Forget the fuel pressure regulator. It was real common for them to leak into the vacuum hose and cause flooding on GM trucks, but I've only read about one leaking on a Chrysler product, and I never ran into a bad one myself. They used to be on the fuel rail on the engine, but since they did rarely fail, they're inside the gas tank now.
There are three systems you have to consider on Chrysler products. By far you're least likely to have a problem in the ignition system. About 5 percent of no-starts are caused by a problem with the fuel pump. The clue is you'll find no fuel pressure at the test port on the fuel rail on the engine. About 95 percent of no-starts are caused by the circuit that is common to both the ignition and fuel systems. That's the automatic shutdown (ASD) relay and the crankshaft position sensor and camshaft position sensor.
The clue to a problem with the ASD circuit is you'll have no spark, but most people get hung up there and don't look any further. The fuel pump won't run during cranking, but you WILL have fuel pressure. That's because with a failure of either sensor I mentioned, the Engine Computer won't turn on the ASD relay during cranking, so you'll have no spark, no fuel pump, and no injector pulses, but it will still get turned on for one second each time the ignition switch is turned on. The fuel pump will run for one second, but since there's no injector pulses during cranking, no fuel pressure will bleed off. That's why a lot of people incorrectly think they have a working fuel pump.
Since you found that you have spark, we know the ASD circuit is working as well as the ignition system. That leaves the fuel pump. If you can hear it over the chime, listen for the hum of the pump for one second when you turn on the ignition switch. If the pump doesn't run, try banging on the bottom of the gas tank. Sometimes they have to be jarred when power is applied. That means banging on the tank while a helper is cranking the engine.
GM fuel pumps typically quit while you're driving, leaving you stranded on the side of the road in a pile of tears. Chrysler pumps rarely quit once they've started up. If they do, it's usually due to a corroded connector terminal. They almost always fail by failing to start up, leaving you stranded in your driveway.
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Friday, October 17th, 2014 AT 10:26 PM
