Got a 1996 Saturn station wagon from a friend I wanted to fix up for my granddaughter. Was supposed to have been running fine when he parked it 2 years ago. Put in a fresh battery, cranks well, but no start. Found no "run" signal to the fuel pump relay. All fuses check good, so don't know why it's not getting a signal. However, I "jumped" the relay and found the fuel pump inoperative - replaced and now have fuel to the rail. Engine will run on starting fluid. Removed plugs and cylinders are dry after cranking = no fuel.
How can I tell if the injectors are failed (hard to believe all 4 failed) or that they are receiving the "run" signal ? And, if they are not getting the signal, possible causes ? Can it be related to the fuel pump relay not getting the "run" signal ?
Will a failed crank position sensor cause this ? I appreciate any input available, thank you.

 

SW1 or SW2 (SOHC or DOHC) ?
Mileage?
Codes?

 

Derf, thank you so much for your reply. I don't know what SW1 is compared to and SW2?
It is a duel overhead cam. 115,000 miles.
It has one count of P1599 - I didn't bother to clear this because I didn't think it was relative to the no start.
Today I verified I have battery voltage at the pink wires to the injectors with battery ground. When I check from pink to black wire at injector it drops to 10V. I did not see what happens to V when you turn it over trying to start.
I re-verified spark at plugs firing. Will hit with start fluid.
I have fuel at the shreader valve and it seems to spray well, but do not have a gauge to verify pressure.
With my OBD tool, it is showing around 61 degree coolant temp, and I get RPM during the crank. But, it is cheap OBD tool and I don't have real confidence in it.

 

You have an SW2 (2's are DOHC in the S car line)

Loan a tool at Autozone or similar for the fuel pressure tester at the rail.
Compare to what the PCM says it is.

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If the fuel pressure checks out, I would pull an injector (I think the fuel rail has to come out.and does so in only 1 contorted way) and see if they are all gummed up.
2 years of bad fuel sitting in there, with the ethanol, may have clogged the passages.
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Other info of varying value to some, no value to others:

A) The signal to the fuel pump to close the relay comes through a single wire from the PCM no matter what triggered the request.
B) Fuel System priming: When you turn the key to on, you should hear (sitting in the driver's seat) a faint hum from the rear of the car for about 5 sec, then the "click" sound of the fuel pump shutting off. T
The hum is often quiet but the click off at the end can be heard if you are listening for it.
If the priming sequence is not occurring, the fuel pump relay is not enabling or the fuel pump is not getting power (unlikely in your case)

3) Did you ever unjumper the fuel pump relay? I'm thinking yes but it never hurts to ask.
4) Have you pulled and checked all of the IGN fuses? I believe there are some interesting interdependencies, If the contacts are dirty/corroded, sweep the corrosion away buy inserting and removing the fuses 10 or 15 times
5) Does your chime module (at key on, lights left on...) work? How about the radio? (strangely relevant)
6) The fuel pump relay is either enabled or not enabled. Enabled while running, and therefore not related to the injectors getting their signal.

 

Thanks again for all your assistance. It is good to have someone to discuss this with. The dog listens, but he just doesn't offer up any good suggestions.
I guess you can tell, but I have never worked on a Saturn before.
I leave the fuel pump relay jumped to keep the pump pressure up. I will try not jumped.
What fuel pressure PSI should I see ? Is there a minimum like 35 PSI ?
I can hear the fuel pump hum, but never heard it click off. So what shuts the fuel pump off? Does the PCM look for a certain fuel PSI and then cut the run signal to the fuel pump relay ? But that would mean there is a fuel pressure sensor somewhere ?

I checked all the fuses with a meter, but you may be correct - V could be on both sides of the fuse, but not transferring to the fuse holder terminals. I will pull all and inspect/clean as you have suggested.
Yes, the chime and radio work.
Can you explain how the injectors work? I have battery + to one side of the injector terminal , so I am assuming the computer pulses the B negative (ground) signal ? Since I already have B+ on one side, if I jump B- directly from the battery - should that "open" the injector to fuel ? Should you hear a sound, click etc. if the injector does open and close?
Can I ohm the injectors - is there a spec it should be?
For sure it makes sense to look for bad fuel clogging things up after two years and I will remove rail and injectors and clean as suggested. I know when I replaced the fuel pump, the fuel in the tank "stunk"
To try and clean the injectors - just spray them with carb cleaner ?

