Well my wife's 85 245 had a leaking fuel pressure regulator. When I went to replace it, there was a bolt inside the fuel line (intentionally) blocking the return on it. I installed the new fpr without the bolt but the engine will not run good and dies without it blocked. Right now it is blocked just so it will run. Why would this happen and how can i fix it so it is right? Oh yeah the engine is an 1988+. I found out by getting the wrong fpr first.

Hi, along with Dave's and John's thoughts I puzzled about the 1988+ remark. The 85 would have LH2.2 as well as the 88. Not owning anything between 85 and 88 I pictured the fuel rails being unchanged through those years, only to change in 89, for LH2.4 introduction.

However, I am having a bit of difficulty imagining how a working fuel pressure regulator could stand to benefit from a blocked return port if the pump's delivery was inadequate. There would not be anything at the return port to block.

Was the motor from an 88 240? This might be a dangerous fix applied to overcome the typical failure in the air mass meter. Dangerous, because the working pressure in the feed and rail would rise to well over 100 lbs. An 85 or an 88 should have an air mass meter number ending in -007. One quick test I can imagine, is to try it with the return line unblocked, but with the AMM unplugged. If it starts and idles then, it is a sure bet your AMM should be replaced. If so, look in a salvage yard or on e-bay before opting for the parts houses.

If not the AMM, i.e., it still fails to start and idle with the AMM disconnected, have the rail pressure measured before throwing parts at it.

So I could be wrong on both counts.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

The '85 had the FPR in a different position than the '88, it was down by the distributor, the '88 has it up along side the fuel rail, yes both were 2.2 but teh early ones had a fuel rail like the '83-4. Really hard to describe but if you saw them side by side the difference is obvious.

I think the blocked return would only help if the volume of fuel getting past the filter was way too low to keep up with the demand of the injectors if any of the fuel was allowed to return to the tank at all. I may be way off base but the filter is a good cheap thing to try and probably needs replacing anyway if the PO was the type to shove bolts in things ;-)
--
Dave Shannon
Spring Valley, California
'67 1800s
'73 1800ES
'88-240
my pages

Sure enough, I see 88 has its very own FPR.

I have this hunch that says rated line pressure is reached before the FPR allows anything into the return port; that it wasn't a befuddled PO that purposely cheated this, but an engine-swapper intent on moving the car on a lot. Like johnwr hints at, a street-wise adjustment. Just a guess without the poster's responses, but if correct, the danger of unlimited line pressure exists from the FPR all the way back through the filter. Sure, lots of things probably need replacing anyway, as any shop could easily defend;-)
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Sounds like a creative fix for a fuel volume/pressure problem. I'd start looking at the cheap fix first, change the fuel filter, if that doesn't give you enough volume/pressure it might be pump replacement time.

--
Dave Shannon
Spring Valley, California
'67 1800s
'73 1800ES
'88-240
my pages

sounds like what we'd call an urban mod.

Ubrban mod huh? Years ago an ignorant person such as yourself would have said Jerry-rigged, but since Germans are no longer the object of America-style scapegoatism I guess "Urban-mod" will do for N---ER-Rigged implying that blacks are inept and worthy of racist jokes. Whats next towel head mechanics? Idiot! It's No wonder the World Trade Center was destroyed. What the Taliban did to us in New York is nothing compared to what WE have done to people all over the world and on so many levels. It's just as easy to kill people with carpet bombing (like vietnam) or the nuclear bombs unleashed in Japan as it is to mandate trade embagoes on food and medicine. It is your same attitude that allows these sort of evils to take place.

Hi There HUH(or is it DUH?),
I don't know which urban environment you are from but in the neighborhood(hood?) i grew up in there was a mix of races and we all did our share of "urban mods" as needed. One friend of mine broke his gas pedal linkage on an old shitbox he had and instead of scouring the yards to find the correct replacement he ran a string through the firewall to the carb and pulled on the string to accelerate. This "urban mod" worked well with the added bonus of being able to tie it off on the hiway for a crude cruise control. Oh yeah, he was a WHITE guy.
Try taking a trip out of your suburban tree lined neighborhood and visit the inner city sometime. There really is a diverse group of inhabitants there...really.


Dan


p.s. thanks for clearing up the whole 9/11 thing for me...the Taliban did it not Al Qaida(sp?) and it was OUR FAULT