Car Starting and staying on issues.... 91 SS AT

[DCal]

Hi folks, I've lurked quite a while but this is the first time I haven't been able to find an exact answer using the search. I have a 91 Legacy SS AT that was running that had been running fine up until my lunch break today. The drive to work and to the shop, the car ran fine. I came out from the restaurant with my food and started the car. It seemed to start ok, but when I went into reverse and tried to back out of the spot, it acted like the parking break was on. I was able to back out and it made it out of the lot and onto the street where it promptly died at the stop light. When I would try and start it, it would seem to run for a second or two and then die. I could keep it in this failing state by pumping the gas, but it would eventually die.

Luckily, someone helped me roll it into a nearby parking lot. I checked for leaks and odd smells, but nothing aside from a faint wiff of gas I associated with attempting to start the car. I tried a few more times with the same result (each time the car stayed on less). I tried to use some starter fluid I happened to have in my trunk, but it would only rev to about 3k and then die again.

Prior to this, I have experienced the car taking about a beat or two to start on really cold days, were I would turn the key and then wait a second for the car to begin turning over.

I have a cracked PVC (part# 11821 AA320), the small piece that connects the BCS broke off of the resonator and in a quick fix I glued it back on, and I recently discovered that i need to replace a hose that runs up off the head to one of the PVC pipes. (it failed smog last week for these reasons )

Based on my reading via search, it looks like a temp sensor or something to do with the fuel pump is typically a culprit for not starting. I replaced the fuel filter in October, so hopefully i didn't help in it failing.

Any assistance in trying to diagnose this would be helpful. I am having the car towed back to my place tonight and hope that I can fix it over the weekend.

Thanks in advance!

Dan.

[DCal]

So last night I went back to the vehicle and checked on a few things. Looks like its not receiving fuel from the pump (I tried turning it over with the line off of the filter disconnected and placed in a bucket). I couldn't hear the pump pressurizing when i flipped the key into the on position as well.

Also, while checking to see which fuse controlled the pump (fuses were fine), I noticed that underneath the steering column there were two connectors that had been unconnected one small black set and the other light green. I tried connecting the green connectors and when the key is flipped into the on position, the radiator fan cycles on and off while a clicking sound can be heard in near the passenger head light.

I will be searching the forums for this answer, but would appreciate any ideas. Thanks!

Dan

[vrg3]

Your fuel pump may be bad, but I'd also check the harness connector under the passenger side of the rear seat. All the current for the fuel pump goes through that connector and it's a common failure point. If that connector is the problem, you can sometimes get it going by sitting in the back seat on the passenger side and bouncing up and down on the seat to jar the connector.

The black and green pairs of connectors are for ECU diagnostics. Leave them disconnected for normal driving.

[e1_griego]

Sure sounds like a dead fuel pump.

Mine died on Monday, coincidentally.

[Legacy777]

If the connector under the rear seat is the problem you can pull the pins out or cut the wiring and use two insulated spade connectors to replace the stock connector.

[DCal]

I know this problem occurred months ago, but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their replies. The pump did die and I was able to get towed and swapped out in the same night.

[wtdash]

^ Thanks for finishing the 'story'...always good to know the cause/cure.
Td