Hello 914 collective,

I'm in the process of searching the sites looking for a course of action, but I thought I'd add my own "car won't start" thread to the pile anyway. Maybe my thread will help someone else someday. The car is a 1974 with a stock fuel injected 2.0.

The car ran like a champ all day yesterday, we took it for a spin on Sauvie Island, three or four stops, got some great pictures. After the last stop we jumped into the car and I turned the key, didn't hear the fuel pump whirl but she did sputter to live and then as I gave her more gas to get her to idle she died.

Tried again, cranks, no fuel pump, no starting. It's like a dry cough.

Alright, so I messed around a little bit in the dimming light. I had no tools (lesson learned) and little know-how (self admitted). As it was getting darker and colder I finally made the call to have her flatbedded home.

So, to me this screams fuel pump, but could it be something as simple as a relay or even more embarrassing, a fuse? What would you check first, and where is the fuel pump relay located by the way? And is there an under the dash fuse for the fuel pump? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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...and the flatbed...

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for the hell of it replace the two middle black round relays in the relay board in the drivers front of the engine compartment and the rear of two fuses on the relay board with a 25 amp. That should get you going again.

Thanks George,

I have your tech tips book; I was going to look at that tonight. I hope it is just a fuse/relay problem. This problem also marks the beginning of my "stuff to keep in the trunk" list.

BTW I got a whole bunch of cool pieces from your new catalog this Xmas. I left it out inconspicuously turned to certain key pages. Thanks for the new reading material!

A few things can blow a fuel pump fuse and cause your problem: The heater and the AAR both get power from the same fuse and a short in any of these can cause a blown fuse. A common problem is having the power plug for the AAR touching the case intermittently leading to the short.
Check the fuse and the relays as George said first, its easier and a good start.

Thanks for the quick responses! I've got a much better idea of where to begin now. I'm glad I posted. I'll post an update (good or bad) as soon as I get out to the garage this week.

Hopefully I can get it back up and running before the long weekend!

So, now that the car and fuel pump are cold will the car still not start?

I'm back on the road again. You guys were dead on. A blown relay board fuse was the culprit:

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It took me longer to open the engine compartment than change the fuse out. She started right up like nothing ever happened. I was kicking myself for not knowing then what I know now.

Thanks for all of your help guys, I learned something new here: tow trucks are expensive, fuses are cheap. Yes it's a newbie lesson, but it's one I won't forget anytime soon.