1994 honda civic hatchback, 1.6L
Cranks, has spark, 12v to fuel pump at "ON" position and during starting attempt. No fuel pressure. Hotwired 12v to fuel pump and it pumps. Not sure why pump does not operate normally.

 

ignition cylinder could be faulty

 

Are you getting a prime signal to the fuel pump during key on engine off?

 

Fuel - Air - Ignition
The car cranks. Removed a plug and gets plenty of spark. Spray starter fluid in intake and car will start and run...for a couple of seconds. So there is ignition. It is getting air.
I checked for power at the fuel pump during the initial ON position of the ignition switch and get 12v for a second or so as it is suppose to (prime). When in the "start" mode there is 12v at the fuel pump.
Hot wiring- putting 12v directly to the fuel pump the pump runs and puts out pressure.

Absolutely needed the car to work yesterday. So, as much as I would like it to run the way Honda intended I wired the fuel pump directly to one of the 1/4" terminals in the fuse box that gets power when the key is in the ON position. I also put a fuse link between the power and the fuel pump for circuit protection. I removed the fuel pump connector from the fuel pump and kept it intact so I can use it later when I get around to fixing it correctly. Used two new wires and terminals for power and ground from the fuel pump. I also installed a relay and a hidden switch in the new fuel pump power wire so I can turn the power to the fuel pump OFF when the ignition is in the ON position and the car is not running. Its also a mild anit-theft device as the car won't start (ha ha) without fuel pressure.
The car runs perfectly. You can hear the fuel pump when you turn the key to ON and it starts immediately. Put a hundred or so miles on it yesterday and a dozen starts or more delivering pizza.

 

I don't see any mention of you resoldering or replacing the main relay, which controls the fuel pump. It is a known lemon part, but once resoldered it should continue to work for the life of the car.

 

My understanding after reading numerous forum bits and watching youtube videos on the subject is that if there is power (12v) getting to the fuel pump during the momentary prime when first going to ON (engine OFF) with the key and during start (cranking), that there is nothing wrong with the master relay. As a side note, I purchased a new master relay ($65) and tried that to see if it would fix it. The new master relay gave the same voltages as the original and the fuel pump still did not operate, so it was not the master relay. I returned the relay to the auto store and purchased the blade terminals, a 12v relay, wire and switch for $20 and put the other $45 back into my pocket. And as I previously reported, the fuel pump worked fine when hooked directly to 12v so that's when I made the decision to wire it through a remote relay instead of going through the master relay and the ECU.

 

If you had 12 volts on the wire going back to the tank the pump would run. Unless there is a break in the circuit right at the tank connections.