Intermittent Fuel Pump Problem

[turbojohn]

I'm a new owner to a 1988 Ranger (4WD 4 Cyl) The fuel pump stopped working for a few days and then started working fine again for a couple of weeks. Now it has stopped again. It has two pumps. I've re-set the safety switch under the dash and that doesn't seem to be the problem. I'm not sure which pump is causing the problem, or if it's an electrical issue somewhere else??

 

[snake]

Its pretty common for the fuel pump relay to cause an intermittent problem like this. Swap it with another in the box and see if the problem comes back.

If it does, listen for the pump to "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT" for a few seconds when you first turn the key on. If it doesn't do it, lay on the ground and smack the hell out of the tank. If this causes the pump to run, replace the pump, as it is going bad.

 

[turbojohn]

We can't find the relay and the repair manual doesn't say anything about a fuel pump relay, but it says there is a fusible link....which looks fine. We've tested for power at both pumps the other time it did this, when turning on the key and there was none.

 

[kunar]

We can't find the relay and the repair manual doesn't say anything about a fuel pump relay, but it says there is a fusible link....which looks fine. We've tested for power at both pumps the other time it did this, when turning on the key and there was none.

they always 'look fine' even if they are bad. the only real way to check is to use a multimeter to check continuity through the fusible link. the relay should be on the passengers side inner fender, there are 3 of them. ones for the computer, ones for the fuel pump, and i think the 3rd is for power windows. they may be under a black plastic cover...

 

[CJREX]

+100 on the relay.

I recently had a weird problem where my truck would kill the battery if not driven for a couple of days.

Everything checked/looked fine and I could not pinpoint what the problem was.

One day walked past my truck and heard the pump prime all by itself.

Relay was flaky. Problem fixed.