fuel problem?

[Tyrret]

drove explorer home last night went out this morning and it will not start it just rolls and rolls undid the air hookup at fuel injection sprayed in starting fluid started right up then died would only start with starting fluid run till gone then die. It had not problems before this. fuel pump? fuel relay? fuel filter????????

 

[gmbroy]

When you first turn the key on do you hear the fuel pump come on for a few seconds??? You can check the fuse under the hood on the passenger side in the power distribution box . do that for starters .

 

[Roadrunner777]

If this happened to me on the side of the road with no tools and little time, I would start with this:

1. Swap the fuel pump relay for any other relay in the box. They are all the same. Pull the fuse and eyeball it while you are there. The owners manual tells you which one.

2. Locate the thing that looks like a tire valve stem on the fuel rail and poke it. This will be a rough indication but a good beginning. If, after turning the key on, it is dry, you are not getting fuel.

3. Indeed, listen when you turn the key to the on position for a one second whirring sound.

Tell us what you get... we can go from there.

 

[Tyrret]

Fuse is good,fuel relay is good, no fuel at fuel rail, no sound of pump, hooked up actron code scanner got system pass code.

 

[gmbroy]

First thing check the inertia switch on the passenger side under the heater box & see if it is tripped . If is not check the wires at the fuel pump connector close to the rear of the fuel tank should be 4 wires . check the pink & black wire for power . have someone turn the switch on you should have power for a second or two . if you do & the pump isn't running then you have a bad pump . you can use a dead blow to hit on the tank while someone turns it over & sometimes it will start . Also all pumps are not created equal!!! Id use Bosch or Delphi . But be careful hitting on a plastic tank !!! This is just in case of emergency !!! I am sure roadrunner will have you some good ideas also . I value his opinion a lot .

 

[larrydd999]

My '86 F-150 has the same issue - in my case it's the park/neutral start switch. It sometimes starts with the shift lever in the park position, but if not it always starts in the neutral position. One of these days I'll fix it...

 

[Wolfie_85]

Mine did this, but it was just the fuel pump relay. Perhaps your fuel filter is just very clogged? If you hear a whine when you turn your key to the ACC position, this could be the issue.

 

[Wolfie_85]

Oh, my bad. You said you didn't hear the whine. I'm going with the inertia switch being tripped or *gulp* fuel pump if all else checks out.

 

[Roadrunner777]

gmbroy mentions the inertia switch, you should check that next. Not that it fails very often but it's really quick to check. As mentioned, it is under the carpet in the front passenger footwell. Pull the carpet back, you should see it easily, and there is a reset button you can press. I will add a picture later today.

 

[Roadrunner777]

Assuming the inertia switch is ok, I am going forward with the diagnostics. You need to check voltage at the pump. gmbroy described the power connection to the pump already. The problem is that the pump only runs for one second after the key is turned to on, so how do you check it? If you have a friend handy, then you have them turn they key while you watch your test light/voltmeter, whatever you use.

If you don't then there is a way to jump a connection to make the pump run continuously if the key is on.

This is your ODB-IV diagonostic port, if you have not found it already. It is either loose like this or it is attached to something in the general area.

Now, get some wire and ground the fuel pump connection. The hood has a nice handy grounding strap for you. Next, turn the key to ON. This will command the engine computer (PCM) to run the fuel pump continuously.

Now, connect and disconnect, listen for the relay to operate, listen for the pump, check voltages. Tell us what you find!

 

[gmbroy]

Road runner That trick with the odb connector is a good one . Didnt know that !!! :roll: Still learning . Things like this is why this forum is really helpful .
Check that voltage out & let us know !!!

 

[Tyrret]

thanks for the info guys got power back to pump but still no start. I don't have the all the tools or space to drop the tank easily, how hard is it to cut a access hole in from the top with air shears to replace the pump? Does it make sense to try or just send it to the shop

 

[gmbroy]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1629438&postcount=1
This is a link on how & where to cut an access panel . I wish you luck with this .
I personally think it takes less tools to drop the tank . But I have been working on cars my whole life . You will need a tool to release the fuel lines it costs around $5.00 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...22-w83114/9020004-P?searchTerm=fuel+line+tool

This link should be the tool you will need

 

[Roadrunner777]

It took me about an hour to cut the access hatch... another hour to get past the connectors and an hour to wrap it up. I used a cutoff wheel to make the cuts, and be careful to keep it shallow. There isn't much space for mistakes.