93 T bird getting no hum from the fuel pump
Asked by ErikG Apr 08, 2011 at 12:31 AM about the 1993 Ford Thunderbird
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My 93 T bird has been sitting for a couple of years. When it was last running (idling in an effort to keep parts in working order) it was left unattended for a short time and ran out of fuel. Now it turns over but won't start. Having sat now as long as it has there may be multiple issues, but it seems the first order of business is getting back the missing "hum" from the fuel pump when the key is turned to the ON position. I have checked the emergency fuel shut off in the trunk and that's not the culprit. The fuel pump fuse under the hood looks fine (I did notice the ignition coil fuse appeared to be blown, but would that have any effect?). I'm not sure what I'm looking for where the fuel pump relay is concerned, and I'm not sure how I should proceed in eliminating the possible causes for this silent fuel pump. Thanks in advance for any advice offered.
7 Answers
Because it's been sitting I wanted to eliminate other potential causes for the silent fuel pump before going ahead with a new fuel pump. From what I've read, tracking down a break in the wiring due to a rodent's activity is challenging and time consuming. So, again, I wanted to eliminate the simpler stuff first -- like maybe the fuel pump relay, though I don't know where to find it. Concerning the fuel pump itself, is there a way to test it separate from the rest of the system in order to know for sure that it's dead.
you say it turns over that tells you the wireing is ok,first thing letting it run out of gas was the wrong thing to do.have you checked for ignition fireing,.even if it is out of gas the tank still has some gas in it,which well be bad gas and will turn into a varinish like jell,best thing to do is drop the tank clean it out install new pump and sock filter that goes on bottom of pump.as for a fuel test unhook fuel line at back of the TB turn key switch on see if any fuel comes out.one other thing you can check is the ECM fuse if it is not blown your FP is bad.
In case someone with a similar problem/situation happens to stumble upon this thread I wanted to pass along that the culprit was simply the blown ignition coil fuse. I mentioned it in the initial post and that I couldn't imagine such a thing affecting the priming action of the fuel pump. A local mechanic told me he had seen a variety of blown fuses (seemingly unrelated) prevent the fuel pump from working. So with a new $3.50 30-amp fuse the fuel pump "hummed" to life and the car, despite sitting as long as it had, started on the first crank. To say I feel fortunate is an understatement.
Hotwire963 answered 13 years ago
Thanks for the update Erik. If I had seen the post months ago I would have definitely suggested replacing all blown fuses, just to be sure, and because it is the cheapest easiest and fastest repair you can make. Also, if you have electrical issues where everything seems to just go nuts, look for the " metal box breakers ". they can be replaced with the same amp fuses. I had some go bad and I would push the electric trunk release and the interior light would come on. Also the rear lights did not work even though all the bulbs were replaced. I told my son over and over again to do this and he eventually sold me the car for $350. First thing i did was replace those metal boxes with normal fuses and lights came on!!
As you have said,... There is no humm,..good thing you said that,... Just because there is no HUMM, it does not mean the fuel pump has collapsed,... In manyFords, there is a fuel pump reset push button on the trunk, or check fuse and fuel pump realay,..and yes, as we know, that we should never drive a fuel injection car in a gallon or less of fuel, since it really deteriorates the fuel pump, due to harder job and inadequate cooling is has been imposed to..
