No fuel pressure '98 GT

[maktheknife]

Background story.

My son blew the engine in his '98 GT Wagon soon after we replaced a blown head gasket. Yeah, I know. He got a lecture that night. Anyway, we picked up a JDM 2.5 at a local importer. This was in Sept./Oct. last year. The car sat in the driveway all winter. We live in Northern NJ and the winters can be harsh.

Two weeks ago we pulled the blown engine out and this weekend the new engine went in. Double checked all the connections, fittings, bolts and nuts. Everything looked great. Topped off the oil and coolant. Cranked the engine a few times with the plug wires disconnected to get some oil flowing before firing the engine up. Okay, moment of truth...a slight sputter then nothing. Checked for spark, looks good. Pulled off the fuel supply line and gave the engine a small cranking. Nothing. Not even a drip. So today I did some probing. Opened up the fuel access panel and with my youngest son turning the key I could hear the fuel pump whine for a second or two. So I pulled the connector off and check the voltage between pins 1 and 4. With a digital multimeter I saw the voltage jump to 10.x volts while the key was turned then back down to zero. I believe this is normal (correct me if I'm wrong). So, with the fuel line still disconnected under the hood I took a 7.2v battery pack that I had handy and "hot wired" the fuel pump. The pump whined but still no fuel. I know it's only 7.2 volts but I figured I should have at least a little trickle of fuel.

Here's my question. Even though the fuel pump spins, is it possible that from sitting all winter the actual pump mechanism has failed? Or, could it be the Pump Relay. I'm hoping it's not the relay because that's next to impossible to get to.

Thanks for your help.

[green97gt]

well, i dont know enough to tell you what your problem is, but if you hear your pump going, that rules out fuses and relays. etc.

have you checked polarity?(i dont know HOW it would have been screwed up, or even is subaru pumps will run backwards...)

i had an old 280 that i had the fuel pump wired backwards.....

or maybe your lines are hooked up backwards? there are threee goin to the engine i believe...


good luck.

[maktheknife]

Thanks for that quick reply.

Yes, there are three lines connecting to the manifold. This being a father/son project, I make sure to teach him to label everything. Duct tape and sharpies come in handy for this. When I hot wired the fuel pump I tried both polarities and nothing. I even disconnected the fuel line at the fuel pump to rule out a clogged line. Nada. I just want to be sure it's the fuel pump before I spend my sons money. ;)

[green97gt]

your sure theres gas in the car? its not really worth mentioning...but weve all made dumb mistakes.

if you really want to rule it out, remove it and run power to it, and set it in a container of gas, or alcohol or..basically not water. and see if it pumps.

its odd that you can hear it running and get NOTHING.

[maktheknife]

To rule out the gas issue I dumped a 5 gallon container of gas in the tank.

I did find the problem earlier this evening. I pulled the fuel pump assembly out and removed the fuel pump. Hooked it up to a 12volt source and she spun like the tazmanian devil. So, I dried it off and blew into the pick-up side of the pump. I was able to blow air through but realized there are two small holes on the bottom, I'm assuming for pressure relief. Anyway, put my finger over those holes and nothing. So I looked into the outlet side and in there is a small rubber check ball. There's a small cage that holds in in place. A small tool pried the cage out and the ball didn't come out. It was stuck. Pried it out and now my blow test was successful. Put it all together and the motor fired up. Called my son at work and I could see the smile on his face.

I guess sitting over winter the small (3-4mm) rubber ball got very comfortable where it was.

Thanks for all those who replied.

[ouch1011]

Just FYI, that check valve is there so that the fuel pressure doesn't bleed off as soon as the pump shuts off. It could result in slightly longer crank times.

[maktheknife]

Yeah, I figured that was the purpose. I did replace it but I don't believe it's making a good seal now. The fuel pump will be replaced eventually but we're just happy to get the car back on the road.

[green97gt]

yeah, the wifes 97gt has that issue...when she goes to start it in the morning after having sat 8+ hours she complains, it will start, then sputter, she has to crank it again.....then it runs fine.

i imagine this is just whats left in the fuel rail being burnt off, then there is a gap, due to that checkball not seating properly...

i tell her to turn the key on for a few seconds, turn it off, turn it back on and start it...guess what...no sputtering...

like i said, this only happens after 8+ hours of sitting,she will go to work, and let it sit 5 hours before going to lunch, no issues.

sometimes its cheaper to train the driver... hahaha.

im just waiting for a prime sooby wrx/etc to show up at the local yards...

maybe im a cheapskate(no question) but if all you do is have to prime the pump in the morning, thats hardly worth turnin the wrench to fix it.

glad you got your car back on the road. how bout some pics?