'94 2.3 stick intermittent nostart

[supermonkey]

Ok,as above I have had a nostart issue for more than 2 years.Enine cranked,plugs fired,no fuel flow.Might start in 5 minutes,maybe the next day.A new $100 pump cured prob for a year or so,then more of the same.This time a $400 pump from ford (tech said it was bad).You guess it,1 year and kaput.For some reason,swappin the a/c and fuel pump relays sometimes worked,sometimes not.Then always not.Pissed and desperate,i probed the relay box's terminals and found a hot wire from the battery to the female connector at 6 oclock would start the pump.The connector at 9 oclock is a key on hot.I ran a jumper between the 2 and have had no issues for a week.I cant really find a downside to this unless you had an injector fire and bailed out with the key still on.Itdoes take the 3 second run and no crank signal cutoff out of play.

 

[Moreflying]

With the way you have that relay wired perhaps you should replace the relay with a new one and see what you get.

 

[supermonkey]

With the way you have that relay wired perhaps you should replace the relay with a new one and see what you get.

The a/c and fp use identical relays.either one would engage the a/c when it did start so I assume theyre both good.12 oclock was hot all the time and I think 3oclock was a ground..Near as I could tell the center slot was empty.Ive had this issue for ages.Usually it wouldnt even cough but sometimes would sputter and die which led me to believe it would sometimes pump key on but not in crank.I think the eec tripped the relay through the ground side.I'm gonna run with it cause I'm tired of being stranded at the worst times.

 

[Rogue_Wulff]

Most likely have a corroded or loose connection in either the constant hot, or ground terminal inside the relay socket.
Bypassing the fuel pump relay may get you by for a while, but can cause other issues to arise.

 

[J281v8]

I'll make a long story short, replace both the fuel pump and ecm relays. they are $14 at the dealer. If you need more info let me know. This plagued me for 8 years! Factory service manuals on ebay will smoke a chilton or a haynes any day. Jim

 

[DJ2.3]

I had the exact same problem with my 94. Replace the fuel pump relay with a new one and you should be good. Could it be that when the fuel pump starts to go bad that it could draw extra current and fry the relay?

 

[tomw]

I think DJ was on the right track. As a fuel pump ages, it draws more current. Over time, the points on the relay arm and base can get burned from that little bit of a spark when the circuit closes and opens. Add in the extra demand of a tired fuel pump, and you are on the way to relay intermittent operation and finally, failure.
Use an ammeter to determine current draw, and compare to the spec for new. If significantly over, consider replacing the pump as it will fail, probably when it is raining or snowing and you desperately need to get somewhere... Murphy has friends, you know...
tom

 

[Rogue_Wulff]

The added current draw can also lead to the loose/melted/corroded connections inside the box where the relay plugs in.
You don't list your location, but if you're anywhere that uses salt (or other corrosive materials) on the roads in winter, this can also cause the electrical connections to corrode thruout the vehicle.