[Vwdiesel] '90 Jetta fusebox

[Shawn Wright]

Sorry for the non-diesel question, but I'm hoping somewhere here might 
have seen this problem before...

A friend bought a '90 gas Jetta recently, and soon after it starting having 
problems which sounded like fuel pump - dying out, hard starting, etc. Then 
it just died, and wouldn't start.
It had a really ugly alarm system hacked into it, so electrical was my first 
guess. I didn't get a chance to look at it until tonight, after her brother 
removed the alarm hack job, and figured it was spark. But I still suspected 
fuel, so I checked for fuel at the rail, and there was no pressure. No power 
at the pump in the tank or the pressure tank. Bypassed the relay. Still no 
power. Hmm. This is where it gets strange. As I read it, power from the 87 
on the relay should go through fuse 18 and then onto the fuel pumps. But 
there is no continuity between the relay 87 and the backside of the fuse 
block. So I applied power directly to the fuel pump harness coming off the 
fuse block, and the pumps run. So unless I'm reading the wiring wrong, it 
appears the fuse block is at fault. I've heard of them being flaky from 
corrosion/water damage, but not failing altogether like this. I've advised her 
to pickup a used fuse block, since although I have 3 of them, none will fit - I 
guess they changed around '89 or so.
Any other ideas appreciated... thanks.




Shawn Wright
http://members.shaw.ca/vwdiesels
'88 Westy 1.6TD 5 speed
'85 Jetta Diesel 1.6NA