Hey everybody,

Unfortunately, last night, I hit a deer with my '90 Loyale wagon. Thankfully it was a light hit, but it stalled not long after I hit it, and now it will start and immediately stall. It appears to be fuel related. I can still hear the pump turn on when I turn the key, but something up by the throttle body makes an electrical 'sparking' noise when I try to start it. It seems to be something controlling the pump. Any ideas on what it could be?

you should describe or post pictures of the damage so we have some idea area, side, possible related issues.

 

1.  are you absolutely positive this car has ran perfectly, got super high gas mileage, no maintenance, no issues, and show room perfect for the past 5 years? 
(it's often the case that an impact or seeming "cause" isn't the actual cause or simply exaggerated an existing issue...)

 

every light front impact or deer collision i've had/seen you just start the car and drive it once you contain/verify coolant or ATF leaks.

 

2.  i'd say check fuses but you're saying it will actually turn over and run by itself?

 

3.  read the check engine codes immediately. 

 

4.  timing belts are the most likely culprit - they get bumped and then they're out of time.  should get a cam/crank angle error if it's belt related.

Mass air flow sensor connection? Air restricted?

The damage was very minimal. The grille cracked and the hood dented just slightly. The car is obviously not showroom new, but has ran me very well for 3 years and has relatively low mileage (140000). I do feel that the issue is related to the impact due to the fact that just after it, the car stalled and would not run afterwards. I have checked fuses. I don't see any obstructions in the air intake, and MAF sensor connection appears good as well. It starts, runs for about 5 sec, then stalls.

my guess would be a bad ground to the body

Nothing controlling the pump is up by the throttle body.

Ok. I wasn't sure if something might do that up there, it just seemed to be making a bit of noise in that area when I had someone turn the key. I'll have to check my ground wires. I have had issues with bad grounds in other cars.

The injector can make audible clicking.  I don't often hear it, as I am in the car.

Was the hit dead center of towards the driver's side? There is a large control cable on the driver side near the battery area. Was the battery secured by the bracket or free standing? Maybe the battery shifted slamming into the cable. There is a plug connector

 Unplug and plug it back.

Edited January 25, 201610 yr by MR_Loyale

Is the check engine light on? 

Check the codes.

 

This will narrow down a lot in a few minutes: 

 

Fuel:  takes 3 minutes - pull fuel hose and crank car - does it pour out nice and even like a hose?  fuel check. 

Spark:  check for spark at all 4 cylinders. - takes less than 5 minutes. 

remove 3 timing belt cover 10mm bolts on each side to verify timing marks.  maybe 10 minutes

 

18 minutes and you've gone a long way in choosing the next move, if not finding your issue.

an impact that light wouldn't typically cause an issue so I would diagnose this as a simple mechanical issue.  if the impact caused it - it likely just compromised an already weak situation.

My brainstorming leads to maybe having debris in your tank and doing a hard panic stop got something that was settled at the bottom of your tank sucked up into a gas line. Just a thought. Change filter is pretty cheap and simple.

Both grossgary and l75eya were accurate. A clogged filter was the culprit. Thanks to all you guys for your advice. I love this forum. It helps keep my old soob on the road.

Simply Amazing diagnosis !!!    Who would have ever thought an impact could cause debris in the fuel line.   I mean ... anyone other than I75eya.  

This forum is, umm, words can not describe.