Hard to start when cold

[LMP]

..I would then pull a spark plug wire and check for spark using a spare spark plug...........

[RMD1183]

I have still not figured this out. Appreciate any help. Here is where I am at this point, and I will try to be as specific as I can:
The van still cranks and cranks before it starts unless it has been warmed up. Then it fires right up. I am confident that when it is cold it is building the oil pressure to run the fuel pump.
*When I turn the key to the on position, the relay energizes and I can feel a click - but I do not hear the fuel pump kick on. This tells me that the fuel pump is not receiving power even though the relay is energized. It is a brand new relay too.
*I removed the relay and when the key is turned on, I do get battery power at the green wire with white tracer (#85). It cycles to 12 volts and then cycles down again. This is normal.
*When I apply direct battery power to the fuel pump prime (red wire), I can definitely hear the fuel pump kick on and the fuel rails swish with the sound of gasoline rushing through them.
*Near as I can tell, when I turn the key on, battery voltage from #85 should energize the gray wire #30 which runs to the fuel pump, thereby energizing the fuel system. Am I right here?
*I disconnected the harness connector on the LF (drivers side) inner fender (next to the battery) which would be a midway point between the relay and the fuel pump. I attached a voltmeter to the gray wire at that point. When the key was turned on, I only received .4 volts at the gray wire instead of battery voltage.
*Next I kept the voltmeter connected at this connection and ran direct battery voltage to the red wire (fuel pump prime), which should also go through the gray wire to the fuel pump. I still only received .4 volts at this connector.

Is there only supposed to be .4 volts going through the gray wire to the fuel pump? What should I try next?

Thank you VERY much.
Roland

[RMD1183]

OK Folks - got it figured out!! It was a bad splice in the green wire with white tracer, the wire coming from the ECM to the relay. I repaired the splice making sure I had a good connection and problem solved.
Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions!!!
Roland

[tempfixit]

Originally Posted by RMD1183

OK Folks - got it figured out!! It was a bad splice in the green wire with white tracer, the wire coming from the ECM to the relay. I repaired the splice making sure I had a good connection and problem solved.
Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions!!!
Roland

Glad you found the fix and thanks for posting. Could you generalize where the splice is locateed for future searchers.

[RMD1183]

Originally Posted by tempfixit

Glad you found the fix and thanks for posting. Could you generalize where the splice is locateed for future searchers.

Sure. The wire was cut and spliced back together between the relay and where the wire goes into the harness. I don't know why it was done, but it was a bad splice job. Out of desperation I decided to check and re-do everything. Someone used a small cap (wire) nut on this splice and taped over it. I removed the junk and used a butt-connector, and then everything was fine. It would seen that this problem was pretty specific to my van, but one can follow the thread and get a great lesson on troubleshooting!
Once again I can't thank all of you enough for the advice.
Roland

[LMP]

Originally Posted by RMD1183

*Near as I can tell, when I turn the key on, battery voltage from #85 should energize the gray wire #30 which runs to the fuel pump, thereby energizing the fuel system. Am I right here?

IN fact gray30 is energized from 12Vsupply at 87.....this based on normal OEM configuration...the fancy splices that you noticed might have been unscrupulous attemps to "customize" the setup.....I hope not...the transistor driving 85 tiny current to the relay coil is not sized to run the heavy current to the pump.

85 energizes only the relay coil...which in turn pulls the contact to bridge 87 to 30 . When this happens, red 87A becomes connected to nothing....leaving maybe some stray voltage showing as 0.4, which is of no consequence.

What counts now is that you have your car working fine....congratulations.