Well I am new and a girl....

[LunasTick]

Okay, let me get it out in the open that I am female and as such, I don't know too much about vehicles, but since I have had this 1991 Explorer, and my Honda, I am learning more than I ever wanted to know.

Here is the most recent problem with our Explorer. The fuel pump is not getting power. I checked the inertia switch and it had not been triggered. Then as a test I bypassed the relay, and the intertia switch and lo and behold the fuel pump kicked on!!! So, I would love to test the connections between the inertia switch and the fuse box, but the inertia switch is fastened to the firewall.

If it is the relay like I suspect, I can't locate it to replace it. Does anyone have any idea where this stinking thing is? If you do, let me know. Thanks! I appreciate it.

 

[Hokie]

Sorry, don't know where the relay is... do you have a Haynes or Chilton manual? I'm sure someone will chime in here

I just wanted to say welcome!

 

[LunasTick]

Thanks Hokie, I do have a Haynes guide, but all they seem to give you are schematics for the circuits and a description of what the relay does. No information on the actual location of the relay. But thanks anyway.

 

[Crankcase]

Check UNDER the power distribution box under the hood for the relay.

 

[Savage Wolf]

Welcome to the site, good to see another person from Maryland here, the relay if I remember right are in a black holder about 4-5" long on the pass side of the engine bay, just sort of hanging from the electrical harness (I could be wrong, cause only the 91 and 92 had the relays mounted this way, 93+ they are in the power dist block)

 

[SVO]

Check UNDER the power distribution box under the hood for the relay.

Welcome to the site, good to see another person from Maryland here, the relay if I remember right are in a black holder about 4-5" long on the pass side of the engine bay, just sort of hanging from the electrical harness (I could be wrong, cause only the 91 and 92 had the relays mounted this way, 93+ they are in the power dist block)

Yes they are correct, to be more specific, they are located under the hood on the passenger side, under the power distubution box (fuse box), they are a bit difficult to get at but not really that bad, it is very common for them to get wet and rust/corrode and stop working, as this was the case for my Navajo.

Welcome to the board, hope you enjoy your stay here.

 

[Crankcase]

That is funny Jeff..using a pic you took of a for sale X for reference....

 

[SVO]

That is funny Jeff..using a pic you took of a for sale X for reference....

Trying to be resourceful.

 

[LunasTick]

Thanks for the help everybody. To update: Replaced the relay and the fuel pump still will not engage. We have power to the rest of the truck, just not the friggin fuel pump! GRRRRRR!!!!!!! So far we have put approxamately $3000 in work on this truck (including new heads back in May) and now this stupid little electrical problem that has us completely baffled. The dash comes on and it cranks like it is out of gas but it has almost 3/4 of a tank! I am so frustrated. I guess it would not be so bad if we were not still making payments on this money trap! I love having an SUV, but this is just silly. I have been told that if it was the EEC, nothing electrical would come on, not to mention the engine would not be able to make the attempt of turning over. I was told that if the EEC was bad, there would be nothing more than a click and that is it. But that is not the case, and we bypassed the relay and the kill switch and the fuel pump engaged. Having replaced the relay, it still won't engage. GOODNIGHT! I hate my luck with vehicles!!!!!!! :fire:

 

[SVO]

Thanks for the help everybody. To update: Replaced the relay and the fuel pump still will not engage. We have power to the rest of the truck, just not the friggin fuel pump! GRRRRRR!!!!!!! So far we have put approxamately $3000 in work on this truck (including new heads back in May) and now this stupid little electrical problem that has us completely baffled. The dash comes on and it cranks like it is out of gas but it has almost 3/4 of a tank! I am so frustrated. I guess it would not be so bad if we were not still making payments on this money trap! I love having an SUV, but this is just silly. I have been told that if it was the EEC, nothing electrical would come on, not to mention the engine would not be able to make the attempt of turning over. I was told that if the EEC was bad, there would be nothing more than a click and that is it. But that is not the case, and we bypassed the relay and the kill switch and the fuel pump engaged. Having replaced the relay, it still won't engage. GOODNIGHT! I hate my luck with vehicles!!!!!!! :fire:

That is incorrect infor about the EEC VI (PCM), it has nothing to do with the vehicle cranking.

If you bypass the relay and inertia switch and get power directly to the pump and you can hear it run (fuel pump), try starting it, if it starts and runs, there is a short or bad spot somewhere.

If the pump comes on and the vehicle will not run after cranking it, then ther-in lies another problem.

If you power the pump and the pump doesn't come on, the pump is bad.

 

[LunasTick]

That is incorrect infor about the EEC VI (PCM), it has nothing to do with the vehicle cranking.

If you bypass the relay and inertia switch and get power directly to the pump and you can hear it run (fuel pump), try starting it, if it starts and runs, there is a short or bad spot somewhere.

We did bypass the relay... we put a wire in the fuse box and then connected it to the wire coming out of the inertia switch but going back to the fuel pump and the fuel pump engaged. We bypassed both the relay and the inertia switch and it engaged. Well we just tried it again and tried to start the truck and now we get nothing. Damn. I think we made the trouble worse than before. I don't know what to do we are 500 miles from home and we have put everything we have into this darn truck.

If the pump comes on and the vehicle will not run after cranking it, then ther-in lies another problem.

If you power the pump and the pump doesn't come on, the pump is bad.

:sad:

 

[jeff96]

you have payments on a 91 explorer?

 

[SVO]

:sad:

I didn't miss that part but I was making sure, we were on the same page.

 

[LessDirty]

I hate to crash the thread.......but SVO, your close to Camron aren't you. If so PM me please, I have family up your way that I am SURE you know.


Lee

 

[DeRocha]

How are you tapping into the Fuel pump circuit to test for power?

 

[Guys]

That is incorrect infor about the EEC VI (PCM), it has nothing to do with the vehicle cranking.

If you bypass the relay and inertia switch and get power directly to the pump and you can hear it run (fuel pump), try starting it, if it starts and runs, there is a short or bad spot somewhere.

If the pump comes on and the vehicle will not run after cranking it, then ther-in lies another problem.

If you power the pump and the pump doesn't come on, the pump is bad.

I'm having pretty much the same problem with my 97 explorer ( got no fire to the fuel pump and no fire to distributor ) but I think my eec relay is somewhere around my steering wheel but haven't located it yet so hopefully if someone helps you that it might help me ,dogwood luck and if I find anything out I'll be sure to relay any information I can

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I'm having pretty much the same problem with my 97 explorer ( got no fire to the fuel pump and no fire to distributor ) but I think my eec relay is somewhere around my steering wheel but haven't located it yet so hopefully if someone helps you that it might help me ,dogwood luck and if I find anything out I'll be sure to relay any information I can

welcome to EF!

 

[410Fortune]

this thread is from 2004 and is dealing with a 91 Explorer which is a generation 1
Your 97 is a generation 2
The EEC relay and fuel pump relay are under the hood in the fuse box, not by your steering wheel