Car Trouble - Pressed the fuel pump cutoff switch and now car wont start

[Dragnov]

It was a little button. Accidently pressed it, and now the car won't start.

Been looking online and says something liek it cutoffs power immediately to the fuel pump (suppposed to be fore an accident or something.) I have no idea how the get the car starting again. Help?

2001 Ford ZX3 (Hatchback)
Manual has nothing about it.

 

[Heisenberg]

Yeah, most cars have cutoffs to turn off the fuel pump in an accident. How did you manage to press it?

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Yeah, most cars have cutoffs to turn off the fuel pump in an accident. How did you manage to press it?

Installing car stereo. Friend pressed it taking off a panel it seems. Seems like it supposed to be down, but then why would it click when pressed down?

How to turn it back on?

 

[Linflas]

The way that switch was explained to us in our Ford van was that it would shut off the fuel in case of an accident. Pushing that button is supposed to turn it back on as far as I know. I assume you don't have the owners manual handy?

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: Linflas
The way that switch was explained to us in our Ford van was that it would shut off the fuel in case of an accident. Pushing that button is supposed to turn it back on as far as I know. I assume you don't have the owners manual handy?

I checked the owners manual.. says page 166. Page 166 topic - Driving Through Water. Stupid Ford. Checked through it page by page, and has nothing on it.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Originally posted by: Linflas
The way that switch was explained to us in our Ford van was that it would shut off the fuel in case of an accident. Pushing that button is supposed to turn it back on as far as I know. I assume you don't have the owners manual handy?

I checked the owners manual.. says page 166. Page 166 topic - Driving Through Water. Stupid Ford. Checked through it page by page, and has nothing on it.

Just looked in the owners manual for ours and they cover it in the "What to do if the engine doesn't start" section. It says that the button is to reset the switch after it has been activated by an impact sufficient to trigger the cutoff.

 

[Dragnov]

Just looked in the owners manual for ours and they cover it in the "What to do if the engine doesn't start" section. It says that the button is to reset the switch after it has been activated by an impact sufficient to trigger the cutoff.

Whats weird is that he said he pressed it down. That means it was off already. I tried it both on and off, but the car still won't start still. I'm sure this is the problem as the lights show the car as having no gas. Thanks for trying to help though. I'm really at loss here.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Just looked in the owners manual for ours and they cover it in the "What to do if the engine doesn't start" section. It says that the button is to reset the switch after it has been activated by an impact sufficient to trigger the cutoff.

Whats weird is that he said he pressed it down. That means it was off already. I tried it both on and off, but the car still won't start still. I'm sure this is the problem as the lights show the car as having no gas. Thanks for trying to help though. I'm really at loss here.

"The lights show the car as having no gas"?

Uh, the fuel pump has precisely _zero_ bearing on the fuel guage reading. If the guage reads empty you have more problems than having to reset the fuel pump breaker.

ZV

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Just looked in the owners manual for ours and they cover it in the "What to do if the engine doesn't start" section. It says that the button is to reset the switch after it has been activated by an impact sufficient to trigger the cutoff.

Whats weird is that he said he pressed it down. That means it was off already. I tried it both on and off, but the car still won't start still. I'm sure this is the problem as the lights show the car as having no gas. Thanks for trying to help though. I'm really at loss here.

"The lights show the car as having no gas"?

Uh, the fuel pump has precisely _zero_ bearing on the fuel guage reading. If the guage reads empty you have more problems than having to reset the fuel pump breaker.

ZV

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Just looked in the owners manual for ours and they cover it in the "What to do if the engine doesn't start" section. It says that the button is to reset the switch after it has been activated by an impact sufficient to trigger the cutoff.

Whats weird is that he said he pressed it down. That means it was off already. I tried it both on and off, but the car still won't start still. I'm sure this is the problem as the lights show the car as having no gas. Thanks for trying to help though. I'm really at loss here.

"The lights show the car as having no gas"?

