1971 D-jet won't start, fuel pump won't activate, should I be afraid...check out the fuse... Options

[potomacmidget]

Hi All,

It was a nice day today outside of D.C. and I "tried" to drive my teener to work but it would not start. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

Later tonight I came home and tried again (it has been running fine last week). I noticed that I was not hearing the fuel pump come on with the turn of the key. I pulled the relays and replaced all three on the board with ones known to work (they took a trip through the headlights first as a test). Still it would only crank - no fuel pump. I then pulled the fuse and found it melted, but it did not blow cleanly. It sort of collapsed. I replaced the fuse with a 25 amp one and verified that the blower fan was working for heat, but when I crank at the ignition still no fuel pump energizing.

Do I access the fuel pump and put 12 volts on it directly and see if it runs? Could the pump be fried? I hope I have not done any wire damage. This is a bone stock D-jet from a fellow board member who turned over a nice car to me....never had any issues with it. Any and all help appreciated.

thanks,

Reg

[BeatNavy]

I don't think it could hurt to carefully put 12v directly to the pump briefly to see if it will run. I hope your ECU is not fried.

Where in MD are you?

[69telecaster]

Looks like a bad connection at the 'top' end of that fuse.

[TheCabinetmaker]

Did you check the aft fuse on the relay board? If the lead from the aar shorts out it will blow that fuse.

[Spoke]

Don't know why the fan works and pump does not but you should clean the connections of the fuse.

If you get oxidation/rust between the fuse and the holder like it looks, all current goes through a much smaller portion of the connection causing high resistance which can get hot and melt the fuse.

Try cleaning the fuse holder with fine sandpaper. If the holder is rusted/oxidized it could be that there's some voltage drop in the holder and enough voltage to run the fan but not the pump.

[potomacmidget]

Did you check the aft fuse on the relay board? If the lead from the aar shorts out it will blow that fuse.

Thanks - no I did not check the next fuse - I will tonight. Thanks.

Also -thanks for all the replies - I may need more help here....

thanks,

Reg

[warrenoliver]

Reg,

I just replied to another post about Djet problems possibly related to the relay board in the engine compartment. I wonder if you may be having the same issue with a loose connection of the fuse holder under the relay board.

Here is what I wrote.

My 73, 2.0 used to do something like what you are describing. Along with a good tuneup, consider the relay board in the engine compartment. Mine had a loose connection that I could not see because it is covered with the backing material under the board. Mine would act up when it got warm and would cut out on me and at first would allow me to restart after cranking for a while. After a while, it got bad enough so I sometimes couldn't start it until it sat for a few hours and completely cooled the engine bay. The loose connection on mine was one of the fuse holders. I got a replacement one from a friend and it fixed it. Later, I scraped all of the backing material off the original board and found the loose post that was corroded.