Fuel pump sporadic, clicks then dies

[broncfan56]

I'm in need of some advice. Last week the Galant started stuttering/bucking under boost levels above 10 lbs, I would let off the gas press the pedal again and all would be well. Yesterday the engine died due to loss of all fuel pressure. I hooked up the laptop today to test the fuel pump while the car was off. After a couple tries during which it didn't turn on at all, the pump then pushed fuel for about ten seconds with no problem followed by clicking from the fuel pump, and then died again.

I have swapped the MPI with 2 others with no effect, swapped the relay in the trunk (from rewire kit I believe) with no effect, and all fuses seem to be in working order, however these were done prior to testing the fuel pump.

Any thoughts on sensors or connections I should check? Bad fuel pump?

Fuel filter is clean, 6an lines, bosch 044 fuel pump running E85. Thanks for any help.

 

[iceman69510]

Condition of the ECU? Sounds possibly like a typical lost ground ECU damage issue.

 

[broncfan56]

I believe the ECU is in good shape but I will pull it tomorrow and look it over. I looked over all the grounds for the fuel pump and everything looks in order, or are you talking about another lost ground?

 

[rgeier11]

The ECU actually "grounds" the fuel pump circuit inside of the ECU.

 

[broncfan56]

Ok so I swapped the ECU with a working one and there was no change. I looked over my ECU and I can find no damage, everything looks great. Any other thoughts before I pull the fuel pump?

 

[5OF2k]

Ohm the power and ground wires for the pump circuit, from the ignition all the way to the pump and then through the ground side. Basically from power to ground. This will tell you if you've got any loose/shorted/broken wires to repai, and will also show you the condition and quality of your ground. If you need a diagram of the factory circuit, you should be able to find it in the service manual PDFs here on the org.

Hope that helps!

-Jake

 

[broncfan56]

I can do that in the morning, the multimeter I have is fried. Until then i wired 12 volts directly to the fuel pump (black wire with white stripe) and got nothing. If that is the correct wire that tells me the fuel pump is shot. Correct?

Again thanks for the help

 

[iceman69510]

If you supply 12v directly and it does not run at all (but seemed to indicate in your first post maybe it ran a little?), then make sure the ground circuit for the pump coming out of the fuel pump sender is good. I have seen flaky pump performance before due to broken/cracked/brittle wiring there.

 

[broncfan56]

Yes, after it initially quit on me I was able to use ECMlink to turn it on only for a short time then clicking, then it died and hasn't run since. I hooked up an external ground and 12v today and nothing. I pulled it and it has no sock on it, searched for the reason on here found that the sock was collapsing and was removed for that reason. Would this possibly cause the pump to fail?

Ordering a new pump tonight and all should be well. I will repost if that is not the case. Thank you everyone for your help.

 

[broncfan56]

Just wanted to update this and see if anyone could answer a little question as well.

I got back the the states sunday night, replaced the fuel pump with a new jay racing 044 and fuel filter Monday night. The car started right up, idled and drove fine until it hit 10 lbs of boost then fell on its face just like before the fuel pump died. searched the engine bay closely and the sensor on the throttle body with one green wire running to it (TPS?) had broken off the connector. I fixed that and the car is running like a champ, so of course I am all smiles. I put the car through its paces against my neighbors very impressive mustang. Sadly I lost, everytime from a roll, however the car held 28lbs flawlessly, never broke up once. Today was the best day I have had with the car by far.

Also the fuel pump that I took out that had failed was lightly covered in a chalk type white/light green gunk. Anyone know what this could be?

 

[acidrumz]

Running e85 does has its drawbacks. It gunks up like what you had mentioned on the old fp. I would regularly check your injectors also too.
One of my buddy lost major tuning time and $ on the rollers just to have a simple clogged injectors from running e85.
Just a caution on your behalf, yours might vary.

 

[ktmrider]

^^ Just to be sure it's not the E85 fuel that "clogs" injectors it's the alcohol removing gunk/inpurities from the fuel system. Unlodged floaters do not like traveling thru small orifices like injectors. It's also why folks suggest having extra fuel filters around when converting, first few tanks of E85 will douche the system out big time.

Also note alcohol is Hydroscopic, ie absorbs water. The "white stuff" in and around the FP is leftover from the water evaporating.