Bypass Fuel Pump Relay; Complete Guide.
The fuel pump relay is a vital part of the fuel injection system of the car, and it is very common to fault the relay which can leave you stranded in the middle of the road.
Thus when you cannot call a mechanic, then you can try to bypass the fuel pump relay as a temporary solution.
But you should know that there are some cases when it can get worse and more dangerous if you do not know the proper steps for bypassing the fuel pump relay.
So there is a certain risk in bypassing relays; thus, keep reading below to learn more about the fuel pump relays and how you can bypass them safely.
Table of Contents
- What Does A Fuel Pump Relay Do?
- How To Bypass A Fuel Pump Relay?
- How To Jump Fuel Pump Relay On Chevy Truck?
- Is It Safe To Bypass Fuel Pump Relay?
- Why Do You Need To Jump Start The Fuel Pump Relay?
What Does A Fuel Pump Relay Do?
Car fuel pumps fail for various reasons, but the most common is when an electrical component called the fuel pump relay stops working properly.
The relay sends voltage from the battery to the pump and could have stopped working due to corrosion or a burnt-out fuse. The primary function of a car’s fuel pump relay is to transmit electrical current from your car’s battery to your vehicle’s fuel injectors.
This puts gasoline in its liquid state to be properly distributed throughout the engine and combusted as needed.
Typically, when a car’s fuel pump starts acting up, owners notice that their gas mileage will drop significantly, and their engine will start sputtering at idle speeds. If this is the case, you first need to determine whether the pump relay is bad or not.
After that, if you do not want to take the car to the mechanic and spend some money on it, you can choose the temporary method to fix it, bypassing it.
But talking to the expert and letting him diagnose would be better as he can suggest whether you need a new fuel pump relay.
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How To Bypass A Fuel Pump Relay?
You may have experienced the frustration of repeatedly checking your car’s fuel gauge to find it still stuck at empty. If you are experiencing this problem, you must bypass the fuel pump relay. You can do it with the help of jumper cables.
The operation is relatively simple, but there are safety protocols you must follow to bypass the fuel pump relay safely. The fuel pump relay is a safety measure to reset the system when the car does not sense or recognize power from the ignition switch.
Things you will need,
- 10 mm socket wrench or socket ratchet set.
- Wire cutters or jumper cables.
First, find and disconnect both of the battery wires leading from each side of the battery.
Then loosen both of them enough so it is safe for you to pull out the wires attached to each post on your old fuel pump and connect them instead to posts on your new one.
Next, connect a jumper wire from one battery terminal wire back over onto its original wire post; for this work, be sure that it is thinner than four gauges.
Now, connect a jumper wire from the harness to your fuel pump to any of its original posts. For the last link in the chain, remove a drive belt.
Next, connect a jumper wire between the two posts that remain unconnected. To do this, be sure that this wire is thicker than four gauges. Finally, reconnect both battery wires back onto their original posts and install your new fuel pump.
How To Jump Fuel Pump Relay On Chevy Truck?
If you have a Chevy truck and suddenly find yourself stranded in the middle of no man’s land without any cell service, you can get your ride going again by jumping the fuel pump relay.
Thus here are five easy steps in which you can jump fuel pump relays:
- Locate the relay
First of all, stop and park the car and open the hood and try to find the relay box. Usually, it will be near the engine bay in the black plastic box.
In most vehicles, it will be near the engine bay in a black plastic box; however, you can also locate it by finding out a fuse box.
- Disconnect the battery terminals
The second step is to disconnect the relay from the battery. So to do so, remove both the red and black wires from the battery terminals.
- Connecting jumper cables
For jumping, start using red cables (positive) and black cables (negative). Now you are ready to start your car by connecting both ends of cables to the positive terminals and negative terminals of the alternator or another vehicle with the battery connected.
Now the final step is to start the car, and in case it will not start, disconnect the cables and try to start it again.
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Is It Safe To Bypass Fuel Pump Relay?
A few different things could happen if you bypass the fuel pump relay in your car. First, your car would stop running, and it would be hard to get it back up again.
The second thing would be that you’d cause an electrical fire because of how close the battery is to all these wires.
So these are some of the possible risk factors that, if you do not take care of safety, can happen to you too. It is generally safe for an expert who knows what he is doing.
But if you are an amateur and do not know anything about it, you should avoid bypassing the fuel pump relay. If you have no option and have to bypass it, follow all the safety protocols to avoid further damage to your car’s engine.
Why Do You Need To Jump Start The Fuel Pump Relay?
If you are operating a vehicle regularly, you will need to replace your fuel pump relay sooner or later. Fuel pump relays help regulate the electrical current that powers your car’s fuel pumps.
These devices have an average lifespan of 3-5 years and can be found near the engine or in the fuse box, depending on your car. If your fuel pump relay is not functioning correctly, it can cause many issues.
With that being said, it’s always essential to test via bypassing whether or not your vehicle has functioning relays before replacing them with new ones to make sure they are still working correctly.
If the fuel pumps relay malfunctions, it will not be able to contact the terminals of your fuel pump properly, and as a result, they will not be able to provide adequate amounts of fuel for your engine.
If this happens, your vehicle may start and then stall or stall at random intervals while driving.
When your vehicle is running, it turns on a relay that powers the fuel pump and supplements the engine’s revving. This allows for faster acceleration and better fuel efficiency.
However, if that relay isn’t working properly or has failed, it won’t be able to supplement the engine’s revving and might result in a dead battery.
