| Subject: | hard starting eclipse |
| Question: | I bought a 1992 eclipse for my stepdaughter in May of this year.At that time and up to the beginning of October she only had her temps,therefore only drove the car sparingly. It had no problems. Now, since she has been driving it regularly the car has some problems starting. The car will generaly start when cold but then may stall,and not start again for several minutes or longer. I have experienced a similar problem, it started fine but then after I ran it for awhile and stopped it, it would not want to start again until after several attempts: 10 to maybe 20.It has done this several times. Also it will run fine with no problems from time to time.I had the car completly checked out by a mechanic at the time of purchase. I recently replaced the spark plugs and we still have the same problem. Any advice? Would it be possible to begin with the fuel filter, however I don't know where to look for it on this car. Thanks for your time and any advice you can offer. |
| Answer: |
Richard, Firstly, your fuel filter is located on the firewall, on the passenger side. They are fairly easy to replace. If you're unsure about doing the job yourself, take it to a mechanic. As you well know, gasoline is not something to fool around with if you don't know what you're doing. The smaller Eclipse engines (1.8L) use a distributor and ignition coil. If you didn't check this out when you had the spark plugs replaced, you may want to check them out. If you have a good spark to the plugs, your main relay could be the problem. To check this, make sure there is sufficient fuel pressure to the engine. The main relay will operating normally with correct pressure. If pressure is lacking, have it inspected. The main relay controls electrical power to the fuel pump. If that relay goes out, the fuel pump won't energize to pump gas to the engine. Along those same lines, have the fuel pump checked out as well. You may even have the problem of getting too much fuel to the engine. Your engine could be flooding. That could be why you can start it cold, drive it a while, then have it fail to start again. A flooded engine can take several minutes to sit before it can be started. The most common reasons for flooding is a something blocking the air intake. A very dirty air filter is a common culprit. If you haven't changed the air filter in the past 18 months/18,000 miles, replace it. Also, check your intake hoses that lead to your intake manifold. Believe it or not, I had a problem with this when a couple of mice jammed the inlet to my air filter with a sock! No lie! These are just a few suggestions. I hope at least one of them can point you in the right direction. Good luck! |