Car died while driving - Wont start - Fuel pump?

[rubydist]

the thing with the two red caps is what you are looking for - it also has a red button that you push in to reset it. (its not a relay, its a shutoff that gets activated by rollover or sharp bumps to turn the fuel pump off in event of crash)

a bad ccrm could prevent the fuel pump from priming also.

 

[HazMatt]

I see the red button/cap thing on the module but it doesnt press in any further. It's totally pressed in and wont move. Do I remove the red cap first? (The one on the module, not the two caps covering the bolts on the outside)

I cant do anything with the red button. It doesnt move.

 

[rubydist]

that means it is like it should be and has not shut off the pump.

 

[ViPER1313]

Come on people, instead of throwing out random parts that could be causing why not try and help troubleshoot the problem???

HazMatt - do you have an electric multi-meter that can read 0->12v? If not, please go buy or borrow one. Go into the trunk and disconnect the 2-wire connector that goes to the fuel safety cutoff switch that people have been mentioning in this thread.

For each of the wires (I forget which one is the voltage feed and which one goes to the fuel pump):

Hook one end of the multimeter up to a chassis ground (anywhere metal on the car) and stick the other into the connector, then have someone turn the key to the on position. The multimeter should read 12v for a second or two as the car attempts to prime the fuel pump. If you are not getting any voltage to either wire when you are doing this, you have a problem with your CCRM, something that feeds power or ground to the CCRM (such as the positive wire coming off of the battery leading to the engine computer), or the from the CCRM to the fuel pump itself.

If you ARE getting 12v at that connector, then you are most likely correct about the fuel pump being bad.

If the CCRM is dead or you are not getting voltage to that connector, you can hot-wire a fused switch inside of the car that will power your fuel pump directly off of the battery. Basically, + battery -> toggle switch -> connector in trunk for fuel pump. You can then see if your car will start with the fuel pump directly wired. This temporary solution will limp you around for a bit until you can track down the actual issue.

 

[HazMatt]

Thanks to the previous poster for saying what I had wanted to say for a week but didn't want to be rude.

I'll see what I can do about the voltage meter thing. I dont own one, nor know anyone who does. If I recall correctly they are also fairly expensive (considering ive never needed one before and if i bought one this would probably be the only thing id ever use it for). I'll see what I can do about testing the voltage this weekend on Saturday. Worst comes to worst I'd rather buy a working ccrm off here, and a new fuel pump, and say to **** with it and do them both.

At least then if something were to happen, I'd know its electrical/crank sensor (even tho i doubt its the crank sensor because that wouldnt disable the fuel pump)

 

[ViPER1313]

HazMatt - you can buy a cheap multimeter from Amazon.com for $7 with free shipping (might take a week to get to your house), Walmart and Radioshack have them for under $20. Worth every penny.

 

[HazMatt]

alright ill stop by walmart tonight and check it out. ill try what you said tomorrow and let you know the results. thanks.

 

[Mike Gallion]

My 93 did the same thing and it turned out to be the 10 amp underhood fuse. My coolant overflow cap was fried on the underside and smelled horrible. Can't understand why Ford engineers decided to tie that low coolant idiot light to the ignition circuit...

 

[HazMatt]

I bought the voltage meter but I have no clue how to operate one properly. Too many settings on this stupid thing.

 

[ViPER1313]

Set it to DC voltage. Usually its labeled DCV, and will have a bunch of settings (1000mv, 10mv, 20, 200, 2000) - set it to the lowest number above 12 volts - ex... if yours is labeled 10, 100, 1000 choose 10, if it's labeled 20, 200, 2000 choose 20.

 

[HazMatt]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Digital-Multimeter-10709/14521541?findingMethod=rr

This is the one I bought. It has a 12v battery type setting, but also, notice on the bottom there is 3 holes. 2 positive and 1 negative. I dont know which to use to plug in the prong stick things, nor which setting to use.

Thanks in advance.

 

[beasterman1]

I had the same issue. I was driving down the road, and the car stopped running, I dropped my fuel pump and tested it. It worked fine. Then tested for spark....I should have done this first. There was no spark. I checked the fuses under the hood on the drivers side, by the firewall and noticed the 30 amp eec fuse was blown. I figured out that the wiring harness by the firewall was touching the intake and blowing the fuse. I fixed the issue and the car drives again. Would hate to see you go through the work I did for a blown fuse.

 

[beasterman1]

I had the same issue. I was driving down the road, and the car stopped running, I dropped my fuel pump and tested it. It worked fine. Then tested for spark....I should have done this first. There was no spark. I checked the fuses under the hood on the drivers side, by the firewall and noticed the 30 amp eec fuse was blown. I figured out that the wiring harness by the firewall was touching the intake and blowing the fuse. I fixed the issue and the car drives again. Would hate to see you go through the work I did for a blown fuse.

 

[beasterman1]

sorry. didn't mean to double post

 

[HazMatt]

i already checked the fuses about a week+ ago. they were all fine but ill check again today.. thanks though.

i need to figure out how to use this voltage meter to test my power then i'm going to have to find out where the ccrm is located and then see if the coolant bottle sensor plugs into anything or if it just hangs from the coolant bottle cap and into the reservoir.

 

[HazMatt]

well i apologize for being a total tard. i checked the ign coil 10amp and not the accy feed one. the accy feed is blown. im about to replace and ill let you know whats up. thanks again everyone

 

[Mike Gallion]

Plug black lead into COM (common) red into Ohms/volts/mA/degrees F (right hand hole), Set the dial 3 clicks left (ccw) from top position (pointing at the 20) and ensure the AC/DC button is up (DC volts selected)
You are now ready to measure 0 to 20 volts DC! Follow the other guys recommended tests and good luck!

 

[HazMatt]

Thanks a lot Mike. Ima bookmark that for future use.

Does anyone know if the radiator coolant bottle sensor (the portion that hangs into the bottle) connects to anything inside the bottle or does it just hang inside of there and float in the fluid?

 

[HazMatt]

The car starts now but I think something is wrong with my coolant sensor. I had pulled it and I'm not sure if it plugs into another portion inside the bottle, but I reconnected the sensor and let it dangle into my bottle and it started smoking. I can leave it disconnected and drive it fine but I'd prefer my car to be hooked up the right way and working properly. How do I reconnect this wire so that it wont smoke?

 

[Mike Gallion]

IIRC the coolant sensor is connected to the bottom of the coolant recovery tank lid and tat is the place mine failed and scorched the insulating material on the bottom of the cap. There is actually a small circuit board located on the bottom of that cap and this is what failed on my 93 causing the no start issue. For what it is worth, I wouls replace that 10 amp micro fuse in the engine bay fuseblock. Sorta funny that it didn't blow with your coolant sensor smoking....

By the way, I still have the connector disconnected from my sensor. Just have to pay closer attention to the coolant level like we did in the 'old days'.lol