Hello All,

I have an interesting problem that I am trying to solve.

I have a '95 Explorer that does not start some of the time due to the fuel pump not engaging. I have tried the local Ford dealership, they had the
vehicle for three days, and could not reproduce the problem, hence had no idea what was wrong.

Here's the history:

1. First time it did not start, I unplugged the inertia switch and plugged it back in and it started (it was not reset, I just unplugged the main connection).

2. The next time it did not start, just doing the above did not fix the problem. I bought a new inertia switch and this fixed the problem. The next time it did not start, I literally "jiggled" the cable that goes into the inertia switch, and it started.

3. Now it has done it three times this week and I have a spare inertia switch which I plug the connection into, and this fixes the problem. The
strange thing is that once it successfully starts with the spare inertia switch, I can plug the connector back into the one that is mounted on the
vehicle and it will start up.

Is there any way to bypass the switch, or can someone lead me in the right direction in trying to fix this very aggravating problem?

Thanks for any help.


Bryan Bunch
bryanb@walls-media.com

 

I wouldn't recommend bypassing this switch. It's there to prevent pumping gas from your gas tank if you get in an accident. You wouldn't want to keep feeding a fire.
Anyway, the fact that when you jiggled the wires you were able to get the engine started suggests that you probably have a wiring or connector problem. Make sure that the pins haven't been bent or pulled out of the connector and also check the wires. They could be broken just inside the insulation near where the wire is crimped in the connector pins. To pinpoint which wire, once you have it running, jiggle one wire at a time and see if you can get the engine to stop.