just keep cranking to get the air out. the fuel will eventually push all the air into the engine and the startup will be smelly but it does the trick.

what's the update J?

 

Car is fixed and running. Fuel pump and a new filter. I had never changed my filter and I'm thinking the prior owner didn't either as it looked like hell. Further, Bill was reading today and found testimonials about people not changing the fuel filter and losing the pumps. It makes sense too since a clogged filter makes the pump work harder to supply fuel. Get enough crap in there and the pump will burn up trying to feed the engine. Pump is super easy to swap - the only minor pain in the *** was reseating it properly to lock it in place. Still overall no big deal.

We were way overthinking the issue but the learned lessons about the system make it worthwhile. The filter can be a pain in the *** due to the nut/bolt holding the filter strap but by trimming away some of the plastic it can be gotten.

Incidentally I had ordered a new ignition switch from www.germanautoparts.com yesterday and it came in today. Was going to swap it in case it was messed up and not triggering the pump. Didn't install it because the pump ran...and I shouldve. Now I have no headlights, radio, or dash vent lights (I put them in and wired them to the switched power post under the dash. I think my ignition switch decided to die after I restarted the car a second time, so tomorrow the wheel comes back off so I can check it out, swap the switch, and hopefully be fully functional again.

Thanks for the feedback guys

 

I was just gonna say man... Perfect excuse to go for the D2 S8.

 

Wishful thinking Pat, my car must really like yours. It was running like normal last night in the driveway, and I shut it down and went in. This morning it has a hole in the flexpipe. Small hole to be sure, but it's noticeable - actually sounds pretty awesome lol. Unfortunately I don't want to put off fixing it too long because I don't want to have to replace a cat, so I can only enjoy the sound for a little while. Oh well, guess I'll have to buy that 14816 after all

oh and it looks like that 4v may have been a leakage through the ignition switch, just in case anyone ever comes across it. The fuel circuit should only see 0 or 12v. And the ECU provides the signal to the low side of the coil of the relay. That's the T terminal on the fuel pump relay.