Chrysler Repair: fuel pump, vacuum hoses, digits number

Question
we have a 1988 reliant with a 2.2 and recently it has had starting problems.we checked for spark and it was there.check the fuel lines and changed the fuel filter and still no go.Is there a way to install another fuel pump some where under the hood so that we do not have to drop the tank and is this safe.

Answer
Hi Paul,
Your troubleshooting so far is good. But I would not contemplate altering the fuel supply in any way. Too many complications are likely to interfere. I suspect that there could be something else that is causing your problems with starting such as a vacuum hose that is cracked or loosely connected or the egr valve may be stuck open slightly. There are other possibilities that are electrically based, and the way to check those is to do a fault code readout of you engine controller. Just turn the ignition switch from off to on to off to on to off to on (within a time period of 5 seconds or less), then watch the check engine light to come on for a couple of seconds, and then to start flashing, pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes between pauses, write down those numbers, then group them into pairs. For example the last two groups of flashes will have 5 in each, so that become the number 55 which is the code for "end of fault code readout". Let me know what other two digits number result from the readout and I'll give you some further instruction specific to those. In the meantime look over the vacuum hoses and maybe look at the egr valve while at idle when you snap open/close the throttle to see if the valve stem inside the "mushroom" top of the valve is going up and down when you snap the throttle.
Roland