fuel pump or fuel filter?

background info. i changed the fuel filter about 6 or so months ago. recently my car wasn't working because i needed a new coil pack and control module installed. my battery was dead and my gas was basically on e and my car was just sitting for the last month. so today i get someone to install the new coil pack and icm. my batter is dead though, so he takes the battery out of his car, puts it in mine, and then afterward switches the batteries back and we do a hotshot with jumper cables. so, all is good my car has started(after having to press the throttle like a hundred times) and he tells me since its been sitting so long and the battery is low, leave it running for at least an hour so it can get some charge. well my gas is on E, so i go to the gas station, leave the car on, almost fill it up, ride around town for like 25 minutes, get home, leave the car on, go in the house, my neighbor tells me the car cut off, and now i can't get it to start anymore. the battery isn't dead, nor is the starter. anyways normally when i turn my key to the on position on the rear left side of my car i can hear gas spraying through the fuel pump, and today once i got home after the car cutoff i realized that i don't hear that anymore.
do you think thats a sign of a dead fuel pump, or clogged filter? i was guessing its a clogged filter since the car was sitting for a month with the gas basically on E collecting dirt. hopefully its just the fuel filter since thats easier and cheaper ot fix. what do you think?

You need to test the fuel presure at the rail for a proper diagnosis. Also check the fuses.

You need to test the fuel presure at the rail for a proper diagnosis. Also check the fuses.


thanks for the reply man. i really hope its something simple like a fuse. now you think the fuse for that is in the fuse box by the driver side door, or in another place?

well i checked all the fuses and they were good, even though none of them directly corresponded to the fuel pump.

Check the under hood panel also.

Check the under hood panel also.


okay i will. do you have any idea where this particular fuse might be located or a website where i can find it. its an 88 PA

some time when pumps go bad if you bang on the tank they will work again if that happens then you need to change the pump but if you have acces to a guage then test pressure

man this is driving me crazy. where is the fuel pump fuse/relay located? i cant find it anywhere. some guy said look underneath your hood, by the battery and there will be a black fuse box there, but i don't see anything. thats a picture of my hood in my sig, does anyone have a clue where to find the box that has the fuel pump fuse in it?

I would start by disconnecting the connector at the fuel pump and using multimeter to test for 12+V whille someone is priming pump with key to the run position. You should be getting 12V for 2-3 seconds tell me what your readings are.

This has to be the most frustrating problem ever. when i turn the key on there is no pressure(guy tested it by pressing a screwdriver on it). i check the fuses and find out one has popped. i don't have any spare fuses so he puts a piece of aluminum foil around the fuse, puts it back in, i turn the key on, i hear the fuel now, he places the screwdriver back on nozzle thing and there is pressure. i think everything is fine and since my batter had to be jumped again i let the car run for a good amount of time outside, like thirty minutes later i go outside and my car is off and won't start back up again like last time. i think, well maybe the temporary fuse finally wore off, so i go to the auto store buy some fuses, replace the popped one covered in aluminum foil, and still nothing. im about ready to just get rid of this car.


one minute the relay, fuel pump, and fuel filter is good, and the next i don't hear the fuel pump turning on anymore.


oh yeah when i purchased the new fuses from the store it came with a little tester. so i tested the fuse that put in, and its good. if the fuse is good, shouldn't the fuel pump be turning on. maybe my fuel pump is on its last leg or something.

Generally a fuse doesn't pop just like that, it does it because there is a shortage. Using the aluminum foil for half an hour might have caused damage elsewhere. I think you have a bigger problem now then before.

Generally a fuse doesn't pop just like that, it does it because there is a shortage. Using the aluminum foil for half an hour might have caused damage elsewhere. I think you have a bigger problem now then before.

thanks a lot ziggy. hopefully i can get a few hundred bucks out of this car.......