1990 GTA, 5.0 TPI auto.. Thursday morning took my daughter to school, and noticed my amp/volt gauge going down below 13 where it normally sits. got home , let the car idle and looked at the belt to see if it was jumping. Nothing, so i turned the car off. Went to start back up, turned over but would not start, noticed the fuel pump was not priming like i normally hear it.
I removed the fuel pump put a new one in. Same thing, turn over no start, pump doesn't prime. hmm, pulled off the fuel pump relay, replaced the relay, turn key fuel pump primes. I left the old fuel pump in since i just put it in a year and a half ago. Ran some errands friday, no problem except, did see the amp/volt gauge dip down a couple times. Wife used the car today (saturday) to run a few errands ( her kia is waiting on a new alternator ) she comes home and a couple hours later she needs to go somewhere, the car turns over but won't start again? Fuel pump not priming again. Thought, maybe the relay again, replace it with a new one again, still no start? No sound from the relay, no sound from the pump?

I'm at a loss now, not sure what to check. Any ideas? Turning over but no start, not a sound from fuel pump and installed another new relay. I'm stumped.

 

Vats?

 

I kinda got this problem too, I replaced my pump relay and icm, and still nothing. It's not vats though I'm sure because vats won't even let the car turn over. Try checking out the fuel pump fuse on the passenger side of the engine bay by the battery

 

Just because the fuel pump primes doesn't mean you have enough pressure to actually run. These cars are known to have the small hose in between the pump and sending unit to rot and spring a leak. Pump will run all day but your car won't.

 

My battery is on the drivers side. I don't remember ever seeing a fuse anywhere under the hood?
A previous owner had an alarm system in the car, i found wires spliced into factory wiring under the dash above the fuse box. I removed those wires and taped up the areas where they had spliced into the facory wires. Could a faulty ignition be the source of this problem? Ecm?

 

The fuel pump isn't priming now, no sound at all. I changed the fuel pump relay a couple days ago which proved to be my problem at that time and the the car started. The next day after running some errands then going back to the car to go somewhere, i have the same problem i had the day before, turning over but not starting and no sound from the fuel pump and no clicking sound from the relay?

 

try to bypass your pump relay to run. If that doesn't make it run your pump probably bit the dust. It could have been suffering slow death syndrome. If it doesn't turn on it is finally seized or faulty wiring.

 

Looks to have been faulty wiring. Found the wire going from the battery positive terminal to the alternator was fried! burned up, only 3 strands of wire still connected where it was burnt, and was arching. Explains why my voltage gauge was diving and going up & down. I assume this was playing havok with the ECM or? causing the fuel pump relay or pump not to engage.

Thanks for all input, back on the road!