'89 Ciera...Power at fuel pump until connected

Fuel pump went out on my son's '89 2.5...or did it? Diagnosis...no hum...disconnected harness and there was power on source side...new fuel pump time. After that wonderful job, turned key...no hum. Bummer! Checked to make sure all connections were good at harness. Got it going even though all seemed good with connections! Son takes off, car dies. No fuel pump. Disconnect at harness...power on source side. Plug into harness...no power to pump. Jump pump from battery...works. Old pump jumped OK, too. Swapped relays...no change. Mechanic stopped by and suggested Ignition Control Module in distributor on back of engine...ummm they're coil packs. I did take the ICM off though. Can this be tested while I have it off? Any ideas? ECM? I haven't checked for any codes. Suppose I could put the coils back on and run codes. Very discouraging couple of days! Thanks for any input.

KennyC

Had a similar problem years ago with a fog light.

Tested the voltage going to the light and it was okay but the light would'nt illuminate. Found out that the wire was corroded, it could pass voltage but not enough current to light the lamp.

Could also be a poor ground.

Good luck!

Kenny did you check the fuse too ??

And like wireguy suggested trace that harness wires back and look for any breaks or loose/dirty connections.

Also are you sure the relay you swapped was good ?
Should be a diagram onthe side to test them.

good luck

Well I took the ICM to 2 different parts stores for testing and it's toast. I'm going to try the salvage route first seeing this is a beater, to me, that is. Every bench test failed which I take to be an internal short that took the whole ICM out. If it's some kind of surge, I'd rather have one from the junk yard get cooked. Or maybe not. Autozone's is lifetime warranty. Think it'd be covered? If I'm getting source voltage before connecting the fuel pump harness does that make the relay OK? Then the ECM kicks all voltage off because of the faulty ICM? I'm hoping that the ICM was a fluke and the new one won't just get toasted. The fuse was fine. Should I do anything before I replace the ICM? Haven't found any bad wiring so far.

Thanks for your replies. This forum has been a great resource for me many times.

KennyC

OK so now I really need help. Do I have to take off the backer or holder for the ICM to replace this part? There's no way to put the coils back on with the loose bolts that are behind the backer. I took the bolts off that hold the backer but it still seemed connected and I didn't want to yank. Found that the Crank position sensor is right there. The part looks like a friction fit. Do I just need to influence the backer off or what? What have I gotten myself into? Feel like I'm almost there and then this!!!

Thier might be a ground strap or something holding the ICM braket. You'll have to look and see whats holding it.
Could be a tie on the wire harness below it ... :dunno:

Oh CRAP!! The resistance was the Crank Position Sensor! Got impatient with wiggling and tried the ol' pry it out. Well...snap. Boy, sure comes off easy when the CPS snaps off inside the block. Luckily I was able to get a 90 degree drill in there and start a hole. Ended up with a screw in the drilled hole and announced to my girlfriend, "It's a boy as it came loose." What a relief after playing taps on the harmonica for my son. New CPS tomorrow and we'll get 'er back together to see if all problems are solved. I'll post results.

Found the problem in the trunk wiring connector. Broke right off. It was interesting to have 12v until a load was put on the source. Fuel pump runs fine now. Still didn't start!!! No spark. As mentioned earlier, my ignition module failed at the test counter like it was completely shorted. I'm thinking now that these aren't related. I'm going to take the new ICM to have it tested and see if it's toasted again.