Need help ASAP please!

99V6custom

New Member
Jul 18, 2002
37
0
0
Charleston, SC
Ok guys....need some help here. I have a 90 lx notch with some fuel pump/relay/? problems. Here is how it started.... One day I woke up...jumped in the car and it wouldn't start right away. Pumped the gas pedal and turned the key (held for 3-4 sec) and got nothing. after 3-4 times doing this it finally starts (fuel pump would ingage most of the time). As soon as it warms up I turn off the car and turn it back on no problem. I do this 2-3 more times just to make sure. Went to work...parked it...came out for lunch...same thing. If I let the car sit for longer than 5 min it would do this. Then last sat. night went out to club meeting. Went to leave....car to 45 min of playing with it to get it started. Once I started it I drove home and parked it. The next day I get up to start it and I get nothing.....and have gotten nothing ever since. Fuel pump will not turn on anymore. Replaced the relay under the seat.....nothing. checked voltage at relay with/without power....seems like there is very little to no power getting to relay. Where would be the first place to look for the problem??????

Sorry so long....cliff notes:
car won't start (but turns over normal).
checked voltage at relay....nothing
relpaced relay and checked again....still nothing
getting good ground connection
checked safety switch in trunk....fine
don't know where to start next.
no fuses under dash are bad.....any in engine bay (location?)
need help soon please!
 
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if you have no power at the relay, you for sure have none at the pump. I think your problem may be upstream of the relay. First you need to backprobe the power wire upstream of the rely and use a multimeter to see what the voltage is like. If it is good, then test the voltage at your pump. If it is bad then the relay or the wiring between the relay and the pump is the culpret, if good then your pump is bad. If the relay isn't getting good voltage you will have to track the problem down in the wiring upstream of the relay.
 
Clue – listen for the fuel pump to prime when you first turn the ignition switch on. It should run for 5-20 seconds and shut off. To trick the fuel pump into running, find the ECC test connector and jump the connector in the lower RH corner to ground. See http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/electronics/eec-iv_codes.html for a description of the test connector. If the relay & inertia switch are OK, you will have power to the pump. Check fuel pressure – remove the cap from the schrader valve behind the alternator and depress the core. Fuel should squirt out, catch it in a rag. A tire pressure gauge can also be used if you have one - look for 37-40 PSI. Beware of fire hazard when you do this.

No fuel pressure, possible failed items in order of their probability:
A.) Tripped inertia switch – press reset button on the inertia switch. The hatch cars hide it under the plastic trim covering the driver's side taillight. Use the voltmeter or test light to make sure you have power to both sides of the switch
B.) Fuel pump power relay – located under the driver’s seat in most stangs built before 92. On 92 and later model cars it is located below the Mass Air Flow meter.
C.) Clogged fuel filter
D.) Failed fuel pump
E.) Blown fuse link in wiring harness. Use a voltmeter to measure the voltage drop across them. There should be less than .75 volt drop across a fuse link.
F.) Fuel pressure regulator failed. Remove vacuum line from regulator and inspect for fuel escaping while pump is running.

The electrical circuit for the fuel pump has two paths, a control path and a power path.

The control path consists of the inertia switch, the computer, and the fuel pump relay coil. It turns the fuel pump relay on or off under computer control. The switched power (red wire) from the ECC relay goes to the inertia switch (red/black wire) then from the inertia switch to the relay coil and then from the relay coil to the computer (tan/ Lt green wire). The computer provides the ground path to complete the circuit. This ground causes the relay coil to energize and close the contacts for the power path. Keep in mind that you can have voltage to all the right places, but the computer must provide a ground. If there is no ground, the relay will not close the power contacts.

The power path picks up from a fuse link near the starter relay. Fuse links are like fuses, except they are pieces of wire and are made right into the wiring harness. The feed wire from the fuse link (orange/ light blue wire) goes to the fuel pump relay contacts. When the contacts close because the relay energizes, the power flows through the contacts to the fuel pump (light pink/black wire). The fuel pump has a black wire that supplies the ground to complete the circuit.

See the following website for some help from Tmoss (diagram designer) & Stang&2Birds (website host)

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/IgnitionSwitchWiring.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/88-91eecPinout.gif

Now that you have the theory of how it works, it’s time to go digging.

Look for 12 volts at the Orange/Lt. Blue wire (power source for fuel pump relay). No voltage or low voltage, bad fuse link, bad wiring or connections. There is a mystery connector (one I haven’t found) under the dash somewhere, between the fuel pump relay and the fuse link.

Turn on the key and jumper the fuel pump test connector to ground as previously described. Look for 12 volts at the Light Pink/Black wire (relay controlled power for the fuel pump). No voltage there means that the relay has failed or there is a broken wire in the relay control circuit.
Check the Red/black wire, it should have 12 volts. No 12 volts there, either the inertia switch is open or has no power to it. Check both sides of the inertia switch: there should be power on the Red wire and Red/Black wire. Power on the Red wire and not on the Red/Black wire means the inertia switch is open.

The Tan/Lt Green wire provides a ground path for the relay power. With the test connector jumpered to ground, there should be less than .75 volts. Use a test lamp with one side connected to battery power and the other side to the Tan/Lt Green wire. The test light should glow brightly. No glow and you have a broken wire or bad connection between the test connector and the relay. To test the wiring from the computer, remove the passenger side kick panel and disconnect the computer connector. It has a 10 MM bolt that holds it in place. With the test lamp connected to power, jumper pin 22 to ground and the test lamp should glow. No glow and the wiring between the computer and the fuel pump relay is bad.

If and only if you have followed the test procedure to this point and still haven’t found the problem, the computer is suspect. :(
 
I had a very similar problem a while back. It turned out to be a bad wire at the fuel pump sending unit. Over time the stock wiring corroded and fell apart. You can check the fuel pump without dropping the tank if you cut a hole in the trunk floor. Its no big deal if you take your time and trim it out nicely. This is a new idea that I got from somebody here on Stangnet a few weeks ago....I was bothered by the suggestion because I had been pulling the tank out all these years. Anyway, you could also try running power directly to the pump by jumping a good power source. Hope this helps....
 
QDRHRSE said:
You can check the fuel pump without dropping the tank if you cut a hole in the trunk floor. Its no big deal if you take your time and trim it out nicely. This is a new idea that I got from somebody here on Stangnet a few weeks ago....I was bothered by the suggestion because I had been pulling the tank out all these years.

Excellent idea on the hole in the floor. :nice: How about some picture and measurements so the rest of us can do it without making a mess of things?