Hello all,
So here is why I changed my Fuel Pressure Regulator.
Car would take 5-10 seconds to start when cold(whether that be 15 minutes to a couple days).
Cranks were still very strong.
Car started every time.
If I killed the engine, and tried to restart, it would fire up immediately.
Car ran fine otherwise.
If you are having these symptoms, then it might be your Fuel Pressure Regulator. I have read so many threads about what it could possibly be and using logic I took a shot that it was the FPR and was right. I am not saying this is for sure the problem to the symptoms. Perform at your own risk.
This takes about 3 hours, but is not technically difficult. The replacement piece I bought was from ECS tuning, here is the link the the
FPR unit EDIT: I found the O-Rings in the bottom of the box, but I have already finished the job and dont know if I will be putting in new rings as the old ones looked and felt fine.
Also, I will not be fully writing the procedure as most of it is better documented then I have time for.
First, do everything in this
article up to Figure 10. In figure 10 you can see three main lines all with arrows pointing to them(Two red, and a green pointing to the connector). These are the lines that come from the FPR unit. Do not secure them with mechanics wire as you will be pulling them out of the driver side of the car. Do everything in figure 10 up to 'pull the fuel pump module out of the car'.
Now,
On the driver side, there is a matching cover. Unscrew the four bolts. Pull off cover. Disconnect the electrical connector. Disconnect the fuel line(just pull hard on the tube at the neck with pliers, it will come).Take a punch and hammer and get the ring off.
A note on the ring. Spray it down with WD-40 before attempting to hammer it off. You can put the nozzle under each little raised piece to coat it all the way around. This is the hardest part of the entire operation, if you can do this, you can do the rest.
You will notice the unit will try to lift out, thats because there is a spring on the unit. Pull up on the unit, wiggling side to side. It fits in there perfectly, and there is a perfect way out so don't be forceful. I had to reach my hand in and grab the hoses when I was pulling which made it easier. Once the unit is out, pull the lines through. Be careful, this is where you will most likely get fuel in your interior.
With the unit out, celebrate, the rest is easy.
Prep the new unit. I zip tied the three lines together at the very end(on my second try) because on the first try they were going different ways and getting stuck when trying to fish them between the two tanks. Also, take out the plastic cap on the line that connects to the fuel pump(I did not and had to fish it out of the tank).
Feed the lines directly in the middle of the two holes(Fuel pump & FPR holes), there is a valley there. I went most of the way with the lines in the driver side and then reached in to grab them from the fuel pump side. Once you have the lines over and in site you can put the FPR fully in. Make sure you line up the tab on the units top ring into the slot so it is seated flat(shown in pelican parts figure 11 for the FP but it is the same design on the FPR). Screw down the collar, and hammer punch it tight. Reconnect fuel and electrical line to the FPR.
Go over to the fuel pump side, and pop the two lines in the two slots(which one goes where doesn't matter) and connect the line with the head until you hear the pop. Reconnect the main fuel line from figure 9. Put the top of the module back into the pump(there are two brass rods that go in the sides of the pump to align it). Once everything is sitting flush, screw down the collar. Hammer punch it tight, reconnect fuel lines and electrical connections. Cover FP and FPR. Put back seat back in. Reconnect battery.
Now when you start the car, it is going to take a second as there is no fuel in the FPR unit. When it starts it will be rough for a little. Let it settle. When it is idling smooth, bring RPMs up to about 2K and hold just to get all the bubbles out. Turn it off, and then back on to just make sure.
I tested mine at 30 minutes, 1 hour, and will again test at overnight but it hasn't repeated the symptoms for the first two tests.
EDIT: Tested this morning, started right up.
Enjoy a quick start! If you have any questions, just let me know.