Escort fuel pump dead

Nov 04, 2008 9 Replies

I have a 1997 1.6 escort. Just tried to start it (engine still warm), turns over but won't fire. No noise from the fuel pump when ignition first turned on, usually primes for a couple of seconds. Unfortunately the RAC only tow once, so couldn't risk being towed home in case I couldn't fix it myself, so had to have it towed to a garage (backstreet, not dealer)



Checked fuses & cut off switch, all ok.



Anyway, my suspicions are in order


1) Fuse box. Did have to bypass the rear heater a couple of years ago due to this.


2) The fuel pump it's self.


3) Fuel pump relay


4) ECU


5) Wiring loom


Is there anything else it could be? What sort of costs am I looking at for any of the above? Any opinions/experiences on what it's most likely to be?


TIA


I would power the pump using a lead direct from the battery to check if it is the pump or something else, put power to the black with a red tracer, the other wire is the earth .

Thanks, doing this pump powers OK. Garage not sure which relay is the fuel pump. Any pointers?

TIA

To a better garage? No.

The fuel pump relay on a post-'96 is shown as R3, coloured brown. In case you don't know, the relays are mounted on the back of the drop-down fuse panel above the driver's feet.

HTH

Chris

it is relay number 6, looking at the back of the fuse box/relay lump it is on the bottom row on the left , it is fed by fuse 33 (bottom left but one)

Thanks for this. Here is a picture

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is it the top left brown relay?

Not according to autodata, no. a little inspection will show where the appropriate wire goes to, power that and the pump should run

The relay and fuse panel layout was changed from '96 MY. What year is the one in the photo you have pointed to from? It looks like an earlier one to me from memory.

If you are really unable to identify the correct one (R3), why not buy a new one, then try it in place of every one that is the same colour. You won't damage anything; that is why they are colour coded.

Eventually you should hear the pump whir into life!

Chris

The picture looks like the autodata one. Autodata say they changed the fuse number from '95 on, so maybe that is when the change happened? It wouldn't take too long to check the wiring colours to the relays to find out which one it should be.

Thanks for all your help. Just spoke to the garage & it's a missing feed to the pump relay in the fusebox, so they're going to wire it out, exactly like I did for the rear heater a couple of years ago. A couple of hours labour at backstreet prices, so not too bad. I have got a ford TIS CD, & one of there technical service bulletins shows where the water leaks into the wiring loom & where to seal it, so I'll look at this & hope I may prevent any more circuits from going! If anymore circuits do go I'll strip down the box, clean, resolder & link where necessary.

Thanks again.

Dave

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