vapor-locking in minivan ('87)

I've got one of the older style minivans, bought it new in '87. The motor is
under the seats so it takes much longer to cool down when hot. It's always
had a little trouble restarting when the weather is very warm.

I'm wondering if there's a cure, or at least a way to mitigate the problem.
I am utterly dependent on this vehicle to start without any troubles. Last
week I made the stupid mistake of filling up with the wrong kind of gas (10%
ethanol) and after stopping for a quick lunch on a 90-degree day, it took
forever to get it started again.

I haven't found a mechanic in my little town that knows anything about this,
and the service manager at the dealership in the big city hasn't ever heard
of this issue. I'm in deep trouble unless I can find an answer somewhere.
Can't afford to buy another car.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

"Pat" <pdavis@fidnetspam.com> wrote in message
news:bsKdnTXN1pnG0MvZRVn-hA@fidnet.com...[color=blue]
> I've got one of the older style minivans, bought it new in '87. The motor
> is under the seats so it takes much longer to cool down when hot. It's
> always had a little trouble restarting when the weather is very warm.
>
> I'm wondering if there's a cure, or at least a way to mitigate the
> problem. I am utterly dependent on this vehicle to start without any
> troubles. Last week I made the stupid mistake of filling up with the wrong
> kind of gas (10% ethanol) and after stopping for a quick lunch on a
> 90-degree day, it took forever to get it started again.
>
> I haven't found a mechanic in my little town that knows anything about
> this, and the service manager at the dealership in the big city hasn't
> ever heard of this issue. I'm in deep trouble unless I can find an answer
> somewhere. Can't afford to buy another car.
>
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
>[/color]

IIRC, your van is fuel injected, and fuel injected vehicles generally do not
develop vapor lock. The fuel pressure regulator can start to lose its
ability to hold pressure over time and leak down.

When looking for someone to work on your car, look for the blue seal of a
shop that has ASE certified technicians working there.

have the shop hook up a fuel pressure gauge to monitor fuel pressure when
the hard start occurs. Also, have the shop check to make sure that the cold
start injector is not leaking.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)


--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)