2 methods. The linky no worky, but the fuel pump connector test only tests whether you have battery voltage and a good wire to the fuel pump, and whether the fuel pump runs. It does not include the ecu or fuel pump relay. To test the fuel pump relay, do the disco the starter wire test (disabling the starter to eliminate it's noise) and put the switch in start. In this state, the ecu fuel pump relay is on under only key switch control, and the ecu does not have control of the relay. The fuel pump should run and with good spark and proper ecu timing and fuel control, it should go bang and start. You have now tested the fuel pump and ecu fuel pump relay. If you have spark, it is not likely the ecu capacitors leaked and ate up the board trace, as no spark is a sign of that, usually. You can not test spark volts with a normal vom. There is a calibrated gap spark tester that will test spark at atmo conditions (as opposed to combustion chamber pressures and ionization state), and it's cheap, but I just put the gap to ground at about .25" and read the color. The actual arc path width is hair fine - the apparent width is just the superheated air around it. I read color for strength. Yellow is weak, bluewhite is strong. If you have the gauges made of unobtanium to test it, the spark energy should be in the 50kv rough range - the actual energy is a function of what's required to jump the gap, up to whatever the coil can generate. The old points and condenser systems made roughly 15kv in good shape, and if they deteriorated much, they fell below what was required to jump the gap. New fangled optical and magnetic systems, multiple coils, more efficient E coils like the 3.0, all generate significanlty more. Like I said, quarter inch and blue white... You seem to have enough spark.

Pull the cargo carpet and pad. There is an access plate. 14mm bolts. The fuel pump is below. The hose is a real bugger. NOTE WELL! The ONLY swivel end on the fuel pump hose, and it's often at the other end from the pump plate on the tank. You will twist the fitting off the pump if you attempt to take the hose loose there. You have to crawl under and take the other end of the hose loose. USE LINE WRENCHES and a liberal dose of your favotire penetrant (diesel fuel and dexron is mine) the night before and the night before that, too. Go careful. Get the hose, pump plate, and pump/screen out, put the tank side of the fitting in a vise, and get the hose off that way. NOTE WELL...

check all your main ground connections as well as the connections to those dodads on the same plate as the coil. does your ecu smell fishy? if it does, its got a leaking capacitor. i had a similar issue, went so far as to pull the pump... not fun.

Off to tinker on the dead (sleeping?) Monty...and bringing my laptop so I can steal my work's wifi and have you guys looking over my shoulder.

FastEddy: Thanks so much for the detailed explanation...and for the "can of worms" warning.

Grass13: Will check all grounds around the coil. I feel like ecu is ok, since I have spark, no fishy smell, and testing ecu codes using a 12v light bulb yields the repeating short pulse pattern which is the "a-ok" signal.

Really don't want to have to take that fuel pump out now. You guys are scaring me. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

I picked up this tool Test Tool from Waekon a few years back. Easy, fast way to test KVs to sparkplug. Last time I checked my Monty's wires I got from 10.6 to 15.7 KVs depending on wire.

When I arrived, I turned the ignition switch to "on" to see if I could hear the pump priming. I THINK I heard a click, but I did not hear a whirrr or humming sound. But she cranked right up when I turned the switch. idled great, drove her home ~25 miles. Then got to a red light and after a minute or two she suddenly and abruptly (no sputter) conked out. Started right up again on the first try. Drove the remaining 2-3 miles home with no issue. Parked. Tried again after about 20 minutes and she wouldn't start. Fuel tank is starting to get low, but not low enough to think I'm out of gas. Could the fuel pump be getting clogged?

I couldn't locate the fuel check terminal, and it was raining by the time I got ready to dig in on the solenoid test. So nothing to report in those departments. I might try in the morning if the rain is gone.

The intermittent behavior makes me think electric. Ideas?

Do a voltage drop test on the fuel pump circuit. I suspect the fuel pump relay internal contacts, or a corrosion spot on a connector on the way to the pump.

Honestly, your symptoms are very similar to those I had when my fuel pump went bad. It wouldn't start in the evening when coming off work -- leave it overnight, come back the next day, would start right up and drive fine. Eventually, the pump finally died. Thankfully it was in my garage and not a parking lot somewheres. You can search my user name for posts related to that little endeavour. Access to the pump is easy, but be very careful removing the hoses or your job suddenly gets exponentially more involved <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" />

Eric W.

Eric,

I've seen the hoses on the gen II which use special 'compression' fittings. I assume the gen I is the same? How did you remove them?

They are threaded compression fittings. There is a flatish face on one side of the connection, and a matching one on the other half. There is about 1/8"width of contact face. maybe a 37* flare? The thread engaged depth is about 1/2". The fitting metal is kwikoxidizium white metal and quite soft. The threads corrode, the sealing face has a lot of friction, Murphy rules, the big hex for the flare/line nut wrench is a 19mm and the small one is a 14mm, the working angle is obscene for application of leverage, the 14mm hex is made of even softer stuff than the 19mm, perhaps lightweight kwikoxidizium.

It is somewhat possible to get the bleeping connector on the front end of the rubber loose. At least a better chance than the tank end. Some better, anyway.

Resist the urge to use heat to break it loose. You will not like the result.

In the event you can't get the front connector off, cut the hose and remove the tank plate and pump, then clamp the 14mm tank fitting in a vise, soak the thing in voodoo juice inside (thru the cut hose) and out. PB Blaster, Knok R Loose, Mouse Milk, or dexron and diesel plus acetone are all good penetrants. Cut off all the hose you can with a knife, and using a 6pt deep well 19mm socket, put the large fitting half under heavy tension, short of wiping off the flats. Strike the side of the socket sharp hard blows with a steel hammer to shock loose the joint. If you have an air hammer, it and blunt tip bit do a just fine and dandy job of shocking the joint.

Your description sounds like my 90 Montero a few years back. As it turned out, the issue was with the ECU. I got it rebuilt and she is still running strong. If there is anybody close to you with a running 91 see if you can borrow the ECU to test your Monty. I believe the 89-90 are different than the 91. (is this correct?) So you need to make sure you get a 91 to test with.

This is where I got mine rebuilt
Av-pro

Hope this helps.