Originally Posted by
MrBill
does rubber banding a relay cause any damage. for example, is a relay activated for a short time or does it remain activated till the car power is turned off. More specifically if I do that to the fuel pump relay will I have a problem?
Rubber banding the fuel pump relay is a way to get yourself home, but you'd better not leave it like that. That relay is supplied battery power, which means the pump runs forever, draining your battery (which is no big deal).
But what IS a big deal, is doing so keeps the ECU from disabling the fuel pump at times that it SHOULD be disabled, like when you try to start the car but it does not start - or in an accident, when you want the pump to stop running in cases where a fuel line is broken - the last thing you need, is 58PSI of gasoline spraying onto who-knows-what in an accident scene.
The rubber band is a test, a quick fix to get home, but that's all it is.