95 windstar won't start

my 95 windstar won't start i changed the rear fuel filter and still not getting gas to run . if i spray stater fluid in air intake it runs alittle while . Could there be anything else that i am missing when checking for non running problems. iI have checked...... fuses both under dash and hood. could it be the fuel pump?
IN NEED of HELP !!!!!!!!!

Isn't there a fuel pump reset switch? Has your car been jolted lately that might have tripped that?

i did check the fuel reset and it i working fine . After reading some of the postings for 96/and earlier years one said to pound on gas tank while trying to start engine and it worked .tryed to start it an hour later and fuel pump didn't turn on .This is making me think it maybe the fuel pump. COULD THIS BE TRUE???

You can narrow it down a little by checking for voltage at the fuel shutoff switch. The wiring diagram I'm looking at for the '95 shows the inertia fuel shutoff switch as being the last component in the circuit before the fuel pump itself, so if it were my vehicle I'd check for voltage at the switch when the ignition is switched to the 'Run' position - no need to crank the engine, just turn the key to the position where the gauges and warning lights come to life.

It would help if you have an assistant turn the key while you check for voltage, because the pump only operates for a few seconds while it primes the fuel system. You can use either a multimeter or a 12 volt test lamp for that - one lead connected to a good ground point and the other connected to the output of the switch, which should be a pink/black wire (the input to the switch should be a dark green/yellow wire).

Repeat the test a few times, and if you determine that you consistently have 12 volts at the output of the switch but you still don't hear the pump running, then that would indicate either a bad pump, bad pink/black connecting wire running to the pump, or bad ground connection for the pump (black wire).

thank for the info i will try those thing s yousaid and repost my results. thanks again

ok Selectron i checked the inertia fuel shutoff switch. i tested the wiring the way you said to. I also disconnected the wiring from switch and tested it that way also, Still got nothing as of volt meter or volt lamp tester .I did make sure tester were working by checking them on my trailer light hookup . ANYTHING ELSE I CAN CHECK AND IS IT EASY TO GET TO BLACK GROUND WIRE WITHOUT DROPPING TANK???

OK Selectron i checked the things you said to check and got nothing on multi-meter or volt lamp meter . It is easy to get to ground wire or do i still need to drop the tank. ANYTHING ESLA I CAN CHECK BEFORE I LOOK AT GETTING A NEW PUMP?????????

Ah, that's interesting. If voltage isn't even arriving at the switch then there's no need to worry about either the pump or its black ground lead, because your fault is in the other half of the circuit - that's the section prior to the fuel shutoff switch. I'll take a look at that section of the wiring diagram and I'll get back to you.

You did have somebody else turn the key while you checked for voltage eh, because the shutoff switch only has voltage for a few seconds when the ignition is switched on, so you must check during those first few seconds.

yes i did have someone else turn key

But , what would cause it to start when i pounded on tank while it was being cranked over?

Selectron , i will check back in the morning I need to ride bike to work in a few minutes. Thank You for all you help.

When checking for voltage with the multimeter and the test lamp, I'm assuming one lead was connected to a good ground point - that's any bare metal on the vehicle body, or any unpainted bolt or screw which screws into the body. If that's the case, and if you had no voltage on either the input wire to the shutoff switch (dark green/yellow) nor the output wire from the switch (pink/black), and if you aren't hearing the pump run for a few seconds when the ignition is switched on - if that's all true then your fault is in the section of the circuit which precedes the switch.

Unfortunately, you don't have a readily-accessible fuel pump relay on the '95 - it's hidden away inside something called the Constant Control Relay Module, or CCRM for short, and I think that's where your problem is. I think it's likely to be either a failed relay, or - equally possible - corroded contacts at the CCRM connector. These are photos of the CCRM from Wiswind's ever-helpful Windstar photo album:

CCRM photo 1 (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1349973571011220610mEzPZX)
CCRM photo 2 (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1349976403011220610IJAXlV)
CCRM photo 3 (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1350019367011220610XypyAI)
CCRM photo 4 (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1350021205011220610SDHTvb)

If those links don't work then then go to the album here (http://community.webshots.com/album/201931518cScpNK) and click through to pages three and four.

I'd suggest that you carefully unplug the connector and check for corrosion on the plug and socket contacts. They should be bright and shiny, but if you have corrosion then the plating will have been eaten away and you'll just see the dull base metal beneath. Plugging and unplugging it a few times might clean it enough to allow the engine to start, and if that's the case then I'd unplug it once again, clean it up as best you can, apply some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or dielectric grease to protect it from further corrosion for now, but that would only be a short-term measure and sooner or later it would need to be replaced.

