my moms festiva wont start

[brokenoak]

my mother has a 89 festiva w/ an electric fuel pump, there is no gas at the carb. or the fuel filter line . I can hear the fuel pump, when the key is turn on, it'll turn over but won't start . it will run while carb. fluid is into the cab. where do I begin finding outing why the car won't start ? I need help getting my mother back on the road. rc

[Damkid]

is it auto or manual? you say it has an electric fuel pump and a carb? carbed cars only have a mechanical fuel pump and EFI cars have an electric fuel pump

have you checked for spark?

there's a fuel shut-off relay thing (not sure of the proper name) located just under the rear drivers side speaker, you just push the button in to reset it, have you checked that?

just some ideas for you

[batstiva]

If it's carbed, then it has a mechanical fuel pump. Assuming it's stock. Have you tried pulling the fuel line going into the carb and, after putting the end of it in a bottle, have someone hit the key and see if gas squirts into the bottle? If there's nothing there, and I am assuming it has gas, and assuming it has spark, my next thought would be clogged fuel filter.

Especially since you say it will run on fluid sprayed into the carb.

[brokenoak]

thanks for the info. It's an auto and has an electric fuel pump. I tried pulling the line and hitting the key, but gas did'nt squirted out. I'll try the fuel shut -off relay by the rear speaker.
thanks guys! rc

[Damkid]

remember there are 2 gas lines, 1 is pressurized and the other is the return line back to the tank, so if you tried only 1 line, make sure it wasn't the return line (it'll help narrow things down)

[skeeters_keeper]

pretty sure all 89 auto's were EFI, and only EFI has an electric fuel pump, unless your from somewhere other than the states.


whether carb'd or EFI (though i'm pretty sure its EFI), pull the gas lines off by the intake and blow in them. you should be able to hear bubbling coming from the tank. if not you have a clogged line or fuel filter.

[brokenoak]

i bypass, the fuel pump , with another pump at the engine ,just to check if the lines were clogged/ gas was flowing to motor but it wouldn't , start, I can hear the the fuel pump in the tank when the key, is turned , but it wont' start. I there a relay or part that might not allow the, gas to be delevered. ? rc

[fastivaca]

Possible blocked fuel filter??

[FestYboy]

do you have spark? the fuel pump shouldn't run untill the ECU sees a crank referance from the distro. if there's no referance, there's no fuel OR spark. also note that the EFI festys need to see at least 32 psi at the injector for it to run properly. and connecting a pump to the pressure line after the one in the tank makes the new pump work very hard to flow the volume needed to create the correct pressure.

[FB71]

EFI Festies don't reference tach signal for fuel pump activation. They reference the FP circuit in the VAF. Aspire refs the tach sig from the dizzy.

[brokenoak]

thanks guys! I'll the psi at the injectors