Uh, the fuel pump has precisely _zero_ bearing on the fuel guage reading. If the guage reads empty you have more problems than having to reset the fuel pump breaker.

ZV

I guess I'm reading things wrong or something. I don't know much about cars. All I know is that car was working perfectly fine until this little button.

 

[Evadman]

Maybe pressing that button poped the Emergency Fuel Release. That drops all the fuel out of the tank in emergencies. The Checvy Nova was the first one to come with this release.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Just looked in the owners manual for ours and they cover it in the "What to do if the engine doesn't start" section. It says that the button is to reset the switch after it has been activated by an impact sufficient to trigger the cutoff.

Whats weird is that he said he pressed it down. That means it was off already. I tried it both on and off, but the car still won't start still. I'm sure this is the problem as the lights show the car as having no gas. Thanks for trying to help though. I'm really at loss here.

"The lights show the car as having no gas"?

Uh, the fuel pump has precisely _zero_ bearing on the fuel guage reading. If the guage reads empty you have more problems than having to reset the fuel pump breaker.

ZV

I guess I'm reading things wrong or something. I don't know much about cars. All I know is that car was working perfectly fine until this little button.

Does the fuel guage read empty?

If yes, then you've done much more than just trip the reset for the fuel pump.

ZV

 

[Dragnov]

Does the fuel guage read empty?

If yes, then you've done much more than just trip the reset for the fuel pump.

ZV

Sorry, I misread the lights. THe fuel gauge is fine, it's not empty. Everything is normal, haven't touched anything else of the car. The car just clicks. There was some really bad corrosion the battery which I cleaned off w/ a spray from Kragen. Maybe it is a dead battery after all, but it seems out of the blue, but I'll try a jumpstart anyways. Everything just happened after the switch, so *shrug*

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Maybe pressing that button poped the Emergency Fuel Release. That drops all the fuel out of the tank in emergencies. The Checvy Nova was the first one to come with this release.

LMFAO! :laugh:

Cheers Evadman! :beer:

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Dragnov

Does the fuel guage read empty?

If yes, then you've done much more than just trip the reset for the fuel pump.

ZV

Sorry, I misread the lights. THe fuel gauge is fine, it's not empty. Everything is normal, haven't touched anything else of the car. The car just clicks. There was some really bad corrosion the battery which I cleaned off w/ a spray from Kragen. Maybe it is a dead battery after all, but it seems out of the blue, but I'll try a jumpstart anyways. Everything just happened after the switch, so *shrug*

If the starter just clicks, you have an electrical problem. There may also be a fuel problem, but the fuel cutoff doesn't cut the power to the starter.

Besides, even if it did cut the power, you wouldn't hear the click from the starter relay.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Dragnov, since you mention it happened during a stero install, perhaps it's just a blown fuse?

 

[Dragnov]

*shrug*
LIke I said, I don't know much about cars and don't pretend to.

Well my car saavy friends are coming to check on it. I'm sure its nothing serious. May just end up being the battery. Interior lights seem very dim now (wasn't a little while ago like hwen i posted this message). Anyways, thanks for your help.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Dragnov
*shrug*
LIke I said, I don't know much about cars and don't pretend to.

Well my car saavy friends are coming to check on it. I'm sure its nothing serious. May just end up being the battery. Interior lights seem very dim now (wasn't a little while ago like hwen i posted this message). Anyways, thanks for your help.

You probably shorted something, and it is killing your battery. Take off one of the terminals of the battery, and connect a DVOM in line, and look at the amperage rating. Anything over 0.025 amps is bad.

 

[FoBoT]

as was said, if it is clicking, you just aren't getting enough juice from the battery, it isn't the fuel or that switch

clean the battery terminals again/more and reseat them. keep doing that until it starts. (or replace the cables)

 

[BadNewsBears]

Charge the god forsaken battery or take it to kragen and have it tested if it wont hold a charge. Clicking=not enough juics to turn the startor or the relay is toast.