followup on hard starting issue

[Peter Schulz]

Follow up on the starting issue on the indigo wagon.

Car had become progressively more difficult to start, had to hold down the 
throttle partially to get it to idle.
Smell of fuel during start up became progressively worse. Gas mileage was 
reduced.

Last night, checking around the injectors, found that the Fuel Pressure 
Regulator was wet and dripping with gasoline.
I could not tell if the gasoline was coming out of the regulator itself or 
from the stainless braided line from the Regulator to the fuel rail.

I had a another used regulator and line available ( not yet installed on 
the S2 rebuilt motor), so I installed those and replace the crush orings at 
the banjo bolt on the fuel rail.  Leak solved and evidently the starting 
issue resolved.

We will see how long this "fix" works...in the past three years I have 
replaced the fuel pump, fuel hoses around the pump, the fuel pressure 
regulator, fuel filter, and had the injectors overhauled.  After each one 
of these "fixes", it appeared that the issue had been resolved.

Two questions remain:
  - any way to safely test the old regulator and line to locate the exact 
point of leakage? When installed, most of the line is obscured by the 
intake manifold.
- should I replace the rear knock sensor wire, which has crumbling 
insulation, or can I splice the wire or cover the broken insulation with 
shrink sleeving?

Thanks!

-Peter


1991 200 20v Q Avant Titan Grey
1991 200 20v Q Avant Indigo Mica
1991 90 20v Q Red
1990 CQ silver (awaiting S2 engine transplant)

Chelmsford Ma, USA