running out of ideas and patience

[Cleaner13]

ok guys dont know what to do now

my car was working fine yesterday

my fuel gauge was the only thing not working

so I ended up dropping the tank and taking the pump out
only to realize it wasnt in the tank that was a problem
it was one of the wires outside it
so now I put everything back in and the car wont start
no pressure builds or anything
pump primes but thats it

sometimes when I turn the ignition on it will go to 20psi on the fuel gauge but when I crank it over it drops off

also now

I tried doing the hotwire to have the pump run and build pressure without it cranking over the car
that didnt work
and since then the car wont even crank over now
it just flickers the lights when I try and crank it over

maybe the alternator is bad?

how can I check if the alternator is bad?

please help

thanks

Carl

 

[JayLashua]

check your wiring job there, you could have shorted something out.. but if you turn the key and your lights flicker thats a good indication of a drained battery.. so make sure none of the wiring is messed up!

 

[salvageV6]

1. Charge the battery a few hours.

2. Take off the alternator if you like and take it to have it tested at a reputable supply house. In another car obviously while your battery is charging.

3. Find out why your pump is not working consistently and properly. Yes it involves dropping the tank again.

4. Look for bad inlet sock feed, or outlet fuel line, or wiring connections.

A good test would involve putting some hose on the metal outlet line and pumping into a gas can. A 30 sec. test can tell if you are pumping the right amount of fuel once you fix the problem.

Measuring voltages back there at the pump is a good idea too.

Tons of things you can do but you must be slow and methodical about it. Not always easy that's for sure.

I think I would win a wrench toss hands down, errr make that hands up.

 

[Cleaner13]

thanks guys
it was simple as a low battery
thank god

thanks for everything you guys always help

Carl