82 Fiat - Fuel Pump Problems

[Jan'sFiat]

I hope you guys can help me with my 82 Spider. After almost finishing restoration, I had to put the project aside last February and she hasn't run since. For two years I used her as a daily driver and she ran beautifully.

The last time I drove she choked shortly after pulling out of the driveway. It seemed like she was out of gas - although that was not the case. I tried to start her once this summer with no luck. Once or twice I heard the fuel pump run a few seconds, she's started, ran really rough and died.

I'm now (thankfully) able to put some time into getting her running again. I've cleaned all of the pods and connections, topped off the fluids, checked the fuses and replaced the battery.

I used to hear a "hum" from the fuel pump for about 2 seconds after turning the ignition. Now I hear nothing but the engine turns over. Any suggestions you could offer would be appreciated.

Note: I'm female and by no means an expert mechanic but I have been able to do most everything I needed to the car by reading these forums. (except for that "ball joint / control arm" thing )

Thanks in advance.

[So Cal Mark]

the pump should run for about 2 seconds when the key is turned on, after that the pump won't run until it sees a signal from the ign coil or power in the start circuit of the ignition.
If you're not hearing the pump, you'll have to check and see if it's getting power. It could be that fuel has turned to varnish in the pump and it's stuck, or it could be a problem in the dual relay or lack of power to it.
I've got the "no start" diagnosis section of the FI manual posted on my website under the troubleshooting section.

[msaltzer]

I just joined this forum and am thrilled that I can contribute already. I had this same issue when I was prepping my car for paint and had removed the lights, chrome, etc. I couldn't keep the car running at anything other than an idle and even then it would choke off. I found that the fuel pump will get power but not a ground with the driver side rear tail light removed. The ground is run all the way to the tail light mounting stud. I wondered what that wire was for, cleaned and clamped it to the body with a pair of vide grips and haven't had the problem since.