'74 2L Starts Then Dies, Never a convenient time... Options

[GregAmy]

Nice beautiful New England Day, heading off to the Manchester CT car show and...car won't start. Cranks, a few cylinders fire, then it dies. I cycle the key and hear the pump running and then stop (as before) and same thing: spits then dies.

I tried cycling the key a few times, with the mindset of building more pressure, and it spits a few more cylinders then dies. Even got it to rev a little bit with a half-dozen key cycles, but always dies.

Only other symptoms is that I noticed the last time I drove it earlier in the week it was dying when I put in the clutch. Was not consistent, only did ti a few times, but that was unusual behavior.

Stock 2L fuel injection, but with cold start and idle air bypass systems disabled; been running fine like this for the several years I've had it.

Checked all the relays, each works with the heater blower. Swapping them makes no difference (which I expected, given the pump cycles with the key). My guess is that however the pump is supposed to continue to run after releasing the key, it's not getting the power it needs (just a guess, I've not gotten under there with a voltmeter to verify). The wiring diagrams are not clear (to me) how that power is applied to the fuel pump relay.

Any way to quickly salvage my afternoon trip to the car show, or am I using my beautiful afternoon to swap the street car onto the lift for extended diagnosis?

40-yr-old electrics, gotta love 'em.

- GA

[GregAmy]

OK, I lied, couldn't stay away from it. Since I didn't make it to the car show I got the race car prepped and loaded and hit the street car again.

I asked my wife to crank the car over while I shot it with starter fluid, and to my surprise I can keep it running that way. However, stop delivering it the ether and it dies.

I don't have immediate access to a fuel pressure gauge, but I disconnected the fuel delivery pipe in the engine compartment and jumped the fuel pump, and it's delivering a good stream of fuel into my fuel jug.

To remind, I also jumped the fuel pump and tried to start it, same behavior. At this point I'm convinced it's not the fuel pump or control circuit.

How does this affect our thought process? What other failures in the engine management system would cause brief spurts of fuels then lack of fuel delivery?

Man, carbs and basic solid state distributor ignition sound so nice right about now...