Fuel pump / relay? 93 Festy

[budthedog]

3 weeks ago my relay went out, or so I thought. All I have is the Haynes manual & it's not the best. I checked prices at Advance, Autozone & NAPA, NAPA was the cheapest at $34. I got the new one & it started up fine, so I just moved the car out of the coveted spot in front of the garage & packed the van for vacation. Came back this week & went to use the Festy. It started up & ran for maybe 30 seconds, then died & won't start again. I never heard of anyone guaranteeing any electrical parts, in case this new relay went bad right away. Is it possible that it wasn't really the culprit to begin with? During my original "diagnosis", I jumped the 2 big wires going to the relay & the pump kicked on, that led me to believe the relay was the problem. I've done nothing since the second failure, it's just too weird. Going fishing today, maybe think about it more. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

[FestYboy]

check the resistance on the "small" side prongs of the relay, it should be around 80ohms. next, check for voltage at both power sides of the relay socket (power to relay and to pump), then check ground at relay socket. power should be battery voltage with the key on, and ground should be less than .5ohms to ground.

[miami man]

the way it use to be is they would exchange it for the exact same part and that keeps someone from trying out an electrical part and if it was not the problem trying to get their cash back.

[budthedog]

I went out yesterday to try this stuff, makes me feel older than Methusela between not being the contortionist I used to be & can't see that well anymore.
There's 12V coming from 1 big wire, there is in fact a ground there & continuity between the 2 side lugs. Just for fun I reconnected it & it started right up like new. Now I can't trust it? Could there have been an air pocket? I sure ain't taking it into the city today, maybe just short local trips for a while til it regains it's former status of trustworthiness.
Thanks for the help guys.

[budthedog]

Well I drove it out to the camper this weekend & it failed me again. Now aside from no power to the pump, there's no spark either. It didn't help any that there's an irrigation system right there & the farmer turned it on while I had the hood open & my back was turned. I pulled the dist. cap off & it was very badly corroded, looked like battery terminals in there. No spark from the coil either. Does the fuel pump relay have to be plugged in in order to have spark? I had jumped 2 leads from the relay to get the fuel pump running. Maybe this blew something in the ignition circuit.
I never did learn much about these newfangled cars with electronic ignition & fuel injection.

[25Horseplay]

It might be a bad distributor. The distributor sends the signal for the injectors to pulse. If it was bad you wouldn't get gas or spark.

[budthedog]

Thanks Brian. I'll check the manual for a test procedure. Do you know if there's a module in the dist. to be replaced or will I need a whole distributor?

[25Horseplay]

There is a module, I am not sure if its replaceable. I just changed the distributor.

[miami man]

what part of ilinios are you from? maybe someone here on the forum is near by to give you a hand

[zrice88]

There is a module in the distributor and it is replaceable, but it is a PITA. I replaced the one on my dad's '91 and it was not fun.

[FestYboy]

^^ also it's expensive!!!! check your fuseable links first and then all your grounds....

[budthedog]

I've searched this thing all over for loose grounds & bad links & fuses. Had a problem with an Escort years ago that came from 1 little ground screw that rusted loose from the inner fender well. Caused the battery to discharge while sitting. My festy doesn't appear to have any unless they're under the dash, which I can't see or get to due to advancing age (mine, not the car). I wouldn't think there'd be a rusted loose ground under the dash but that may be what I get for thinking. I found a cheap dist. on ebay, I'll try that. Makes sense, maybe my relay wasn't the problem in the first place. I will have a spare if that's the case.
Lucky for me I'm not in any real bind, since I'm semi-retired & don't absolutely have to be anywhere any particular time. Still got the wife's car, a full size van & the Harley to get me around if needed. I just love not having to buy gas any more than necessary...

[budthedog]

Eureka!! It was the distributor! Thanks for all the advice, guys.