Ok a short history, I bought this truck new in 95. I sold it to a friend of mine about 4 years ago. It was running fine when she parked it. I has sat for at least a year. I'm looking at buying it back.

I went to look at it today and it would not start. It kinda hit a little but no start. All gas had evaporated out of tank. Ok I put about 3 gallons in it.

It tries to fire when you first turn it over. I can put a little gas in the throttle body and it fires to life for a few seconds.

I didn't have anything with me to test electrical or pressure. I did push the test valve on the fuel rail and didn't get any fuel, air, hiss, nothing. The strange part is it will still act like it wants to fire with no apparent fuel in the fuel rail.

I remember years ago when I owned it, when the engine was cold It turned over several times before it would start....after that it fired right up.

However when it was cold and you just bumped the starter and waited a couple of seconds and then hit the starter again it fired right up. It had been that way for several years.

I don't hear any pump or anything when I turn the ignition on. It just acts like it want to start (hits several times) and then just turns over. Let it set a minute and same thing over again.

I know I need to test and see if I am getting any elec to the pump. I even moved a couple of relays around in the power dist. box to see if it helped...No!

I guess my questions are is what all do I need to trouble shoot to isolate what the prob. is? Pump, relay, regulator, ???? Any schematic for the fuel system elec.?

Thanks for your input.

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/205480159/1996_AN_WIRE.pdf
1996 Dakota wiring diagram.

I'd check power to the pump.

You should have a pressure test port on the left (drivers side) fuel rail. I would suggest turning the key from "OFF" to "ON" several times. This primes the fuel rail. (You should be able to hear the fuel pump turn on for like a second or two) You can use something like a screw driver (or even the proper part.. I guess) to test for fuel pressure at the fuel rail. BE CAREFUL. We are talking about a live fuel line!!

 

I checked the test port on the left fuel rail and got nothing. I hear nothing when I first turn the switch on like I used to.

I am going to check power next.

Its always amazed me how thing tear up sitting still.

 

sounds like the pump, works but the pressure is real low. its the pump . dakotas are well known for it.

 

I know a bad battery makes the Dakota electronics go nuts.......anybody think a bad battery can cause computer to not energize fuel pump??

You have to boost it off now, the battery seems to not hold charge.

Remember this truck has been setting about a year.

 

`depending on how many times you tried to start it when the gas was gone you may have overheated and damaged or fried your fuel pump. If you cant actively hear it turn on when you turn the key that would be my first place to check. Or you can go buy a fuel pressure tester(40 bucks or so) that will tell you exactly how much pressure you have at the rail.

I would strongly suggest changing the fuel filter as well. Condensation collects in any system over time, and all of that probably just got shoved through your filter and thats not something you want getting into the rest of your fuel system.

 

Well the fuel filter is on the pump.......but I don't here anything some on when I turn the switch on. I'm not sure if the 96 models had wire corrosion problems under the power distribution center or not.

I am having the truck delivered to my house tonight so I will start at the pump and work my way backwards to find out whats up.

I will update with what I find.

 

Ok I have check out the Power Distribution Box like DodgeRule86 sticky on ASD relay....all checks out fine. Finally got plug off of fuel pump and check voltage.

With switch on I get approx 8 volts from black pin (lower left looking at plug) to all 3 pins across the top show around 8 or 9 volts (blue/yellow, blue/black, green/black). Same thing with the other 2 pins on bottom show 8volts when matched to top pins.

My question is, is the voltage stepped down somewhere going to the pump??

The pump never has kicked in and I haven't tried to jump it out yet cause i really haven't figured out which pins go to the pump motor.

Is 8 or 9 volts what drives the pump??

 

Not sure on the voltage, but if your getting power to it and its not turning on I would say its seen better days. It should at least buzz with that much power.

 

what about it dodgerules........any voltage thoughts??