The only other obvious failure points are:

PCM power relay (feeds current to the fuel pump relay coil and also feeds much of the ignition system) but we know that must be ok because the engine runs when you give it some starting fluid, so the ignition system is healthy, so therefore the relay is healthy too.

Fuse 'N', rated at 20 amps and located in the engine compartment fuse panel - that feeds current to the switched contacts of the fuel pump relay, and I think it's ok because the van did start one time when you hit the fuel tank, but still it would be worth checking it, and unplugging it and plugging it back in again just in case it's not making a good contact.

If none of the above gives results then you'll probably have to check voltages at the CCRM connector to determine exactly what the problem is. Leave the connector plugged in, connect the meter black lead to a good ground point, and probe into the back of the plug with the meter's red probe.

CCRM connector pin 13 (red) should have 12V when the ignition is switched on - not just for a few seconds though - it should remain at 12V at all times while the ignition is on.

Pin 11 (pink/black) should have a constant 12V at all times, even with the ignition switched off.

For the next two tests you will need an assistant to turn the key to 'Run' (but without cranking the engine) while you check voltages.

I'm not sure what the voltage will be on Pin 18 (light blue/orange) when you first connect the meter, but when your assistant switches the ignition to 'Run', the voltage should read 0V for a few seconds, and then climb to 12V and stay there.

Finally, Pin 5 (dark green/yellow) should be at 0V when you first connect the meter, and then when the ignition is switched to 'Run', it should rise to 12V for a few seconds, and then fall back to 0V and stay there.

Hopefully you'll find the fault before then though and won't have to do the voltage testing. There's a diagram on another thread with the pin details for the CCRM so I'll go and find that.

Yep, the CCRM pinout diagram is on this page (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=900206&page=4) and just below it is a photo where, if you look carefully, you can see corrosion on the socket contacts - you can see a dull brownish discolouration where the plating has been eaten away.

Just two more things - you asked why it would have started that one time when you banged on the fuel tank - that would have sent a vibration through the rest of the vehicle too, and if you have a bad contact at the relay inside the CCRM, or at the CCRM connector, then that might have disturbed it just enough to allow it to work again (you might want to try tapping lightly on the CCRM casing).

Secondly - your battery might be a factor - if it's a few years old then when the ignition is switched on, the voltage might be dipping slightly below the threshold at which the relays - and the fuel pump relay in particular - will work reliably. That's difficult to test for, but a battery test using something called a 'conductance tester' reveals it much better than the traditional load test. If the voltage readings suggest the fuel pump relay isn't functioning properly (i.e. if pin 18 falls to 0V for a few seconds but pin 5 fails to rise to 12V), then hooking the battery up to a bench charger might just bring the voltage back above the threshold as a temporary solution.

Sorry the post is so long but I've tried to cover as much as possible, and I hope you'll be able to follow it - any questions, just let me know. Good luck.

An easy way to check the pump:

Select the wire at the Fuel Pump Cutout Switch that goes to the pump. There should be a low resistance to ground through the pump (< 1 ohm). If don't get that, then you either have a bad ground connection, there is a problem with the pump, or there is a problem with the wiring to the pump. If you do see a low resistance, then check the cutout switch for a low resistance. Again, it needs to read less than 1 ohm.

If both of these are OK, then you need to check for voltage to the switch. It's important to have a good ground connection in doing this test, or the results will not be valid. As mentioned, the voltage is only present for 2 or 3 seconds after the key is switched on. A good voltage implies that that it's either the pump, or the wiring, so check the voltage with the pump in the circuit too. Good voltage here will direct you back to the pump, the switch or the wiring. Low voltage directs you to the fuel pump relay, the wiring, or the PCM.

To me, results through the banging on the tank point mostly to the pump or wiring to the pump, but as mentioned, you could further explore this by banging on different parts of the system. In fact, I'd spend a few minutes trying this tapping on different parts of the system before doing any electrical diagnosis to see if I could better isolate the sensitivity.

Well i went out today and i find out my battery is low on power. Got it on charger and will try all test again in next few days.
everything from selectron in his first post and then will post my results. Thank You to Everyone for your help.

Well i got 95 windstar in and just as i had thought .... It was the fuel pump ... even after my mechanicdid many diagnostic test it turned out to be the fuel pump.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOU HELP!!
This is one of the best sites on the web. I have told many about it . Thanks again ,Tazman1323