355 Fuel pressure regulator test

Is there an "easy" way or what is the easiest way to get at the FPR vacuum line to see if they are leaking. Short of contortion, joint dislocation, or some decent amount of disassembly I'm not seeing it. I just want to pop the vacuum line off quick and check.

Looks like you may need to pull the deck lid off to get enough room to reach down there?

 

I was able to get to them with a combo of removing the deck lid support and the surround between the plenum over the reservoirs... that and a lot of cursing scratches and arm bruises. I have some gremlins that I'm chasing and I've come to taking nothing for granted and systematically working through everything. I mainly wanted to see if there was any trace of fuel apparent in the vacuum line. Was hoping for a 30second look, but turned into a painful hour or 2.

My bank 2 is pulling long term fuel trim negative by around 8% indicating the ECU thinks or is measuring rich. Leaky injector? Aging o2 sensor? Or fuel dumping from the regulator? Also I have an intermittent odd starting issue where car will start fine then RPM will quickly drop below 1000 and into a stumble almost like dropping a bank. Usually stopping and restarting will clear it immediately.. Although lately sometimes will happen a few times. Almost always happens on a cold start.. but I've caught it once or twice on a warm start. Plugs all look good. Needless to say there was no trace of fuel on either side regulator. But I did find a weep on the power steering reservoir hose connection that answers some oil I've noticed... so it wasn't all for not.

Hopefully later this week I'll be able to get a fuel pressure guage on it and video it through prime and startup. I think I'm pulling the engine this fall and going through everything. Get the fuel tank out and make sure all the rubber pieces are addressed etc.. Install tubi headers and donut seals.. I do have new o2 sensors that I may install but the current ones aren't coming out easy. Those are pinned up against a frame member possibly due to aftermarket cats??

 

So some developments. Finally got a pressure gauge on it at the fuel filter. Hoping to recreate my cold start stumble with the guage on it and video it. Of course I can't reproduce it now where it was almost every time prior. However, the first start put me around 20psi on keyon prime.. then up to a solid 55 at crank and startup... blip the pedal would get the needle to nudge to 57 or so but steady as a rock and idling fine. Try again the next morning hoping for the cold start stumble.. of course didn't do it.. but key on prime only gave me 5 or so and crank and start had it steadily/slowly rise to 30/32ish and then hold solid. Blip the throttle no change. Subjectively (and expectedly) slightly rougher idle. I've since done a few starts over 36 hours now and get the same 30ish max psi and lower initial prime. Haven't caught a full on stumble but I think I'm on to something if I can trust my gauge. That is a variable as I did remove the gauge and reinstall from the first time.

Surely I have some fuel system rebuild ahead of me. Looking like sooner than hoped. I had planned on investigating the pump rubber bits this coming winter. Pump looks impossible to source at the moment or possibly retrofit an alternate. Hope it can be as simple as new rubber rebuild, cleanup, and new filter to reestablish pressure at the port location. I'd feel better just replacing it all from the pump to the rails to eliminate all issues with the hoses but that will be an undertaking as I think I'd use custom PTFE lines rather than the huge money OEM lines that are suspect with ethanol?