changing fuel filter and related questions

[DurangoGS-T]

'95 GST, 168xxx mi.

couple nights ago i moved my car out of the garage for a roomie, and the next morning it wouldn't start, just crank away and that's it. i have read the article "diagnosing a no-start dsm" and the plymouthlaser.com directions on changing the fuel filter. i'm in the process of changing it now and don't have any problems so far except for that bi*** of a 14mm bolt on the bottom...and i quit for the night because the weather went from beautiful to horrible cold (gotta love kansas).

anyway, everyone in other threads says to relieve the pressure in the system before you do ANYTHING...and i spent some time wondering if i had pressure at all. how long after you turn the car off does the fuel system remain pressurized? am i correct in thinking that a good system will retain pressure near indefinitely barring changes in ambient temperature?

also, i took the banjo bolt off the top of the filter without relieving the system...so i expected gas to fly everywhere and prepared for the worst but...nothing happened. the system wasn't under pressure. is this a sure sign that my no-start problem is either a clog in the filter, a bad pump, or something wrong with the MPI/MFI/fuel pump relay?

 

[DSMBOOTIN32PSI]

I Would Go With Bad Pump Bro But See If It Startson Starting Fluid And If It Does Then It Probley Means Bad Pump And U Might As Well Put A 255 In There While U Have It Off Well I Would But Thats Up To You But To Be A 100% Sure About Te Pump Get Under Car Disconnect The Wire To The Fuel Pump And Run A Power And Ground On There And Listen And Se If It Comes On If It Does Then Its A Relay Or A Wired Sliced Somewere But To Check That Just Use A Test Light Grond It And Have Somebody Turn Car On And Off While Testing The Connector But That Never Really Happens Lol Let Me No What Happens And By The Way U Might No This But Fuel Pump Relay Is Right Behind The Center Dash There Will Be 2 And Its The One On The Left But Thats Just Saying That It Has To Do With Fuel I Would Cycle The Key A Couple Times And See If It Shoots Out Gas First Before Anything

 

[turbizzle]

As far as not having pressure, most good systems will only retain pressure for about 15-20 minutes or so. Some are longer, but I wouldn't worry about not having pressure at the filter, this dosen't mean your pump is bad. The only reliable way of checking your pump is with a fuel pressure gauge. The system should be around 40psi. Also a recommendation is if you were cranking on the engine for a while, I would check your oil. You can diloute your oil with gas from the flooded cylinder. The easiest way of checking it would be to pull the dipstick and see if the oil is damn near clear, or if you want you could just change the oil and filter to be safe. Hopefully this gives you some insight.

 

[98mitsuGSX-SD]

I Would Go With Bad Pump Bro But See If It Startson Starting Fluid And If It Does Then It Probley Means Bad Pump And U Might As Well Put A 255 In There While U Have It Off Well I Would But Thats Up To You But To Be A 100% Sure About Te Pump Get Under Car Disconnect The Wire To The Fuel Pump And Run A Power And Ground On There And Listen And Se If It Comes On If It Does Then Its A Relay Or A Wired Sliced Somewere But To Check That Just Use A Test Light Grond It And Have Somebody Turn Car On And Off While Testing The Connector But That Never Really Happens Lol Let Me No What Happens And By The Way U Might No This But Fuel Pump Relay Is Right Behind The Center Dash There Will Be 2 And Its The One On The Left But Thats Just Saying That It Has To Do With Fuel I Would Cycle The Key A Couple Times And See If It Shoots Out Gas First Before Anything

Anyone else find that hard to read? Please use proper grammar and punctuation.

 

[ed1380]

lately I've been having a similar problem with my car. 98 Rs. It would sometimes not crank when the arrow was on empty, and parked on an incline, but thats understandable.
since yesterday, with 3/4 of a tank, I havent been able to start it w/o starting fluid. almost killed my battery at school. but once started it runs normal.
I'm guessing fuel filter or pump. but I'm no DSM expert, so I'd appreciate any advice possible.

I'd like to add that this morning after charging the battery it started right away and died imediately. it did it twice and then back to the routine