I have a 92 pickup with about 250k that I plan to sell. It turns over but has been having trouble starting/running. Got it towed to the mechanic who said there’s no fuel pressure and would be $400 labor to tear in and diagnose. Could be a fuel pump or wire issue Which is pretty cheap to fix, or could be a more extensive problem - no way to tell until they’ve pulled apart. I just want to get it running in order to sell - is it worth paying for repairs or better to sell as is and tell the buyer there’s some sort of fuel Pressure issue?

 

$400 just for the diagnosis seems expensive to me. I am thinking about how I have diagnosed no fuel pressure problems, and there was not that much exploratory surgery. The final length of wire to the fuel pump (and pump itself) will require dropping the tank or removing the cargo bed, but it can be fairly certain that the problem is in that area before doing so. If the mechanic has good reason to believe it is a bad fuel pump, and the $400 includes removal, then it might be worth it. I would get a quote for the total job first to see if it will be worth it in the end.

A car that will not run is worth significantly less that one that does, so it is probably worth fixing, or at least getting a professional diagnosis to show prospective buyers. See what Toyota pickups like yours are selling for in your area both running and not, then you can get an accurate range of value and decide what it is worth spending on repairs.

 

No kidding! Think about it. If you're just some dude who wants a cheap ride to the probation office, would you pay anything for a 25+ year old truck that doesn't even run? Or, say you're some gal from YotaTech who knows your fuel system in and out. She can tell (after a minute or two) that, say, all you need is a replacement fuel pump. Will she tell you that? She'll offer a super low-ball and you'll be glad to get it.

That's a head-scratcher (and by head-scratcher, I mean that $400 isn't that far out for a diagnosis). If you have no fuel pressure the truck won't start or run at all. If you have enough fuel pressure to start it sometimes, there's a whole world of issues that could cause hard-starting.

But let's go with no fuel pressure. You can jumper FP to B+ on the diagnostic connector. With key-on, you should be able to hear the pump running. If not, you'll use your multimeter to check for voltage on B+, and then work your way in the direction of the fuel pump (as Brenna points out, you may have to drop the tank as you get closer). If you can hear the pump run (and still have no fuel pressure), then it's pretty likely that the pump is leaking internally (again, dropping the tank).