Long story short- I needed a new ignition switch and ended up that the mechanic said that I also needed a new starter (debatable but I had him replace it anyways). Anyways, after he replaced the switch and starter, the fuel pump will only run when the headlights are on. I.e. when I pull the headlight **** into the first or second position. I'm in college and this mechanic is a sizable distance away, so if it's something I can fix then I would rather do that than send it back to him.

It's a 1982 Z28 with a 350 SBC Carbureted

 

Hi Jared ,

If you are completely 100% certain the fuel pump acted normally before , and now after having work done to the ignition switch the pump will only run with the headlights on , there are only a couple of possibilities here . First being that the mechanic could have installed the wrong switch (or installed the switch wrong) and the second possibility could be that when the wrong (or improperly installed) switch wouldn't run the car correctly , he may have tried to jump power from a different circuit (in this case it sounds like he tapped into the headlights) to make the pump run .

Either way , the mechanic owes you a proper fix for what he screwed up . The huge Problem here is , if this dude is SO clueless as to let a car go out of his shop that will only run with the headlights on , that wasn't that way when he got it , do you really want to let this goober at your wiring again ??? Remember , car wiring is akin to brain surgery in humans , do you really want to let a now known butcher hack up more stuff in your car's central nervous system ?

Find a real shop that deals with automotive electric and pray that the idiot didn't hack TOO much into your wiring as it could now get expensive if a lot of wiring damage was done .

PS , I say "mechanic" because anyone who would let a car leave their shop in that condition really oughta have their toolbox impounded forever ....

 

Thanks for your help man. Also found out that he ripped out my neutral safety and one of my LED bard in the process of the ignition switch replacement and never installed them back....so I'm issuing a stop payment so he doesn't get my $700

 

How is your fuel pump wired? When it was converted to carb setup, it could be wired directly to the fuse panel, and if so, one of the open spots on there only supply power when headlights are on. Just move it to a different spot.

 

brettr81 got it right. The dude had the wire running from the ignition switch in the wrong slot in the fuse box. He had it wired in to the dash lights and not the IGN slot where it should have been. So basically my fuse box was only getting power if the lights were on...... smh

 

And now I do my happy dance!!! I was finally right for a change!!!! J/K. Awesome that you got it fixed without having to do much besides unplugging and plugging in a wire.

 

Wow, What a hack gone wrong. Glad you were able to straighten it out

All the best,
Tim

 

Might want to file a complaint w/ govt agency regulating auto repair, in SC. It will help justify stopping the check.