Car won't start...fuel pump won't turn on either.

[GSXerr]

My car will not start..I turn the key, & nothing happens. I just hear the starter relay clicking.

Also, when the key's in the 'on' position, about every 17 seconds I'll hear a whirring/buzzing noise coming from around where the starter relay is, it lasts for about 2 seconds each time. All the interior lights work, the battery has 12 volts, radio turns on, it's a brand new optima redtop, the battery terminals are tight on the battery.

I just put in a new Walbro 255 lph pump, and the car started fine right after I installed it...however, the car just stopped working after I tried bleeding my clutch. Now when i turn the key to the on position I don't hear any whine coming from the backseat from the pump..I tried jumping that wire behind the battery (from the red wire to the positive terminal on the battery), and put the ignition in the on position, & still didn't hear the fuel pump come on.

Any ideas? I really need to get my car up & running as soon as possible!

 

[chrisfrye]

I'm sure you checked the fusible links under the hood? did you re-wire your 255 when you put it in?

 

[GSXerr]

Yes I checked all the fuses under my hood and in the interior fusebox, all are good. i did not rewire the pump though. it turned on fine right after i installed the pump though.

can anybody tell me what the buzzing every 17 seconds means?? ive never noticed it before having these problems. is it normal? it sounds like the starter relay's buzzing every 17 seconds for about 2 seconds, whenever i have the key in the on position.

 

[chrisfrye]

can you pinpoint where the buzzings comming from? I've heard that before from my main relay/fuse box under the hood. but it always turned out to be one of my dozen batteries or alternators i've had to replace haha. I doubt however thats your problem since you said you had accessories and 12+v. (and i hate to sound repitive i just want to be sure, you checked the fusible links off the positive cable on your battery? not just the ones in the main engine fuse/relay block,(the one under the driver dashboard are just accesories)) Check all the wires on the relays, your grounds from your battery(to the firewall and block), maybe even try reading your ecu codes, fuel pressure... I'm not sure..
What exactly happens when you try to start it? Does everything shut off, does it try to crank but doesnt fire, does your starter engage..etc..

 

[GSXerr]

can you pinpoint where the buzzings comming from? I've heard that before from my main relay/fuse box under the hood. but it always turned out to be one of my dozen batteries or alternators i've had to replace haha. I doubt however thats your problem since you said you had accessories and 12+v. (and i hate to sound repitive i just want to be sure, you checked the fusible links off the positive cable on your battery? not just the ones in the main engine fuse/relay block,(the one under the driver dashboard are just accesories)) Check all the wires on the relays, your grounds from your battery(to the firewall and block), maybe even try reading your ecu codes, fuel pressure... I'm not sure..
What exactly happens when you try to start it? Does everything shut off, does it try to crank but doesnt fire, does your starter engage..etc..

im pretty sure its coming from right around from behind the radio, so im guessing the starter relay.

fusible links off the positve cable? i didnt know there were any. there are no ecu codes, & no fuel pressure since the pump won't come on.

i turn the key & just hear clicking. engine doesnt try to turn over at all. nothing shuts off. obviously the radio turns off though when turning the key.

 

[chrisfrye]

ohh your a 95.. i'm not sure how 95's fusible links are set up.. I'm sorry, i goofed, if you dont have one, forget i ever said that haha, i'll look up how 2g's are set up just out of interest!
BTW i have(as ive seen numerous 1Gs) a 3 pack of fusible links directy off the positive cable, including the fuel fuse. I'll try to find a pic on here.

Here, i bummed this from 12sec92Tsi did a search on the gallery

http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=41926&catid=searchresults&searchid=10362

Good luck!



Edit: Yeah your starter relay is under behind/under your cd play it appears, i'm not sure how the rest of yours is setup..
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7292/starterrelay1db.jpg

 

[GSXerr]

anybody else have any insights on this? i had my optima red top charged at autozone today, so i know that's good. nobody's been able to tell me what that buzzing is yet...

 

[andytalon]

Does your boost gaude spike somtimes randomly when the key is in the ignition? Also try another ecu I had the same problem, all it was the whole time was the ecu.. Good luck bro, also pm me if you need any help directly.

 

[GSXerr]

Does your boost gaude spike somtimes randomly when the key is in the ignition? Also try another ecu I had the same problem, all it was the whole time was the ecu.. Good luck bro, also pm me if you need any help directly.

hm never thought it'd be the ecu, good point...also no the boost gauge does not, it stays at zero.

anybody know how I could test the ECU though, other than swapping one out for a working one?

