Voidus

Hi folks,
I apologize if this has been covered before or if I am posting in the wrong place. I am new to this forum.

I have an 89 Accord LX with 2.0 carburetor. 142000 miles.

My fuel pump cutoff relay blows every time after running a short time. (behind fuse box under dash).

I have replaced the in-tank fuel pump, rewired the electrical connector to the fuel pump, checked all fuses. I have blown two new relays now.

I suspect it is a grounding issue or the line is shorting somewhere.

Before the relay fries I do get 12 volts to the pump and then nothing after.

Thank you for any advice you can give.

tamadrummer1120

It sounds like the B+ wire (power wire), is grounding out. If you are getting battery voltage prior to it blowing. Do you get battery voltage before the actual relay?? Obviously if the relay is blown you will not see voltage after it, but if you see no voltage before the relay, and it blows that relay, than it sounds like it is grounding out.

Voidus

I only tested the voltage once when it worked, and that was before I blew the second relay.

I am afraid to try the third new one yet as they are 65.00 a piece until I think the problem is resolved.

Do you think it would help to run a second ground from the fuel pump to a bolt in the trunk? I have heard of people doing this. Or drill a hole, sand it, and use a self tapper with washer and run a 10 gauge wire from the fuel pump ground to make certain it is grounded?

My main concern is to not blow another relay.

Thank you very much for the response.

tamadrummer1120

The fuel pump not being grounded properly would not cause the relay to blow, your circuit would just not be complete. Anything that can harm the ECU or another component will have some sort of circuit protection in it, like a relay. So something is happening that could potentially harm it. There is only a few possibilities. B+ wire is grounding out somewhere, which will trip the relay. A short to voltage, which would make the fuel pump be on all the time, so obviously not that. High resistance, which will make the fuel pump either work poorly, or not at all. Or an open in the circuit, and obviously the fuel pump is working, so it is not too likely it is an open, unless it is an intermittent open that keeps popping up. Seems how you do not want to waste another relay, and i do not blame you, I would go ahead and have the car off, and test the positive wire with an ohm meter, and see what the resistance is on that wire. And see if it is within specs. If that passes, then I would check the B+ wire for some kind of grounding out, like a part of the wire that stripped its insulation in one place and is hitting chassis ground.

There is a few ideas for you. Any more information on the situation can really help narrow it down.

Good luck!

Voidus

TamaDrummer, thank you for your time to help me troubleshoot this.

I got it going, and it appears to be stable. Only time will tell I guess.

I suck at auto electrical so did what I could.

I ended up running a second ground from the fuel pump and it's running like a champ. Starts every time. I did around an hour of tests, idling, stopping and starting the engine and driving.

Thanks again.

Jess

tamadrummer1120

No problem, may have been the ground was somehow shorting to voltage, but then again, I have never worked on an older honda like that. glad to see your up and running.

best of luck!

earl b

Could a faulty ground on the fuel pump cause a sudden condition where the starter cranks but motor will not start? Fuel pump and all filters were replaced in April. Car has 140k on it, other wise good condition.

trukcar

Yeah it could Earl.

Check the thread about replacing the main realy (thats where your fuel pump relay is).

My car has this same issue - and I replaced the fuel pump first. Found it was the relay...and now my battery keeps dying - yet with a jump the car cranks right up.

Main relay can be a headache - I would suggest re-soldering the points on back of it as opposed to buying one new [50-60 bucks]. Be careful not to bleed the hot solder onto another point....I think that my be my problem now....

- ride on -

earl b

How big of a PITA is it to locate, remove and replace that relay? I am an old BMW guy, and sadly I am lost on this Accord. The more I read different threads, the more depressed I started to get. I learned too much! It could be the fuel pump or the fuel pump relay or the distributor or the carburator or etc. Now I know enough to be dangerous.

I looked up above the fuse block behind the coin holder in the dash, but not knowing what I am looking for stumped me.

Thanks in advance!
Earl

earl b

Alright Honda People,
Ran through what I think may have been a zillion voltage tests and this is what I know now.
I have voltage from the battery to the main. From the main to the fuse block. From the fuse block to the line to the fuel pump...UNTIL I opened the access in the trunk and tested the fuel pump connector, which is dead. Since I don't have ramps or jackstands where I am, I have not been under the car to chase the line all the way from end to end.

The plus side is that it isn't the main relay or the brand new fuel pump. It is a sneaky little gremlin that lives in a 20 year old car. I just have to hunt him down and kill him, then corrent the work he has put into my car.

Thanks everyone for the assist. If anyone has any really cool ideas to use as a band-aide cure until I can get it in the air, I am wide open. The problem I didn't mention is environmental. I am in Yuma, AZ where it is 111 on a cool summer day and the car is in the middle of an asphault lot, forcing me to work on it in the middle of the night when I can touch it without getting 2nd degree burns!

earl b

Well, just got the Accord back from the shop. I was so VERY wrong about the reason for the no start issue. It seems I have a valve in the carburator with a hole in it. The mech said he could rebuild it for me for 1.5x the value of the car. I found some companies online who sell rebuilt carbs. Has anyone had any experience with a company called Import Carburators? Your good experience will lead to my new carb!

philadd

Back in the day I got a good deal on a new Webber carb. I installed that on my '88 Accord, and in the process I ripped out the majority of the vaccum lines, EGR, etc., since the Webber carb didn't need it. Man, did the engine bay get really simple after that.