Marv Hien wrote: > Went to start the car today. It fired up and stalled > about 3 seconds later. Engine now turns over strongly > but does not fire. > Removed the air filter and dropped a few drops of gas > into what would have been the carburetor in an older > car (I'm not a mechanic but it seemed fuel mixed with > air here might do something). Engine started immediately > and ran a few turns until that gas was exhausted... a > second or so. So I seem to have ignition capabilities > but no fuel where it is needed. I suggest you start with the simple. I believe the number one most failure-prone component in DeLoreans is the original fuel tank sender unit (though others disagree with me). In the past I have seen symptoms exactly like yours in several DeLoreans, and it has always turned out to be either an empty gas tank or a fuel inlet sucking air in a partially empty gas tank. In either case, you should be able to add a gallon of gas to the tank and get it started. I think the out-of-gas failure happens to DeLoreans more often than most other cars simply because drivers of our generation is accustomed to reliable fuel gauges. The half-empty failure happens to DeLoreans because the fuel inlet line can develop cracks, causing gas to be sucked in from the middle of the tank instead of the bottom. This is more a factor of age than miles, so it would not be surprising in your 23 year old, 11K mile car. It can also happen if the fuel inlet becomes disconnected from the bottom of the tank and starts wandering around in there, but I think that is usually cased by clumsy repairs rather than age. If no one has been screwing around in your gas tank, then the cracked fuel inlet hose is more likely. I'm not promising that your fuel pump is good. But in my experience the fuel pump is super reliable while the fuel gauge sender and inlet hose are not so reliable. If your DeLorean only has 11K miles on the clock, I bet your fuel pump is still strong. The test suggested by David Teitelbaum can help diagnose a bad fuel pump. FYI if you turn the ignition key to "RUN" (not start) in a quiet environment you should be able to hear the fuel pump hum for a couple of seconds. That hum, or lack thereof, tells you a lot. Make sure the car is on a level surface, add a gallon of gas, and I bet she fires right up. Good luck, Marv, - Mike Substelny VIN 01280, 11 years To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/