Questions and Answers
Hot Under The Hood
Q. I am the original and since day one, we have had problems with this car during the hottest days of summer. Up until recently, the problem only appeared if the car was driven frequently during very hot days (+95 degrees). It would not start or would die right away if you started it while it was hot. Now it is dying if the engine idles while stopped, usually at the worst possible locations! It won't start unless it sits about an hour. The last time it died, I was able to verify that good spark was available.
Last year we decided to keep this car a few more years so we replaced the engine, transmission, radiator, computer, and other major parts. When the car runs, its great, but this heat problem is frustrating.
This acts like classic vapor lock, but this car is fuel injected. Is there some type of kit to reroute the fuel lines?
Year, make and model : 1989 Plymouth Grand Voyager
Engine size : 3.0 liter V6 (Mitsubishi)
Manual or automatic transmission : 4 speed overdrive
Mileage : 120K (20K on new engine/transmission)
Carb or Fuel Injection : Multiport fuel injection
ABS brakes : N/A
P/S - A/C - Cruise control : yes, yes, yes
Rack and pinion steering : unknown, probably notA. This does sound like a classic case of vapor lock. And fuel injected cars are not immune to it. If anything, they are more susceptible to it. Early fuel injected cars had insulation wrapped around the injectors and fuel lines. Some had fan motors that blew cool air on the lines and injectors and others had a metal heat shield the lines and injectors. The old Nissan F10 and 310's had a fan blowing on the carburetor to keep it cool.
I don't know of any kits made for rerouting fuel lines, but you can insulate the lines. You can go to the auto parts store and buy sheet insulation and wrap the fuel lines and injectors to help prevent the vapor lock. You can use small wire ties to hold the insulation in place. This has been a successful fix for this problem. Be sure you use a double thickness when you wrap.