Ok then those two relays are the only sounds I should hear from under the hood when turning the key to the run position.. I was thinking some cars do a quick check of other components under the hood.
I will study on this a little more and get back to it tomorrow evening. Its good to know my diagrams are no good so I wont waste time tracing down circuits that don't exist!

Was thinking that if and when it does this again, I would need to check both the power and ground circuit on the FP relay.
Since I don't have a correct drawing.. The FP relay gets it power from a 12v fused link that perhaps comes from the starter relay probably not the problem?
The ground for the FP relay comes from the EEC. pin #22 IF it has both 12v power and a ground then it could be the relay or pump in the tank. If it has no ground it would be either a problem in the circuit or the EEC?

 

I was wondering if a person could temporarily connect a LED light someway to the power and ground to the FP relay and be able tell if the relay is energized or not the next time I don't heat the pump run. I could use a short wire and route it out between the hood and fender on the outside of the van so I could see it...
It is not always very convenient to just jump out with a test light and I would have a problem holding the test light over on the relay while turning the ignition switch...

 

The fuel pump relay supplies power to both the HP pump on the frame and the fuel pump in the tank.
So if the frame HP pump runs the fuel pump relay, pin #22 ground and the inertia switch are OK.
Also the fuel pump in the tank and the fuel gauge sender in the tank have a common ground along with the pump on the frame.

 

Maybe this will help. Checked with large 1988 E diagram.


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Thank you for the help and wiring schematic Subford..
I am going to check my manuals and see if there is any way there could be a problem with the ignition switch. Perhaps the circuit that feeds the EEC relay from the ignition switch. I will pay closer attention to what is going on the next time I do not hear the pump.

 

Mine too started getting noisy when the key was cycled on. It also took an extra second to start which was unusual. It failed towing a trailer and definitely made for a bad day. If you don't want to get stuck, you may consider changing it before it leaves you stranded!

 

Testing for proper fuel pressure is the best solution to "surprise" pump failures. Simply changing something with a good reason is a bit ill-advised and most times expensive without need.

 

Well since the thread was started back... Here it is over 2 years later and the van is still running and I always hear the in tank pump come on but hardly ever hear the HP pump under the drivers side. I did acquire a Motorcraft HP pump at a really low price last year just in case this one were to go out.
Couple more thoughts here. The van had sat for years and needed a new tank, sending unit, pump, and filter. Perhaps it had some junk in the HP pump causing the noise and it cleared itself.
I used to own a 1990 Mercury Colony Park Wagon with a 5.0 engine in it. It had a single in tank pump that pumped about 45psi and did not need the HP pump. The wheel base on the Colony park is 114" compared to my E150 at 138" but that is still pretty long as the fuel tank on the CPW was behind the rear axle. So I wonder if the rear tank pump in the van could supply just enough fuel to run a 5.0
My next group of work is greasing the speed odometer which requires raising the van to loosen a clamp holding the odometer cable in place, in order to gain enough slack on the cable to pull out on the instrument cluster. But that will be a good time to check the load on the hp pump. The bad think about running boards is that you have to lift the van to get under it!