Festy Fuel Problem--Help, I'm just a girl

[cyrus]

well she offered... <_< lol haha i'm curious now. let us know if you figure it out? gluck. not quite sure. you've checked all i would know to try. build up where the fuel enters the chambers to ignite?

[Pu241]

And I quote:

frankly, I've never tried to hide my perversion...

[Motoxpress]

Well NOW that you mention it Ddancing naked around the car may just do the trick (can't wait for the vid :hello1 Other than that I'm kinda stumped untill you try the VAF door open key in run to see if fuel pump is working.

P.S Sledge Hammer BAD!!!!

Good Luck , Will

[FB71]

And I quote:

frankly, I've never tried to hide my perversion...

busted! ops:

Keep in mind, that says nothing about inflicting my perversion on others!!

[kzbill]

Now if everyone that chimed in on the "dancing video" could be as "responsive" with the answer to Fishgodess' Festiva problem she would have it fixed in 20 min.

[fishgoddess]

I'm thinking if I can sell enough "Festiva Dance" videos, I'll be able to afford to take the car to get it fixed! lol

[cyrus]

Agreed! 5 bux a pop! Takers?! lol haha. Any updates on this or still the same?

[fishgoddess]

Ok gentlemen. In between sub freezing temperatures, and after I dug Festus out of the snow I tried the VAF door held open and key and it didn't help. I turned the key on and still the same thing. So this is what I have done, or know so far:

The fuel pump works. I've bench tested it and I can use a jumper wire to make it run. So I know that the fuses, and fuel pump relay are ok, and the trip switch in the back isn't tripped. Fuel filter is also good.

The crankshaft position sensor is ok. I've tried two different distrubutors on it and that is fine also. Also, I know it is ok because if I spray starter fluid in the air intake it runs. So if it runs with starter fluid then there isn't anything wrong with the injectors, timing, vacuum leaks, etc.

So the question remains...what else is there on this car that would tell the fuel pump to NOT send the fuel??? Bueller, Bueller, anyone, anyone...

[25Horseplay]

Have you checked all the grounds?

[fishgoddess]

I've checked all the ones I can think to check. Do you have a list of grounds? I even put some electrical connector goop on the connections I had concerns about. I just want to cry...

[FB71]

just because the intertia switch isn't tripped, doesn't mean it's any good. Do you have a volt/ohm meter?

[kned33]

fishgoddess,

It still could be the fusible link. I have a 91 festiva GL. Sometimes a car will start with a bad fusible link only to not start a minute later. Also check to make sure your positive terminal on battery is not arcing against the hood. this can cause your fusible link to go bad. If your positive terminal does not have a rubber cover it is a good possiblity.

kned33

blue 91 L
blue 91 GL
white 88 L

[fishgoddess]

just because the intertia switch isn't tripped, doesn't mean it's any good. Do you have a volt/ohm meter?

I do have one. But would it still pump gas if I jumper wired it? Because I can get it to pump out gas if I do that.

[fishgoddess]

It still could be the fusible link. I have a 91 festiva GL. Sometimes a car will start with a bad fusible link only to not start a minute later. Also check to make sure your positive terminal on battery is not arcing against the hood. this can cause your fusible link to go bad. If your positive terminal does not have a rubber cover it is a good possiblity.

Thanks kned33. I'll recheck the link and cover up the positive terminal. I got this car for my son in May. It ran for me for about two weeks. Then "poof". I've been trying to get it to run ever since.

[FB71]

OK, the fuel pump circuit is in two parts; a control side and a load side. The computer and VAF operate the control side, and the pump is on the load side. Let's look at the load side first...

Starting at the battery positive terminal, the fuel pump load circuit is part of the 25A Main fuse link, which feeds the ignition switch on the white wire. The ign sw controls voltage out to the black wire with white stripe (BLK/WHT). The blk/wht wire then goes to the 10A Engine fuse in the dash. From there, the blk/wht wire goes to the load side of the fuel pump relay. So, with the key in the run or start position, you should have 12v available. Use a headlight to put a load on that circuit. Connect one terminal of a headlight bulb to ground, the other to the blk/wht wire. With the key on, it should light up brightly. If it does, the circuit is good up to the relay. Now, the relay switches that power to the thick green/yellow wire. The thick grn/ylw wire goes to the inertia switch, then from there to the pump on the green/white wire. Jumper the blk/wht wire to the grn/ylw wire, and test the grn/wht wire at the pump connector, with the headlight and the key on. If it lights brightly, we now know that part of the curcuit is good. If it does not light, or lights dimly, we know we have have a problem in that circuit. If its does check good, we still need to check the ground to the pump. Don't forget, everything needs both power AND ground to operate. Use the headlight again, key on, one terminal to the grn/wht wire and the other to the black wire at the pump connector. If it lights correctly, then the ground is good.

Now, to check the control side, you MUST use ONLY the volt/ohm meter!! The headlight will let the 'magic smoke' out of the computer!! The black wire at the relay is a ground. Set the meter to ohms on its lowest scale, and check the resistance of the black wire to the body (be sure scrap away any paint where you probe the body). It should show less than 3 ohms for a good connection. Now, lets check the VAF signal. Proble the thin green/yellow wire at the fuel pump relay connector with the meter still set to ohms, lowest scale. Connect the other meter probe to ground. Now, have someone push open the VAF door while you watch the meter. Again, less than 3 ohms is good. If that shows a problem, you can disconnect the VAF, and jumper the grn/ylw wire to ground, and check the meter reading again. If it reads good now, you either have a bad VAF, or the VAF ground is open. The black wire at the VAF is ground. Check the black wire's resistance to the body. Again, less than 3 ohms is good.
The last thing to check is the computer output. Go back to the relay connector and find the black/red wire. Set the meter to voltage, 12v scale. With the key on, you should have 12v on the blk/red wire.

Hope this helps.