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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'99 Saturn SL2, Failing Fuel Pump Fuse
Q: I got a call from a lady
with a ’99 Saturn SL2, telling me that her car isn't starting. I
said, I would be right over. When I got there, I decided to check for
spark and it was okay. I then checked for fuel. When I did that, I found
that there was no fuel pressure. So, I went to the fuse panel and found
that the fuel pump fuse was burnt. When I replaced the fuse it burnt as
well. From your experience, do you think I should just go ahead and unplug
the pump, to see if it still burns the fuse? On the other hand, do you
think it maybe something in the wiring system?
-
Keith
A:
If the fuse that is failing is the 10 amp fuel pump fuse then I would
suggest unplugging the fuel pump, replacing the fuse and cycling the ignition
switch to see if the fuse fails again. If the fuse does not fail, then
it is a good bet that you have a bad fuel pump. If the fuse does fail
then you have a wiring problem to diagnose. The 10 amp fuel pump fuse
only powers the fuel pump in this vehicle. If the fuse that is failing
is the larger 30 amp fuse then your problem is with the fuel pump relay
or the wiring from the fuel pump relay to the fuse panel. The fuel pump
relay is the switch/gate that sends electricity to the 10 amp fuse for
the fuel pump and fuses for the transmission actuators when the key is
first turned on and when the engine is running.
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