No start, engine turns over

[ebolton94]

Hello,

First post! I am not a mechanic however I have learned what I can just from owning older vehicles for my whole life. I am not very knowledgeable of Geo Metros since I just got this car about 5 months ago. I have a 1995 Geo Metro, manual 3-cylinder, with 235k miles on it. New battery and new spark plugs.

Recently, my car has not been starting. The engine turns over consistently without hesitation. Before this happened, I don't recall any indication that there were any issues. The previous owner was a mechanic who loved this car and was very meticulous about oil changes, oil filter changes, air filter changes, and general maintenance.

So far, I have been using a 12V test light to help figure out what is going on. Based on the 12V test light, no power is getting to the coil/distributor/spark plugs. Additionally, I don't see any power coming into the coil, which I tested during when my wife had the key turned.

I checked the fuses, all fuses are getting power. I checked the relays, and even replaced the fuel pump relay. Now this is where it gets interesting, when I put the 12V test light into the prong-hole of the fuel-pump relay, the light does not turn on. I have also tested it when my wife turns the key to see if that makes a difference, but no. Note, the test light lit up when I tested all the other relays. So I've concluded that no power is getting to the fuel pump relay for some reason.

So now I'm kind of stumped and am not sure where to go from here. My father-in law says it could be the ignition switch. But my gut is telling me that if it was the ignition switch then the engine wouldn't be turning over like it is. Looking for any suggestions, I will also be browsing the forum for similar stories to see what I can learn.

Thanks,
Erik

[Blue Bowtie]

A typical ignition switch operates several circuits, and not just the cranking of the starter. If the ignition switch is turned to the "run" position without cranking, do the instrument panel warning lamps and gauges operate?