1990 Oldsmobile Ciera car wont start

Tiny
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  • 1990 OLDSMOBILE CIERA
My 1990 olds cutlas cierra wont start. When I click the key I do not hear the fuel pump turn on.(The humming noise). I need to know how can I tell if it is the fuel pump itself or the fuel relay because I only have money to change one.
Friday, August 30th, 2013 AT 8:58 AM

14 Replies

Tiny
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Test for power arriving on the gray wire during the first 2 seconds the key is on or when cranking.
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Friday, August 30th, 2013 AT 9:55 AM
Tiny
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I changed fuel pump and the fuel pump relay and the fuse still does the same thing. Only starts when I spray brake cleaner into the air intake? Why? I am into this $150 and really need to fix this any suggestions?
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 9:04 AM
Tiny
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Do you mean the gray wire by the tank?
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 9:05 AM
Tiny
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It runs from the relay to the tank.
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 9:07 AM
Tiny
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Yes it lit up when tested. When I depressurize the valve in the engine that looks like a tire valve then click the key about 10 times I only get a dribble when I press that little button with a screwdriver, I think I may have bought a bad fuel pump from auto zone but a mechanic said without looking at it that he thinks the computer is bad because it happened after a big rain storm and there is no way to test to see if it is bad I just have 2 replace it and cross my fingers. Well I am a single mother out in the country trying to fix my own car im wondering if he might think im a sucker and just wanna make some money on this opportunity. What is your opinion about the computer?
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 1:11 PM
Tiny
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Don't listen to those idiots. They are clueless. If you had power on the gray wire, then the rest of the circuit is good. You might want to verify a good ground on the black wire before replacing the pump.
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 1:17 PM
Tiny
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Thank you. How do I check if a ground wire is good since it doesnt light up when tested? Would a multimeter check the continuity? Is that even what I am looking for?
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 1:32 PM
Tiny
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It will light up id you attach the clip to a power source on the car. Use the test light backwards to check ground.

You could also check resistance between that wire and ground. If there are 2 black wires, it will be the heavier one.
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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 AT 1:36 PM
Tiny
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It did light up. BUt yesterday I tested the old fuel pump by hooking it to the car battery and it worked. Hmmmm. I am so frustrated with this car.
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Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 AT 3:55 PM
Tiny
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Just because it runs doesn't mean it will have sufficient pressure to run the car. You definitely should be using a fuel pressure gauge to diagnose this.
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Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 AT 4:24 PM
Tiny
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I had a friend stick an air hose in the gas tank through the nozzle where you would put the gasoline. He blew some pressure in there I tried to start it a bout 3 hours and it didnt want to start but eventually it did. What do you make of that? But today it didnt start.
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Friday, September 6th, 2013 AT 1:57 PM
Tiny
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I'm not even going to respond to nonsense like this. I advised you to verify power and ground and use a fuel pressure gauge. I won't be responding again until you have done that.
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Friday, September 6th, 2013 AT 2:30 PM
Tiny
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Just wanted to update you, I took it to a shop and it turned out that the oil pressure sending unit was the problem. Who knew? I would have never guessed.
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Saturday, September 21st, 2013 AT 6:07 AM
Tiny
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Glad you found that. I've seen that happen a few times.
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Saturday, September 21st, 2013 AT 7:34 AM

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