It keeps getting better

[331strokerlx]

I went out to start my car on friday and instead of hearing the hum of the fuel pump coming on I get silence. It tries to start but it wont turn over. It did this a week ago and it was a loose fuse. Any ideas on how to check this. And if the fuel pump is bad how much of a pita is this going to be

 

[cenok is family]

check the inertia switch first. it's a fuel cut off switch that's located behind the driver's side tail light. it's a safety feature that cuts off the pump in an accident. you can get to it through the hatch, there's a little round black grommet on the plastic behind the tail lights, just remove that and it's in there. there's a little white button on it, make sure it's pressed in. if it does turn out to be the pump itself, they arent hard to replace. 3 bolts total to drop the tank. before you drop it, you have to disconnect 2 harness connectors, two fuel lines and a rubber vent tube. all are easy to disconnect.

 

[331strokerlx]

Thanks for the info. I went out and checked behind the panel and the only thing i see has a red button pushed in. Is it normal if its red and not white

 

[90mustangGT]

If it won't even turn over it's probally not the fuel pump. My bet is the ignition switch, or at least that is what I would start looking at. Well... after the battery and all the connections.

 

[cenok is family]

color shouldn't matter. the inertia switch is the only thing there.

 

[331strokerlx]

So yesterday I went out to the car to try and start it hoping by some miracle it runs. I turn the key and it starts right up like it never had a problem. The car ran better than it had in a while. Today it starts up so I go to the grocery store and ten minutes after parking it , the car wont start. Same problem, and 55 dollars later for a tow it is in the driveway again. Is this an electric problem cause if it was the pump would it have worked at all

 

[1993SSP]

do all of your dash lights and stuff come on when you turn the key forward? Definitelty got something electrical going on. You would probably get a better response in the tech section.

 

[331strokerlx]

everything comes on like it should except the fuel pump

Is there any way to move this to tech without posting again

 

[1993SSP]

A moderator can move it. I would go ahead and post it in there.

What year model is your car? The car is cranking fine but just will not start sometimes correct? Have you tried changing the fuel pump relay?

 

[cenok is family]

I agree. sounds like an electrical issue involving your fuel pump. I'd replace the relay and see if that doesn't work. go from there

 

[Mr. Rustypwnz]

+1 on the relay, its cheap and easier than the pump. it could be getting hot and sticking. if its not that, put a battery in the trunk and put juice to the pump itself and see if it runs constantly. it won't flood out it will just circulate the gas. if you want a diagram go to veryuseful.com and its on there that site has saved me more than once with my pump problems!!

 

[Mr. Rustypwnz]

oh another thing is, if the coil is going bad it won't kick on the pump. I would check the coil as well. an msd at autoidiots(zone) is only 50bux. its only a few things that could be wrong with it and their all simple to fix and cheap..

 

[331strokerlx]

I looked under the seat for the relay and i cant tell where it is. All I see under the seat is 3 different connectors. One is gray and comes up through the floor. One is coming from the power seat that is from a 2002 ish gt and a black connector with a blue ford sticker.Should all of those be hooked up

 

[cenok is family]

the coil doesn't provide power for the pump. the battery does. the coil provides spark for the distributor

 

[1993SSP]

Again, what year model is your car??

There should definitely be a relay under your drivers seat. I know on my car which is a 91 model that there is also a relay above the computer on the passenger side that went bad once that affected my fuel pump the best I can recall. There is also a fusible link under the hood that comes off of the starter solenoid for the fuel system, if it were the fusible link you would not have the problem of it working off and on, but you may check that as well , if it is blown you it will be very mushy like it is about to tear apart.

You can take a 12V test light or a DVM to check voltage at the pump and the inertia switch, I would probably do that first, if you are getting power there then your pump is most likely the issue. Unplug the pump under the car and check the connector that is running towards the body of the car for power while the key is turned to the forward position. I cannot remember which wire whille have power but with a test light grounded properly you should have voltage there.

 

[Chuckman]

Again, what year model is your car??

There should definitely be a relay under your drivers seat. I know on my car which is a 91 model that there is also a relay above the computer on the passenger side that went bad once that affected my fuel pump the best I can recall.

the harness changed in late 91/early 92, afaik completely moving the fuel relay from under the seat to the passenger side fender apron.

item 32 is the fuel pump relay, not used on the older cars.

 

[matador91]

Depending on what year your car is it really makes a big difference where your Fuel pump relay is. My car was doing the same thing for a little while till I figured out what it was. If you haven't hid you wires check the fuel pump relay on the passenger side frame rail toward to radiator core support. Again depending on the year of your car, their will be two little boxes that are caps. Check to see if you have power going to them and in my case I replaced both relays since they are original equipment from the early 90's. My fuel pump kicked on once I put the new relays in.

 

[MAC'n89Blckstng]

Your fuel pump is shot, my brother had the same problem. He would drive it for a little bit, shut it off and then it wouldn't start. After he would shut it off the pump would seize until it cooled down. The fuel running through it keeps it cool until you shut the car off, then everything expands and wont allow the pump to work. I've seen this on many occasions.

 

[1993SSP]

I am just curious to see if he has voltage at the intertia switch and the rear of the car.

 

[Cobra912]

Your fuel pump is shot, my brother had the same problem. He would drive it for a little bit, shut it off and then it wouldn't start. After he would shut it off the pump would seize until it cooled down. The fuel running through it keeps it cool until you shut the car off, then everything expands and wont allow the pump to work. I've seen this on many occasions.

I agree, I had the same problem. It is however easier to test the relay first like mentioned above than change the pump.