Q – My Carrera 2 stalls right after I start it in the morning. It always starts right back up but it never used to do this. It was an occasional problem but now it happens every time in the morning. Fred
Good news on two counts: 1) it happens all the time (intermittent problems drive me nuts) and 2) the cure is relatively easy.
When you turn your car off, the fuel system retains pressure in the lines just like your water faucet at home. Coincidently, the retained pressure for a home water system and fuel injection system are about the same, roughly 40 PSI. If the pressure leaks down, you would never know it since it leaks back into the fuel tank. This is a very common problem with many fuel injected cars as they age.
The cure involves first verifying the problem. In this case, a fuel pressure test will tell the story. When the engine is running, the pressure should measure a certain PSI and when you shut the car off, it will drop (but not to zero). If the fuel pressure drops too low, when you turn the key, it will take a few seconds until pressure builds. If the fuel pump check valve is the source of the pressure drop, the part is inexpensive and the labor is not bad either. Once pressure is retained, the car will start and run just as you remember it. — MC