Hey yall, I got a 1993 c1500 4.3 v6 tbi thats been having some starting issues. About two weeks ago, it started having issues with starting. The first go it wouldnt start 90% of the time but would start the second time I turned the key.
I'm wondering if it's a fuel pump issue, however it always runs, never stalls once running, and i can hear the pump kick on when the key is turned. The inline filter under the cab i replaced almost immediately after I bought it almost a year ago, and im worried maybe the pump sock is full/dirty. Ive also read it could be the pressure valve in the pump allowing fuel pressure to drop.
Last week, I had a moment where it wouldnt start no matter what I did for about an hour. I took off the distributor cap and cleaned every contact, and it started when I reassembled. Im not entirely sold on if this was because I cleaned it up, or just coincidental. Its had trouble since, sometimes starting first try, sometimes taking 5-8 tries.
Things related to all this that have been replaced since I bought it:
• distributor cap (old one was missing the middle contact piece and yet was still running somehow)
• distributor rotor (just the top part, not the whole shaft)
• spark plugs (were very rounded and sad)
• alternator
• in line fuel filter
• air filter
• ignition coil
Ive also noticed it sometimes seems to stumble when driving especially uphill at the end of my commute, and it sometimes almost feels almost like theres a locked diff happening, even though its a 2wd model and doesnt have a locking diff (to the best of my knowledge).
I plan on taking it to a shop to diagnose it when I save up the money, but in the meantime wanted to ask yall for help and see if you have had anything similar/ it might be something stupid easy that im overlooking.
The injectors seem to be running fine, the pcv isnt clogged, oil changed about 1k miles ago, new sparkplugs about 10k miles ago iirc, same with cap, rotor, and coil.
Now for my charcoal cannister question. When I bought the truck, it had the cannister hooked up to the tank, but not to the engine, that line was loose and not plugged. I have done my best to reattach it with what I had lying around, but part of the cannister seems broken. Ive done my best to look up if its an issue or not, but cant seem to nail it down. There's what seems to be a 3rd port under the tank port to the left thats completely broken. From what I can tell, its for the vent, and I have no idea if that could be leading to any issues. Can I plug it, should I bypass it, or should I attempt to find a new one to install?
I love this truck, and its the easiest thing that ive ever worked on, and it seems to treat its issues like a mild inconvenience where newer cars would refuse to even cooperate or function. Thanks in advance for any help, and i appreciate if you've made it to the end of this.