 

[exile]

You can test your ECU by turning the key onto the 'On' position and your Check Engine Light should come on for ~5 seconds and your stock boost guage should move. If your CEL doesn't come on for 5 seconds then check your Engine 20A fuse, if it is okay (check for continuity don't just look @ it) then swap your "MFI" relay with another 95 (it has to be another 95 because their clips are different). The MFI relay can be found on the passenger side console panel. There's two screws there and a gold box with a 2x8 connector. If it then still doesnt come on then swap the ECU with another car.

But, I actually just went through this problem 2 days ago. My car still cranked when the ECU wasn't getting power. So your car should crank if the ECU isn't getting power.

If your CEL comes on then your problem is most likely somewhere inside of the engine bay enless a PART of your ECU went bad.. which is rare and usually has more than 1 obvious sign (i.e. the buzzing) but it's possible.


Uhp.. sorry I keep editing as I remember more stuff.. if your CEL comes on and your car isn't cranking still, remove the engine fuse 20A and see if it cranks then. If it cranks then it's DEFINATELY your ECU, if it still doesn't then it's inside the engine bay and you can most likely ignore the ECU from then on.

There's a huge thread about this.. err lemme see: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217951

..and another thing.. a really MESSED up relay will make a buzzing sound as the contacts energize and de-energize extremely fast. When I botched my ECU socket job I had a relay going crazy and it sounded like a buzzing.

 

[GSXerr]

You can test your ECU by turning the key onto the 'On' position and your Check Engine Light should come on for ~5 seconds and your stock boost guage should move. If your CEL doesn't come on for 5 seconds then check your Engine 20A fuse, if it is okay (check for continuity don't just look @ it) then swap your "MFI" relay with another 95 (it has to be another 95 because their clips are different). The MFI relay can be found on the passenger side console panel. There's two screws there and a gold box with a 2x8 connector. If it then still doesnt come on then swap the ECU with another car.

But, I actually just went through this problem 2 days ago. My car still cranked when the ECU wasn't getting power. So your car should crank if the ECU isn't getting power.

If your CEL comes on then your problem is most likely somewhere inside of the engine bay enless a PART of your ECU went bad.. which is rare and usually has more than 1 obvious sign (i.e. the buzzing) but it's possible.


Uhp.. sorry I keep editing as I remember more stuff.. if your CEL comes on and your car isn't cranking still, remove the engine fuse 20A and see if it cranks then. If it cranks then it's DEFINATELY your ECU, if it still doesn't then it's inside the engine bay and you can most likely ignore the ECU from then on.

There's a huge thread about this.. err lemme see: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217951

Ah ECU appears to be fine then..check engine light came on for 5 seconds, boost gauge moved to about halfway. I took the 20 amp engine fuse out & tried it again, check engine light didn't come on.

I hear clicking..so the starter should be good, right? I'm really thinking its my clutch though, because its done this before, where it wouldnt start unless i adjusted the master cylinder's rod. but after bleeding it extensively, no matter where i put the rod, it won't start. i cut the clutch switch wires & soldered them together too. has anybody ever heard of the clutch master cylinder's adjustment rod causing our cars not to crank over???

 

[patty AT forge]

Can you push start the car?
If so, the ecu is probably not the problem, nor the fuel pump.
If the relay is clicking but the motor isn't spinning either the relay isn't opperating correctly, there is a short leading to the starter or the starter is bad.
When you say "clicking" do you mean the relay clicking or the starter hitting the flywheel?

 

[GSXerr]

Can you push start the car?
If so, the ecu is probably not the problem, nor the fuel pump.
If the relay is clicking but the motor isn't spinning either the relay isn't opperating correctly, there is a short leading to the starter or the starter is bad.
When you say "clicking" do you mean the relay clicking or the starter hitting the flywheel?

i dont know exactly what was clicking, but i pulled the relay out & tested it and it failed, so hopefully thats the problem. i will swing by the dealership today & pick up a new relay and hopefully that is it!

 

[exile]

I wasn't done helping you yet.. ..

I was going to ask you to see if your fuel pump was getting voltage. Eh.. I guess if it wasn't that relay will fix it. BUT! If you didn't get the relay yet, go out to your car.. lift the back seat, open the lid on the fuel pump, remove the connector.. set your key to 'On' and see if you get voltage there.. anywhere from 8-12v should show up there. If the voltage isn't there then it's the relay or the fuse. If you're stranded throw a 12v battery on it and drive it home.

Don't forget your MFI relay is different than 96-99!!