine is cold.

Are you sure that it is actually liquid gasoline comming out the exhaust?

Good luck,

Carroll

Well, here is some more info..
After takin' it out to check it out to find out the whole story(it's the wife's car)....There is absolutely NO power whatsoever..!!
And yes, it is gasoline that is spitting out..
I do know the difference(My nose may be dead to some things but I can still smell gas) ..It could be a gas/water mix, but it definately smells of gas..
At idle, it idles fine for about a minute or two and then it wants to die..I hit the gas and it reepeats the process,if it stops,it's hard to start again....Runs like sh*t to tell ya the truth..Looks like I'll have to consult the Manual...

[This message has been edited by kyote (edited 01-27-2003).]

quote Originally posted by Carrolles: One symptom of a leaky injector would be hard starting after the car sits for a while. This would be due to the fuel rail depressurizing when the engine is turned off.

Actually, Fierospeeder is correct - I just went through this same problem and the symptoms of a bad injector for me was hardstarting while warm. This is caused by fuel leaking/flooding the cylinder. You've then got to crank it a while until the fuel is pump out of the engine. You should have a very strong gasoline smell when the car finally fires up.

I also found that after the car set overnight, it started right up the next day. I guess there was enough time for the fuel to evaporate and it really doesn't take much time for the injector rail to pressure up.

I found the leaking cylinder by checking all the plugs. The bad injector gave a realy dirty plug. Also, if you have more than 1 injector leaking, that would explain why it is hard to keep running.

Good luck,

Karl

quote Originally posted by kyote: Well, here is some more info.. After takin' it out to check it out to find out the whole story(it's the wife's car)....There is absolutely NO power whatsoever..!! And yes, it is gasoline that is spitting out.. I do know the difference(My nose may be dead to some things but I can still smell gas) ..It could be a gas/water mix, but it definately smells of gas.. At idle, it idles fine for about a minute or two and then it wants to die..I hit the gas and it reepeats the process,if it stops,it's hard to start again....Runs like sh*t to tell ya the truth..Looks like I'll have to consult the Manual...

Alright, I'm no qualified mechanic, so take this for what it's worth (i.e. nothing.) It can't be electrical, because it would be hard to start in all conditions, and also it would idle horribly from the get-go. To me, it really does sound like an injector is stuck open. When starting, the car normally uses a little more fuel (and hence the fair idle until it gets warm, as you said). But before replacing those billion$ injectors, find a mechanics stethoscope, or if lacking, a long-handled screwdriver. Place the metal probe (or tip of the screwdriver) to the various injectors, and listen with the handle or ear-thingies for "clacking". If you find one that's not clacking, that's the injector that needs replacing. If they all clack - one could still be bad, but it's best to report back here first.

I just picked up a Fierro project last fall ('86 SE V-6, don't know which it appears the engine had been changed), and am finally getting around to it this weekend. It has multiple problems which I've been picking away at, but presently is having the same problems listed here. It will fire for a few seconds then die, throttle does nothing to help. Strange thing is Cyl 2, 4, and 6 are flooding, the others are dry, but running slightly rich. Fuel rail pressure drops to zero in under a minute so I suspect the CSIs. Where are they located, and what needs to be unplugged to disable them? I don't have a book, but hope to pick one up this week.

SnowNut.....
You're one the right track. Fuel pressure should stay at 40 for a long time--not a minute. Take the above advice about listening to the injectors click--but you'll need a manual, later, if not right now--to tell you what to unhook, what to jumper, etc. to test them. The GM manual, available from the Fiero Store, is head and shoulders above either Chiltons or Haynes, for really difficult or complicated problems. It's expensive, but worth it. I have all three--the Haynes is only $10 or so, but might not be detailed enough.

There are a few cars here, including mine, with difficult problems similar to yours. If your problems aren't resolved with injector maintenance, check back and search for 'wonder why' to get to another good thread about these problems.

You might consider starting your own thread to keep things simpler, and get folk's attention. Good luck!

Dude, you've got water coming from your tailpipe. It may smell like fuel cause the engine is running so rich, but it's water.
The easiest way to tell if it's leaking is to put a fuel guage on it and look for a pressure drop. Of course, then it could be the cold start injector switch too.

The best way to actually check it is with the engine off and the guage connected.
You should have around 35-40 psi to start with. From this watch and see if the guage goes down and continues to go down. To be positive it is the injectors you will have to clamp off the fuel lines one by one and then together. With both lines clamped off the guage should not change pressure. If it does then you have a leaking injector. To find out which one, you will need to disassemble the car and remove the fuel rail with the injectors still attached. You will now have to again clamp off the return line and apply pressure and clamp off that line. Watch the fuel guage and observe the injectors. Any injectors leaking will be obvious. Not a fun job, but sometimes necessary.

Phil

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87 FIERO GT 2.8 5spd
0-60 in 6.8 seconds!