Fuel pump not running

V

Vendor Defendor

Out the window
Joined
Nov 25, 2002
Hello all,

I've been out of the Buick game a very long time, and for some reason or another I'm back (temporarily or permantly? I haven't figured out yet).

Anyways, I have a '87 Buick GN sitting in my drive way that has been sitting for a couple years now. Right now the main issue is that it will not start. I believe that it is an issue with the fuel pump. The car will turn over but I do not hear the fuel pump whine when I turn the key to the 'on' position. This is confirmed by the fact that the manual fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail is not showing any pressure.

Where do I start to solve this issue out? For some reason, I seem to remember that there was a way to manually make the fuel pump run... maybe one of those electrical connections that hangs down below the alternator was a jump for the fuel pump (for some reason I believe the black connector fed the fuel pump? green was a tach connection?) I wanted to confirm that too before just sticking a probe anywhere. What else could I check? I looked for a hot wire kit on the car but could not find one.

This car had a starter replaced in it a couple years ago. When they did it (it was a shop) for some reason they started messing around under the dash and started connecting and disconnecting things (such as the Pro-Pain kit, the radio doesn't work, scan master doesn't work, the boost controller doesn't work.. etc.)

This is a friends car that I am trying to help him out with. The car needs some work but is in overall good shape.

By the way, what happened to that website (I think it was) Turbo Regal? That place had a lot of good information. Is that information anywhere on the web still?
Thanks for the help.
 
Alright, I tried jumping that black connector behind the alternator and I can hear either the relay on the fuel pump click or the fuel pump itself click....Ideas?
 
My neighbor had a spare relay (I assume your talking the one behind the gas tank?) and that didn't fix it. The fuel pump/injector fuse is good.
 
Check the relay on the passenger fender....the one for the FP is the one with the grey connector plugged into it. The other one is for your radiator fan. The di-electric grease they used on mine at the factory had essentially turned into a tar-like substance that I believe was causing intermittant problems.
 
PLAINWHITE T said:
Check the relay on the passenger fender....the one for the FP is the one with the grey connector plugged into it. The other one is for your radiator fan. The di-electric grease they used on mine at the factory had essentially turned into a tar-like substance that I believe was causing intermittant problems.
Click to expand...

Mine was a gooey mess. The relay that I bought needed to be modified to fit correctly. I ended up having to cut one of the plastic walls off the end & then it fit fine. The prongs were all located correctly but the plastic part wasn't correct.

~JM~
 
Vendor Defendor said:
My neighbor had a spare relay (I assume your talking the one behind the gas tank?) and that didn't fix it. The fuel pump/injector fuse is good.
Click to expand...

Relay by gas tank? Is car hotwired? If so, try taking the hotwire out of the equation by un-plugging the connector from the factory harness from the hotwire at the rear of the car and plugging it back into the wiring from the sender. If you've still got a problem and the relays are good, you're probably looking at dropping the tank to investigate further.

Vendor Defendor said:
Does anyone know if that relay (passenger fender) is part number: 10038490
Click to expand...

Just went out and checked mine...yup...that's the one.
 
So, it's been a week or so since I've had a chance to work on the car. I replaced that relay on the fender and still no luck. Is it possible to run a wire directly to the fuel pump and determine if the fuel pump runs or if it's sieved (completely by passing the cars electrical system entirety?

This car might have a hot wire kit, it it does I can't find the fuse for it. There is a relay on the gas tank itself near the bumper, is that evidence of a Hotwire kit? I can take a picture of it if needed.

Thanks again.
 
The relay by the back fender is the fuel pump hot wire relay. You can check power there with a test light or volt meter. The red wire coming from front of car should be hot. If not the fuse is blown. That can be found by tracing the red wire on the alternator to the fuse holder. ;)

RL
 
I checked the voltage with a multimeter by disconnecting that connector on the gas tank after the hot wire relay and I got 7.5 to 8 volts. I've tried tracing the wire from the alternator to the tank and can't seem to find a fuse. There has to be one or at least a splice in the system somewhere because the wire changes from red to purple. The fuse is definitely not in the engine compartment and not near the gas tank. It seems to run under the car the whole way because I can semi trace it the entire length of the car, however I have not lift the vehicle to get a good look underneath yet.
 
I took a chance and ran a wire directly from a spare battery to the red and black wires that are running to the fuel pump and nothing. I am pretty sure this means the pump is shot?
 
Not necessarily. It could be the wires to the pump inside the tank. Pull the pump out and inspect the wires. Mine were burnt up, so I upgraded to a Racetronix pump harness.
 
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