S13 Fuel Issue - Lots Of Symptoms

[lbs_ft]

Hello all,

I recently came into possession of a 1990 240sx with a DOHC KA24DE swap, and I've run into a couple problems. They are as follows:

- smells (reeks, really) of fuel randomly, mostly in the trunk (usually when I'm getting slideways or with a full tank)
- stuttering and faltering at WOT (not a steady pull)
- issues starting sometimes, takes a while to turn over after plenty of cranking
- sometimes (it seems only when it rains) the engine runs rough at idle and backfires

I'm thinking it might be a hole in the tank, so that the engine isn't getting enough fuel, seeing as its a pressurized system. But I don't want to drop the tank if its something as simple as a fuel filter.

If anyone has any ideas, please shoot them my way. I'd also be happy to answer any and all questions you have. I'm just trying to keep my car dependable and on the road.

Thanks in advance!

[lbs_ft]

Anybody?

Just found out that the tank has all new fuel lines.

Could be a hole in the tank, or a loose fitting somewhere, but could also be the fuel pump.

Anybody have any ideas that could save me some time and effort?

[waxball88]

Fuel pump. I bet

[lbs_ft]

Fuel pump. I bet

Are the fuel pumps for the KA24D and the KA24DE the same?

[blktopsr20]

yup the same and also dont forgot to replace the o ring seal of the top hat will save your braincells from sucking all the gas fumes.

[lbs_ft]

yup the same and also dont forgot to replace the o ring seal of the top hat will save your braincells from sucking all the gas fumes.

el oh el

Thanks! I'll do this first, shouldn't be hard and I mean, it wouldn't hurt even if that's not the source of my problems.

But will keep you updated! Thanks for all the help

[lbs_ft]

UPDATE!

So I decided to check the fuel pump's functionality, for whatever reason.

So I stuck the key in the ignition and turned it so I could hear the pump prime, which it did. Lucky for me, I checked multiple times.

The first time was normal. The second time, nothing happened. No noise, no nothing. The third time, it primed for way too long, and when I started the car, it burned a little excess gas.

It then proceeded to make a random order of these three instances: When the key is turned, it either works fine, works wrong, or doesn't work at all.

I'm hoping that replacing it will fix my issues, but does anyone have any input? Thanks!

[pidass]

if you smell gas from the inside of the car especially around the trunk it's definitely the main o-ring, check to see if any gas is leaking right under the fuel door when the tank is full, if so the o-ring on the filler neck might need to be replaced as well.

I would invest into a cheap fuel gauge setup, I just went through these issues, got a adapter/gauge from Jegs (like $30 total) installed just before the fuel rail that way you can see if the rail is seeing correct pressure when the pump primes and when the motor is running.