HELP: 180sx Fuel Issues

[MidnightDreamer]

Hey Guys,

Need some help troubleshooting here:

180sx w/ SR20DET.

Recently changed fuel filter...

The car starts stalling and sputtering when I apply over 15% throttle. The car seems to rev up no problems, it seems like a fuel delivery issue. Fuel Pump??? When I go WOT, revs will sputter. Another wierd thing is as I was pulling back into my driveway, (uphill slant) the car stalled. Can you guys give me other suggestions as to what might be going on here? I just recently changed the fuel filter to a Z32 one which seemed to be a lot larger, but I had no issues two days prior when I was out driving the car...

(I've done some minor electrical work as well... don't think this affects anything but worth mentioning.)

Thanks for your help in advanced.

[Boost Infested]

check all your intercooler piping.. i bet u have a leak.

[Teggy]

when you say minor electrical work, what do u men minor?? like playing with your deck, or playing with your wiring harness??
specifics help, So you upgraded to a larger, Z32 fuel filter?? did you change your existing lines???need more info on your install??

[Teggy]

all in all it sounds lik eyour car is leaning out, that would explain the funny sputtering, when we played with the fuel/air ratio onmy skyline, boh running the car to rich, and lean made the rpmssputte

[smontyLS1]

try and get a fuel gauge to hook up to your fuel rail. that will tell you pretty quick. did you need to bend any fuel hardline to get the new filter in? You may have a restriction somewhere.
Was the filter new?
If you disconnect your return line and put it in a jar (marked for 500ml) and run the fuel pump only (jump the relay connection), not your engine, you should get 1/2 L in 30 seconds. roughly.

[MidnightDreamer]

Sorry, to be more specific... Only minor work on removing the stock deck, and redoing the LED globes in the climate control unit...

[calgarys13]

z32 fuel filter is the stock on on skylines and maybe 180sx's, is the filter in the right way or in backwards as some have a check valve or a flow restrictor

[ca18det240sx]

how many k? could be fuel pump going south.

check your tps, theres FSM on the net thatll show you how

if your fuel pump is going south....get a walbro 255 lph for a 240sx.

[MidnightDreamer]

Existing lines are stock. I am sure the orientation is correct. I put it in the same way as the original filter was. I will try swapping in the original filter to see if this is the problem, but I am thinking it isn't the problem as I ran it like this for the last few days with no issues. I drove the car hard both nights no problems.

Again, could the fuel pump have anything to do with this? It's like the fuel cuts off when the throttle is open more than 15%... But when I let off, car seems to run normal, and again on the slatnt, the car started sputtering and stalled.

[MidnightDreamer]

Could the incorrect filter cause something like this? Someone told me to use a 300zx filter... but I don't remember if I got the twin turbo one or if they'd even be different.

[MidnightDreamer]

Sorry dude, ur losing me a bit... TPS? FSM? lol, I'm a noob...
I'm hoping it's fuel pump... it would be a good excuse to upgr and install looks like something I can manage... But I've kinda lost confidence in my tech abilities now that I'm having these issues lol. 100251k on the engine.


Originally posted by ca18det240sx
how many k? could be fuel pump going south.

check your tps, theres FSM on the net thatll show you how

if your fuel pump is going south....get a walbro 255 lph for a 240sx.

[calgarys13]

no the 300 filter will work...take the filter out and replace with the old one and see how it runs...also while the new ones out blow in the one end...see if anythgins clogging it

[ca18det240sx]

Fuel pump could be the problem for sure, could also be your MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR. The thing your air filter is on, make sure its plugged in properly.


have a friend turn on the ignition, but not start the car, while you listen in teh hatch, where the fuel pump is, therell be a harness leading to it on the rt side under the carpet....listen to that spot while he turns it on. You should hear the fuel pump turn on, make a buzz, and turn off after approx 3 seconds. If it sounds laboured...or inconsistent.....or just plain bad....its most likely it.

[MidnightDreamer]

I've noticed that buzzing sound before, never knew what it was... I'll check that once I get home, but from what I remember, the pump sounded fine when I turned it on to check my instrument cluster.

[calgarys13]

higher flow pumps also have a buzzing..listen to a stock gtr...sounds like a hive of bee's

[ca18det240sx]

My friends sentra GXE has the loudest fuel pump i have ever heard lol....so loud.

if your fuel pump sounds ok, i would pursue the boost leak scenario for now, are you running stock Side mount?



also, can you get your revs over 2500 rpm? at any time?

[MidnightDreamer]

Yes, stock side mount. How do I check for a leak?

[MidnightDreamer]

The car is now having problems just idling... As soon as I press the throttle the RPMS drop even lower... Even at WOT I get not response from the engine. As I let off the throttle, the RPMs will jump up to about 2k, and then back down. Does this help with the diagnosis anymore?

Of the issues described from other members, can any be eliminated at this point?

1. Intercooler Leak

2. Fuel Pump

3. Fuel Filter

4. Mass Airflow Sensor. ???Is this the same as an MAF?

The pump does make a buzzing sound when I power it up. It's pretty consistent for each time I turn it on. The buzzing is noticeably loud so i don't know if this is labored or not... I haven't tried the original fuel filter yet, but somehow I really doubt the fuel filter is the issue here.

[MidnightDreamer]

Does anyone have a fuel pump FS?

[MidnightDreamer]

One question though... If this is a boost leak, wouldn't my car just be underpowered??? I am going to clean out the MAF tomorrow before anything else. Wish me luck.

[MidnightDreamer]

Good news. My fuel pump is dead! I cleaned the MAF this morning, and when I switched the ignition on and the familiar buzz of the fuel pump was absent. I gave it a crank and sure enough... nothing. It's a good excuse to upgrade the pump now, I'm just glad it wasn't something more difficult than I could handle.

Thank you everyone for your input.