Fuel Pump Going Bad?

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J

Jason Zimberoff

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Feb 16, 2004
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Howdy all.



I have noticed a new problem that seems to be getting worse with each passing day.



Sometimes when I go to start my 2001 Trac, it will just crank and never fire - as if it is out of gas.



I usually stop trying right away, and turn off everything to make it quiet... Then I turn the key to the ON position to see if I can hear the fuel pump priming. Usually, when it is not starting, I will hear nothing. I try to turn the key off, then on (slowly) over and over again until I finally hear the fuel pump prime, then when I twist the key to start it will fire up right away.



Is this a fuel pump going bad? A relay going bad? Something to do with the kill switch?



I am guessing the pump is just going bad. Any thoughts?



-Zim
 
Next time you hear no pump just trip and reset the inertia switch. That will tell that story. If no pump, swap the relay with another same and see if that does it. If these fail to make any difference then your pump is probably on it's last leg.



92efb18deb557174f498ee10da62c4c1.jpg
 
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And what story might that be???
Click to expand...



If the inertia switch is going bad. I changed my fuel pump, and it worked for a couple of hours, then quit again. Just on a whim, I reached down under the dash and pressed the reset. It fired right up. I thought that would be the end of it, but it did it again a few miles later. I reset it again, and several more times after that until I got home. It got so hot doing that that it melted the connector. I cut it off and jumped the wires to get going so I could get to work, then called my friend that works at Ford for a new switch and connector! No problems since then.
 
And what story might that be???
Click to expand...



Uh, I guess that would be Little Red Riding Hood.:cheeky:



Never had an inertia switch that wouldn't operate temporarily once tripped and reset. That's as in dreman's post. That's also in my humble & limited experience. YMMV !
 
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^^^^



Sure I have seen the wiring at the switch go bad but tripping the switch adn then resetting it adn haveing the vehicle start it is a far cry from determining if the switch is bad. If that is the test that determines the switch is bad what would it mean if we slammed the door and it started...replace the door??? It's funny in 20 some plus years I have replaced 1 inertia switch on a Ford vehicle but for some reason here they constantly fail according to everyone...I'm from Missouri
 
Replace pump...still doesn't work.



Replace switch...works fine.



it was tripped during an accident a couple of years ago. Perhaps tripping it once makes it more prone to trip again?
 
IDK, dreman. Ask L1 since he knows every failure on everyone's vehicle.



20+ year ASE certified master technician w/L1 certifiacation and State of CA licensed advanced emission specialist. I'm the one people come to when the dealers can't fix it
Click to expand...

FYI, "certifiacation" is spelled certification, outside of Missouri.... or AZ.:sad:



Location chandler, az

I'm from Missouri
Click to expand...



:sad:



Mr. DeGroot, I never mentioned wiring. There's obviously an oxidation/corrosion issue in some inertia switches. I have opened up a couple and seen it with MY EYES. You dispute peoples personal experiences in the failure of this switch.:smack: You make irrational comparisons to scenarios I didn't make.:argue: Just because you have never replaced but one, in Missouri, means little. :yawn: Maybe the climate is different in Missouri. Maybe Ford shipped better vehicles to Missouri. I don't know or care. You seem to have a smart-ass comment to my posts of late. WTF??:angry: If I've pi**ed in your oatmeal somewhere I don't know it, nor did I mean to. I just try and help out here, :fire: not to threaten your super-mechanic status. I have that little blue certificate from Mr.Ronald H. Weiner too, not impressed! :yawn: :yawn: Go back to bed and get up on the right side, will ya?:cheeky:I'm sure your knowledge and experience are appreciated but I had enough attitude from my ex-wife!:grin:



:back2topic:
 
Folks, this is an electrical problem that could involve any of the switches, relays or wiring that control the fuel pump. To say it can only be one thing, or to rule out anything without testing is why these electrical gremlins are so mysterious. These intermittent failures are always a bigger issue with electrical/electronic items than completely mechanical parts, and I never assume that an electrical component cannot fail intermittently. In fact, they are often more prone to fail intermittently before they fail completely.



The fact that L1TECH has only replaced one inertia switch in 20 years does not mean it cannot possibly be an inertia switch. Another Tech may have replaced 20 inertia switches in one year! Every day we have product recalls because the manufacter has discovered a problem that their designers and engineers never thought would be a problem. Or one of the manufactorers suppliers missed something that slipped through quality control and you may have one or more defective parts that get shipped out.







 
Steve



WOW...lighten up Francis..sorry that you think I am picking on your posts lately..trust me I am not singling you out, I've got better things to do. Thanks for picking up on my typo though, it's good to know that there is always someone out there to police these pesky things as they truly are quite a nuisance. The whole Missouri thing...that one seems to have gone over your head just a wee bit. Just for future clarification, Mr. De Groot is my father, I responded for him becasue he doesn't read these forums. I'm assuming that Ronald Weiner has something to do with ASE, I guess I'm impressed that you know such a fact if that"s the case.





Inertia switches...yes they can go bad and I don't doubt that goegraphic location has a hand in it. My main point is that in 20+ years of doing this I have only repalced 1 that was an actual switch failure, to me that says that this part has a really low failure rate and it is my professional opinion, whether you care for it or not, that by tripping the inertia switch and then resetting and having the vehicle start does not prove in any way shape or form that the switch itself is to blame. Is it possible that the switch is bad? Absolutely.



What I have seen on more than one occassion though is the connector at the switch become melted. By the time this is discovered it has already damaged the switch and everytime I have discoverd this the root cause of the failure has been high current draw from a defective fuel pump. Could other things casue switch failure? Sure. Could the switch just fail? Sure. This is an automobile anything is possible
 
I've always known Missouri as the "Show Me" state, and I'm not from Missouri! :haveabeer:



Although I do not have the automotive experience as some of the posters do, I have seen more problems with bad connections than actual failure of parts. This is especially true in marine environments that I AM familiar with. It usually results in heat buildup wherever the bad/corroded connection is.



Now, back to the original post... When this condition happens, grab a multimeter, and do some quick checks. Is there power going to the shut off switch? No? Then the problem is before the switch somewhere.



Is there power leaving the switch? Does the power come back on after the switch when the reset button is pushed? Clean up the connectors on both sides of the switch and check for melted looking wires. Use some contact cleaner to make sure the connections are all good.



If the switch seems to be ok, and power is getting through it, then move on down the line. What's left after that? The fuel pump itself and the wiring to the pump. Hard to get a probe on the pump itself because it's on top of the fuel tank. Do you have an amp meter, or could you get one from someone? Measure the amp draw of the pump when it's running from the wires going to it. A high amp draw may indicate a fuel pump going bad. However, I have seen one case of a bad fuel pump when it was not drawing a lot of power.



As you can see, troubleshooting intermittant electrical problems are probably one of the hardest things there is to do. You have to be a detective. Like Holmes mentioned, "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". :supercool:
 
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Finally got stranded about a week after I posted. Fuel pump has been replaced and I have no more problems - other than having to pay for a fuel pump replacement the week before Christmas... :(



Thanks to everyone who tried to help!



-Zim

 
Glad I came over here again. My 2001 is having the exact same issue where it cranks fine. The only reason I hesitated with the fuel pump is once it got started it worked with no problems at all. Tonight, of course, I am on my way out of work and suddenly it refuses to start. A relay seemed more likely, but with the information you have all provided I suspect I should plan on replacing the pump in the near future.



Thanks for the tips and recommendations.



-Alex
 

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