 

Priming
Again, there is literally only one pin and 1 wire from it that triggers closure (enabling) of the fuel pump relay.
I believe the prime is a timed sequence, as the system will happily prime a messed up fuel system that has a leak and will hold no pressure.

Relay Jumpering
If you are jumpering the relay, you can't be jumping the trigger terminals b/c there is not always current running through it. Plus no current would go through the coil in the relay to pull the contact closed and enable the relay.
Which then sounds like you are jumpering over the internal switch to keep it enabled. That would keep the fuel pump running. INDEFINITELY. Hopefully, you are pulling the jumper when you are done working on it for the day; otherwise, you are abusing the fuel pump if there is not about 1/3 tank of gas to liquid cool it. Even then it is the equivalent of driving 24/7 for days on end.

Chime
The chime circuit shares a distribution point on the Instr Panel Junction Block. (IPJB). The lighter is also attached here. The wiring, pin size, and electrical load were determined with intermitent high current use for the lighter element,
Cell phone chargers came along and now that distribution point has a constant current flow it wasn't designed for. The pin melts (F4) and things on it like the fuel pump and chime no longer receive battery voltage and stop working.
I meant dome light, not radio. oops.

Fuel Pressure Specs
Fuel pump pressure = pressure at the rail (ignoring pressure drops along the way) , Key ON, Engine OFF = 46-94 psi
Fuel system pressure at the rail at IDLE: 31 -36 psi with vac hose attached to fuel pressure regulator (fuel pressure regulator on the earlier s cars was vacuum operated)
Fuel system pressure at the rail at IDLE: 37-45 psi with vac hose REMOVED from fuel pressure regulator

Fuel Pressure Regulator
Probably a good idea to to replace the fuel pressure regulator. In theory, it should not be exposed to fuel but if the diaphragm is bad it does get exposed and you will smell gas when you pull off the vac line.

Fuel Injector --Impedance Measurements
96-02 are "saturated" / high impedance injectors.
10-14 Ohms (approx)

Fuel injector cleaning

If they are clogged solid I have no idea.

I believe you should be able to hear the clicking from each injector as it receives its signal to open and then close. should be a constant tick tick tick tick (repeat)
Try to keep the fuel rail attached at first and have someone crank the engine over. If the injectors are silent, either they are not receiving a signal or they are not actuating internally. I believe you can test them with a Noid light but I have only read about them.

Also, try removing one injector only, then cranking with a fuel safe container placed where the injector was to ensure the section of rail housing the injectors is not clogged.
The injectors have such a fine spray pattern at the outlet that if stuff has gelled up inside it will likely not come out.

I remember replacing the injectors on my 95; those clips are a beee atttch to put back on.
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Unjump that relay and see what happens

 

Derf, thank you again for all your support.
Cleaning the fuel injectors corrected the no start condition.
Apparently, the PCM will not send the "run" signal to the fuel pump relay without the relay being installed as you suggested. So, you can't test for the run signal with the relay removed and just using a meter. When I reinstalled the relay and turned the key on, fuel pump ran and timed out just like you stated.
I would never have gotten this far without your help, have a blessed day.

 

Always happy to get or keep one the road.
Thanks for stopping back and letting us know the resolution --0knowing what solved your issue is critical for those who come after.

I would recommend (if not already done) to run about 1/4 trank of brand name 93 octane with detergents in it through a cheap replacement fuel filter to get the skank out of the tank and lines.
Run that down fairly far
Put in a quality Fuel filter replacement, fill with same 93 gas, and add a bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner. It is the only one I have ever found to actually do anything in a noticeable way.
Should hep flush the injectors. Will probably take a few tanks,

If nothing else, change that fuel filter before it plugs or releases more gunk downstream.

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