I've had this car for 30 years, six cylinder 2.8, not fast but always been reliable and a very good balanced car in terms of handling, braking. Looks real good with Centerline wheels and nice red finish as well as lowered about 1.5 inches.

Its been sitting for a few years and I'm guilty of not running it enough during that time. Protected under a cover but not run enough. Before its hibernation, new fuel tank and pump installed. It had less than half a tank so about 7 gallons with Stabil added.

I put a freshly charged battery in it and it cranks, engine turns over fine but won't start. I tried to siphon out whatever fuel was left in it but the tank is empty. Its possible that somebody stole the gas out as I noticed the gas cap was fooled with at some point (It was parked outside under a cover, not in my garage). But either way, the tank is dry. So I moved it into the garage and added two gallons fresh fuel before cranking today. I let the pump prime by turning the key repeatedly and I can hear it turning on but when I took the fuel pressure reading, it read zero, nothing. There seems to be power to it by hearing but no pressure at the valve. Interesting thing is that when I took the pressure tester off, I pushed down on the valve and gas sprayed onto my hand and it was fresh smelling fuel like what I had put in.

So if I have fuel at the shrader valve, doesn't that mean the pump got it there? Why would I be seeing zero pressure? Is it possible that it also needs a fuel pressure regulator like I recently installed in the 1992 Lesabre? Remember, it cranks but does not turnover.

The pump may deliver enough fuel to spray "onto my hand and it was fresh" but what was the pressure on the fuel rail during that event?

I assume you have TBI injection?

Thanks for replying HotZ28. Yes this is the 2.8 with the electronic fuel injection. I don't know if I attached my fuel pressure reader incorrectly at the valve or not because it read zero with key on. If that is a true reading it shouldn't have sprayed any fuel at all, no? When I depressed the valve, it was a strong mist of spray, not a drip or leak, it was strong.

Does the needle on the fuel pressure gauge move at all when you turn the ignition on?

That is a great question and it gets me thinking because when I had originally parked it, it had just under half a tank which is about 7 gallons. I did put Stabil in it but when I tried to start it, the gauge was still at about half a tank. When I put the siphon in the tank, it hit bottom, the tank is completely dry or at least does not have anything close to half a tank.

And the needle on the pressure gauge didn't move at all but when I took it off the valve did spray.

Also pumped the throttle under the hood a few times with someone starting, still no pressure at the valve, and I did not smell anything like a plugged converter or even fuel. I might have gotten the faintest scent of gas but it wasn't much and I know I heard the pump hum for a few seconds at key turn on. I didn't do a spark test yet. This does have a distributor with electronic fuel injection, two gallons in the tank.

I guess I'll try starter fluid next and then the regulator? I have seen the Corvette of the same year start and run with fuel pressure but then not restart when hot due to a couple of bad injectors. But that had fuel pressure and started cold, mine doesn't. Has tuned port injection.

No fuel pressure equals no start.

No need starting it with starter fluid. That will only prove that it will run on starter fluid.

what about the regulator, could that be causing zero pressure and no start? Or does this sound like the pump? Does it matter that it sprayed at the shrader valve?