Power To Fuel Pump Check (1996 1.9L Ford Escort, Mercury Tracer)

When troubleshooting a no-start condition —and your fuel pressure gauge shows the fuel pump isn't producing any pressure— the next step is to verify the pump is actually receiving power.

On the Ford Escort (Mercury Tracer), that's easy —you just check that the fuel pump inertia switch has power in (PWR IN) and power out (PWR OUT) going to the pump.

This quick check at the inertia switch tells you right away if the fuel fuse and fuel pump relay are doing their job.

In this tutorial, I'll walk you step by step through that check so you know whether zero PSI means a bad pump or simply a power supply fault.

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 1.9L Ford Escort: 1996.
• 1.9L Mercury Tracer: 1996.

FUEL PUMP PRESSURE TEST:

• How To Test The Fuel Pump (1991-1996 1.9L Ford Escort, Mercury Tracer).

Why You Should Check For Power Before Replacing The Fuel Pump

Anytime your fuel pressure gauge shows 0 PSI fuel pressure, the next step is to confirm the fuel pump is getting power.

By confirming that power is actually reaching the fuel pump, you can rule out a blown fuel pump fuse or failed fuel pump relay that could keep the pump from running.

Checking for power on the 1996 Escort or Tracer is simple —you just access the fuel pump inertia switch's 2-wire connector and check for voltage there.

Why the inertia switch's 2-wire connector? Because on these specific vehicles, when you turn the key and crank the engine, voltage flows from the fuel pump fuse → through the fuel pump relay → to the inertia switch. If the switch hasn't tripped, it passes that power directly to the fuel pump.

If voltage is present at the connector, the fuse and relay are good —and at that point, you can confidently drop the tank and replace the pump.

Before we get into the procedure, here are the tools you'll need.

What Tools You'll Need

The cool thing is, checking for power to the fuel pump only takes a few basic tools —nothing that's gonna break the bank:

• Test light or multimeter: Either one works fine to check for battery voltage at the fuel pump inertia switch connector. If you don't already own one, these are the ones I own and use myself:
  • Tekpower TP8268 AC/DC Auto/Manual Range Digital Multimeter (Amazon affiliate link).
  • Lisle 28400 Heavy Duty 12 Volt Test Light (Amazon affiliate link).
• Someone to crank the engine: Since the fuel pump inertia switch is located in the rear cargo area of your Ford Escort or Mercury Tracer, you'll need someone to help you crank the engine while you observe your multimeter or 12V test light.

How To Check That Power Is Reaching The Fuel Pump (Via The Inertia Switch)

OK, this is the test you signed up for. We're going to check that the fuel pump inertia switch is getting power in (PWR IN) and sending power out (PWR OUT). Let's get started.

PART 1: Step-By-Step Power-In Test:

1. Locate the inertia switch:
   • 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks: Mounted in the right side of the cargo area, just above the wheel well, behind the trim panel.
   • 4-door sedans: Located in the right side of the luggage compartment (trunk).
   • Wagons: Positioned in the right rear corner of the cargo area, directly behind the wheel well.
2. Unplug the connector: You'll see two wires going to the switch.
   • The black with pink stripe (BLK/PNK) of them brings power in from the fuel pump relay.
   • The blue (BLU) one sends power out to the pump.
3. NOTE: This only applies to the 1996 1.9L Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer.
4. Crank the engine: Have a helper crank the engine while you probe the power-in wire with a test light or multimeter.
5. Verify voltage: You should see 10 to 12 Volts DC on the power-in wire during cranking. If voltage is present, the fuse, relay, and wiring up to the inertia switch are good.
6. No voltage? That rules out the fuel pump as bad. The fault is upstream —blown fuel pump fuse, bad fuel pump relay, or the PCM not grounding the fuel pump relay. That's where your troubleshooting goes next.
7. Voltage present? Good. The inertia switch is getting power from the fuel pump fuse and relay. Now we need to confirm it's passing that voltage through to the fuel pump.

PART 2: Step-By-Step Power-Out Test:

1. Reconnect the connector: Plug the 2-wire (or 3-wire) connector back into the inertia switch so you can test the power-out side under normal conditions.
2. Backprobe the power-out wire: With your multimeter's red test lead, backprobe the BLU wire —this is the wire that delivers voltage straight to the fuel pump.
3. Ground the black multimeter test lead: Touch the black lead to a clean, bare metal spot near the inertia switch. Make sure this spot has no paint and no rust to get an accurate reading.
4. Crank the engine: Have your helper crank the engine while you monitor the multimeter.
5. Check voltage: A good inertia switch will show 10 to 12 Volts on the BLU wire during cranking. That confirms it's passing power to the pump. With fuel pressure being 0 PSI, you can now confidently conclude the fuel pump is dead.
6. No voltage? This tells you that the fuel pump inertia switch is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced.

IMPORTANT: This test doesn't tell you if the pump is producing pressure —it only confirms that it's getting voltage. But it's an important step to take before dropping the tank and swapping the pump.

More 1.9L Ford Escort And Mercury Tracer Diagnostic Tutorials

You can find a complete list of 1.9L Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer tutorials in this index:

• 1.9L Ford Escort Index Of Articles.

Here's a small sample of the tutorials you'll find in the index:

• How To Test The MAF Sensor (1991-1995 1.9L Ford Escort, Mercury Tracer).
• Common Causes Of Spark Plug Failure (1991-1995 1.9L Ford Escort, Mercury Tracer).
• How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1991-1995 1.9L Ford Escort, Mercury Tracer).
• How To Test Engine Compression (1991-1995 1.9L Ford Escort, Mercury Tracer).