Can’t find replacement fuel pump relay

[Jesseb302]

Hello, I have a 1991 Ford Explorer with the 4.0 V-6. I have removed the fuel pump relay and bypassed it with a wire and sure enough the relay is shot. That being said when I go to the parts store they pull up a relay that is not the same as mine. I simply can not find this same relay anywhere it is a 4 prong relay but the box has a little notch coming out the corner. Picture should show up. Anybody else experience this issue and if so any ideas how I can get a replacement ?

 

[Brian1]

The parts store relays are generic to fit a lot of applications so they don't always have the notch. You may be able to get an exact replacement at the Ford parts counter but the aftermarket parts store relays do work.

 

[Jesseb302]

The parts store relays are generic to fit a lot of applications so they don't always have the notch. You may be able to get an exact replacement at the Ford parts counter but the aftermarket parts store relays do work.

Awesome ! I really do appreciate your response I’ll grab the relay from autozone tomorrow and give it a shot.

 

[J_C]

Relays like this are often a lot cheaper at Rock Auto or Amazon. Autozone/etc parts stores usually want closer to $20.

It's not a problem if a replacement has a 5th contact blade inside as long as the relay socket has a 5th contact slot too.

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[CDW6212R]

Ditto, the relays themselves from the older 80's and early 90's Fords are the same internally. With few exceptions, you can make any of those relays work in any other connector, by cutting off the offensive part. Ford made them that way to make it easier to identify relay functions, the green ones are fuel pump relays(there is an exception on some Lincolns(I have had those).

As said, the aftermarket versions may not fit the connector due to various shapes of the outer housing. Fine, fix it by cutting that bit off. Ford engineers are idiots in most part, their decisions make no sense much of the time. The next generation of Fords in the 90's have interchangeable relays, and only two sizes(most of my Fords have those, and I like them the best). In the late 90's Ford decided to change the relay sizes again, I'm sure to stop people from swapping them over the models etc.

 

[Jesseb302]

Hey guys,
First of all thanks for the info I bought two relays and they both plugged right in no problem at all I did the fuel pump relay and the EEC relay just because I was already there. I have a brand new fuel pump in. My fuel pump inertia switch is pressed down.
I turn my key to on and I still don’t hear the pump prime. And it won’t fire.
I remove the fuel pump relay and put a Wire to bypass the relay and there is a air/fuel sound in the fuel rails. And I hear what sounds like a humming or gurgling noise in the fuel tank itself. But still not that typical whine noise of priming.
truck turns over strong simply not getting fuel. Any ideas of what I can be missing here?

 

[CDW6212R]

When you jump the relay, you are bypassing both the relay, and the trigger circuit. So likely the relay is not being triggered, which comes from the PCM and the through the inertia switch.

Test for power at the fuel inertia switch, and push that connector in securely. Have you checked the fuel pressure, it should show up just by turning the key on? The pump only runs briefly to begin with, you might need a 2nd person to verify it coming on. That's why checking the pressure is best, it doesn't need any other helper.

 

[J_C]

I replied to your other topic with some things to check.

 

[Centaurious]

I just replaced my fuel pump relay and the ECC Relay in my 94 and they look nothing like what is shown in the picture. What gives?