Fuel Shut-off Switch

[LB]

Last night I was on my way home when my truck starting to "lose power." After about 30 seconds of this pulsating effect on my dash my Trac came to a complete stop. Thank the Lord that I was in the parking lot and not in the middle of a left turn across that intersection!



We went ahead and pushed it into a parking spot so that I could think about what to do, or what was going on. A few months ago on Interstate 55, my Trac did the same thing. I remembered it was the Fuel Shut-off Switch. Sure enough, I checked the connection under the glove box and sure enough- it was loose. Connected it back and everything worked fine.



This is the second time in 8 months that a passenger in my vehicle has kicked (disconnected) the damn fuel shut-off switch. The first time it happened I had to get the check engine light turned off by Service. Has anyone else had the problem of passengers "disconnecting" this? Why would Ford install this there? It's purpose is to RESTORE fuel into the line if an accident occurs, not cut it off. I would assume they would put it there in the case of needing to CUT it off, for convenience, but not to restore. What do ya'll think?

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I have heard of this complaint on a few rare occasions. I have seen where the Inertia Switch itself has gone bad and either had a poor connection not allowing the pump to run to it's potential or not run at all. Reseting it was not the fix, it needed replaced.



You may want to replace the plug ends to ensure a good connection...

 

[LB]

Thanks Coastie. Will ask Ford about it this morning when I go get my Trac!

 

[Mark Grumpy]

I'm confused :unsure: I thought the switch was to CUT OFF the fuel in the event of an accident/rollover to shut off the engine. Then to RESTORE fuel flow upon repair. No???



grump

 

[Todd Z]

Grumpy you are 100% correct... The inertia switch is there in the event of a serious enough accident or roll over, it will shut off the gas to the engine....

Then you manually reset the switch once the repair is complete..

Todd Z

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Grump, you are correct. It is an inertia switch. It requires a serious bump or rapid stopping to activate the switch. However, every now and then they have connection issues and can really screw with you....

 

[Ken Crockett]

This has happened to me 4 times now, I think. The first was last year at the Grand Canyon; the ST only 3 weeks old. Not knowing what it was, we had to have it towed back to Flagstaff (AZ). My wife and kids were stuck at the GC overnight while I was in Flag. (Fortunately, everything but the extra Hotel nights was covered under warranty).



In my case, it is actually the wiring harness that is attached to the Fuel Reset switch that is accidently kicked off by the passenger. All the power to the fuel pump runs through that harness. When it is becomes disconnected, the engine starves for fuel and dies.



I agree, it is a very poor design to place this harness and switch where it so easily can be unintentionally disabled. Fortunately, it is very easy to fix. Sure is frustrating, though.

 

[Doug Watts]

Anyone have a pic of this? Maybe it's not my fuel pump after all.



edit: I just checked the connection and it was tight. I disconnected then reconnected the clip just to be sure. And there wasn't any corrosion on the contacts either. So much for the easy fix.

 

[LB]

Hey Doug. I'll get you a picture this evening. I'll email it to you as well. LB

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I have seen many of these fail internally. Keep in mind it is nothing more than a spring loaded connection that hold a plate up agaist the terminal extensions. To test this, the next time it fails remove both wires and put a jumper wire between them. If it starts right up then the Inertia switch is probably at fault. If not, you have to go back to the relay and test the output for voltage and amps. If it is a relay you can still get 12 volts but not enough amps to push the volts....