I don't know if this should happen, as a matter of fact I also wonder if this is the cause to my gauge cluster fuse blowing, but don't know. I replaced the fuel pump relay the one day while replacing the maf burn off and the maf power relay. I disconnected the fuel pump relay and turn the car to the on position. I didn't hear it prime the system, but the car started and ran. Not good atleast, but it ran. Then I rehooked the relay back up and the pump went through the prime cycle and it started again. Any ideas, is it supposed to do this, or is the connector bad and the wires might be connecting with each other causing the pump to run? The wires look pretty ratty and look like someone has pulled and tugged on them before. Any help would be great, thanks.

 

the system could have still had fuel pressure from previous op. If you let it run for awhile ill bet it dies....

 

I let it run for 5 minutes and it didn't stall, is that normal?

 

I think you have a Demon in your car...you dont need a mechanic, you need an exorcist..
That is really strange, I dont think the car should run without fuel pressure. I'm not sure about the year of your car, but some of them ran a mechanical along with the electric, maybe this is the case with yours?

 

The Demon left and came back in another form. I did nothing from the last time I wrote and had the car towed home because it wouldn't start or turn over. I went out this afternoon and just thought I would try to start it. I put the key in, turned it once, two cranks later the car started right up. Now it didn't run well, but it atleast turned over this time. I was told the fuel injectors could be leaking and causing the engine to flood, causing me to not be able to start the car directly after running it, but it not cranking the last time still has me puzzled. It's possible, but I still can't pin point where the short is causing the gauge cluster to blow also.

Oh one more point, I turn the ignition on, and heard the fuel pump prime, then started the car. Turned it off and turned it right back to the on position and no prime noise. Went to turn over the car and it started. I tried this a couple of time and it ran. Not well enough to drive but it ran. I don't know now...

 

If you turn the ignition key ON then OFF and immediately back ON, you will not hear the fuel pump prime the second time. i assume the ECM requires X amount of seconds to pass before it will prime the fuel pump upon the next key ON after being turned OFF.

Also, when my fuel pump went out on my '88 Trans AM 305 TPI, the car would start even though the fuel pump wasn't running. However, it wasn't drivable. In fact, it barely idled. But it would run.

i would guess there was still fuel in the lines it was burning, and a possibility the pump may have been partly working, but not enough to supply the needed fuel.

JT