Heres the situation. I was driving and started to get low on gas (did think i would run out) but my car up and died. Only thing i could consider is that i DID run out so i refueled with the help of some cute blonde girl. When i tried to start her up (the car not the girl) i got nothing, just cranking and cranking and cranking. I started checking things and noticed the fuel pump wasnt priming so I figured the fuel pump died out on me, took it out and hooked it to the battery and it turned on, so the fuel pump was good. Got a multimeter and checked the plug, wasn't getting voltage. so i checked the fuse in the underhood fuse/relay panel and my # 11 fuse was blown. So I replaced it and tried and it blew it again. I unplugged the fuel pump and and tried and it blew another. I unplugged the PGM-FI main relay and it didn't blow the fuse. I replaced the relay. Still blew the fuse. I checked the wire from the relay to the fuelpump plug and it got continuety(sp). both black and yellow/green. broke out the wiring diagrams and couldn't understand **** other than there was nothing on the #11 fuse under the hood. HELP any ideas at all??

 

go to the pumps wires at the pump at the tank, with key off, check for one wire to ground, on resistance of the meter, one should have a great low resistance connection less than 0.5 ohm, and the other should be open circuit, and should go 0.5 ohm or lower to battery positive, do this with the pump disconnected. the wire that has a good conenction to battery positive, should not have any resistance to ground at all, measured witht he battery disconnected, if it does have resisteance, then thats why the fuse is poopped, becuase the wire is shorted to ground, i am also curious, i did not understand correctly ont he post, so if you replace the fuse and turn the key on with the pump disconnected, does the fuse blow? if yes then you definatly have a short, if not then the pump motor is drawing too much current

 

i unplugged the fuel pump and it DID blow the #11 F/I fuse. but the wires are uninterupted, on the OHM setting it stays at 0.00 for both wires

 

so you are saying both wires read 0.00 ohms to ground, this is reading the wires that are not connected to the pump, but are on the car harness? is this with key off correct?

 

yes this is with the ley off, and i plugged one of the needles into my PGM-FI relay and the other needle into the plug that fits over the fuel pump plug (the female that brings the voltage) , then i did the same with the black wire from the relay to the female plug

 

i am sorry for not clarifying, i want you to take a test lead from one wire on the plug of the car harness where it plugs into the the fuel pump, and the other lead to a good ground, what do you read, on the other wire, do the same to ground, what do you read?

 

nothing, it's not getting power. at all.

 

ok i will spell it out clearer, we know there is no power there, set the meter to resistence, and place one lead on chassis ground, and the other on a wire that is supposed to go to the fuel pump, but is unplugged. measure resistance, NOT VOLTAGE. i am not trying to be mean or condesending, but if this is not understood or within your capabilities, stop and have a professional involved. i want you to check for resistance to ground, if there is a reading that is low, well if any reading, but i want to know what you get, then that means the wire that should have power when working normally, and when your measuring it should have a reading of OFL meaning it has an open circuit to ground, thats what we want on the power wire, because when your testing it with the key off, that wire should be connected to nothing, and should read open circuit to ground. and the other wire, should have a great connection to ground.

 

Ok sorry if i sound like an idiot, i probably am one, in the middle of working on the car i disengaged the E brake and forgot about it and it rolled down my driveway and into my neighbors yard and into their shed (missing their truck by a foot and a half) i don't know the termanology, voltage, resistance and all that jazz, uhm.. the wire from the relay plug to the fuel pump plug had to resistance. only when i unplugged the relay did the fuse stop blowing. the relay wire (white/black) to the FI/ECM fuse under the hood did have resistance, the meter moved about half way through and stayed there and when i touched a the frame it moved. i figure i need to isolate the white/black wire and make a jumper and stick it through, maybe that will help

 

ok when you say it has resistance, to what, gorund, or power side? and how much resistence. it sounds like yor using an analog meter, they usually have a needle you view, not a digital screen, and if thats the case, be careful if you accidentally ohm a control module you can fry it with an analog meter. i need you to take the time to view basics on electrical, and how to use a meter and theory of electricity, its not that bad, but unless we are able to communicate freely, i cant help you. simply here is what i want to know, take the fuel pump, unplug it from the body harness, the 2 wires that power the pump motor on the car harness we will call them wire A and wire B, take a lead from the meter and place it on good ground, and then take the other lead to wire A what is the resistence reading in ohms? repeat the same procedure, but place the lead that was on A and have it now on B. what do you get, finally a lead on A and a lead on B what do you get? do this all with the key off, and fuse installed, and the MAIN relay i believe you were removing, put the relay in befor any of these tests.

 

Ok
This done with the meter set to x1k on Ohm.
Wire #1 (yellow/green): When touching the plug on one lead and the other lead to a ground it had no reading at all, needle didn't move
Wire #2 (black): When touching one lead to the plug and the other to a ground it read 0.00, needle went all the way to other side.
Both wires: Had no reading.

 

ok great! thank you. so if the pump is not plugged into the harness, and you insert the fuse and try to turn the key what happens, does the fuse pop? make sure the pump is NOT plugged into the vehicle.

 

Yes when i turn the key the fuse does pop with the pump unplugged. but when i unplug the relay the fuse doens't pop, so obviously the short in the wire is past the relay right?, well i've unplugged all injectors and my PCM, and my idle control valve and it still poped the fuse so none of those are fried. i've checked each of the plugs to ground and all of them are showing full continuity so the wire is split and grouned somewhere in the harness, right? can you tell me where to start looking?

 

ok so if the fuse pops without the pump in, its notg a shorted pump, and according to what youve told me, one wire is ground, and the other isnt anything, which is odd, ok so what is the year and model of the car. what isnt making sense, is that you stated, one wire is ground, ok and the other is open circuit to ground, this doesnt make sense. so you should be able to find the wire i beleive you said was yellow/green? find its pin on the main relay, and unplug the relay, and then find the pin on the plug of the harness, and ohm that to ground, with the pump unplugged. i cant find good info for a fuse 11 going to the main relay, what is the year and model of your ride? this way i can look it up. i have a feeling, after the relay this circuit, it splits to more than the pump, on the same wire, and we need to see these components.

 

1997 honda civic EX, turns out the fuse is number 44 that i keep blowing, not 11. My manuel said 11 but my diagram says 44

 

ok the only break in the wire between the pump and the relay is the interface of connectors C401, and C555 these are pictured as placed where the flat intersection of the plugs is vertical, and should be in the drivers foot well, above your feet, to the left, against the wall, and this should be the same height or a hair higher up than the fuse box. look for this plug, and then locate the YEL/GRN wire and disconnect the connector, take a lead of your meter to ground, and the other to one side of the connector, and repeat the procedure to the other connector half. this will let you know which half of the wire your short is, so we can further this investigation. so this wire, is the power to the pump, whichever side shows a 0.00 dead short to ground, thats the side to chase, keep an eye out on this connector before you disturb it, look to see if the wire has rubbed through, or chafed on a metal edge. i am very sorry i dont know how to add pictures, i will try to enclose pictures of the pages, but i cant guarantee they will work. i think it did work, check for attached pdfs of the selected pages of what is your vehicle.