My daughters 1994 Civic, 187K miles, died about a mile from home. I checked for spark-OK, and with a clear distributor cap, I can see rotor is spinning, and when I sprayed ether in air snorkel, it started right up and then quit. So no fuel....I don't see any fuses or the relay for fuel pump, so I figure pump has gone bad. Any opinions?? before I rip out tank and replace pump......

 

Do a fuel pressure test. That will tell you for sure.

 

check for 12volts at the pump with key on, if no voltage investigate the Main relay under the dash, more than likely just needs to be re-soldered

 

Thanks for the quick replies, I assume to check for 12 V at pump, I have to drop the tank/ or is there an easy way? I don't have a pressure gauge to check for fuel pressure.

 

do not need to drop the tank. remove the rear seat bottom.

 

Find the main relay under dash on my civic 88-91 they r on the left hand by the hood release latch. 92-00 I don't know

Once u there or find it check voltage on the black and yellow stripped wire I believe. If not on line there should be a wiring diagram or pin out for it to know for sure

 

On a side line possibility......

If you check fuel pressure and it's low, and you have a new fuel filter....

How do you discern if it's a weak pump or clogged lines from the pump to the front of the car where you check pressure at?

 

Turn the key to "ON" (not "START") and listen for a whirr (pump priming). No whirr, probably a bad Main Relay. Location of this is under the driver's side footwell, under dash, left of fuse box. Either replace or re-solder (google for instructions). These can go bad under hot conditions (solder expands and cracks -- known problem).

Whirr but no fuel/no start, could be a bad pump or bad FPR or bad fuel filter. Is there a CEL? Bad pumps can be erratic. Intermittent problems are a pain to diagnose. Sometimes the CEL indicates O2 sensor when this is not the case. Thankfully pump is very very easy to replace. Access panel is under rear seat. Bad pumps are rare but they do happen (guess how I know).