Fuel pump relay

[GPster]

The Jeepster is a re-bodied 1987 GMC S15 2WD  with a 2.5L 4 cylinder engine. The wiring for this engine is mostly stock with most of the accessories deleted. It wouldn't start the other day and after cranking it for quite a while it finally caught and ran poorly. I put it in gear thinking that it would clear-up but only got about a block and a half till it stumbled like it was out of gas and it quit. I can usually hear the fuel pump run for the four seconds when I first turn the key on but I couldn't hear it for the traffic on the street. The fuel filter it new, the pump is new, the fuel tank was full and the relay was changed last spring. Thanks to AAA I got it back home. Turns out the relay was bad. I started out with a new relay 3 years ago when this build got far enough along to start the engine Two years ago I had it in a transmission shop for a check-up and the relay quit during the starting/stopping of the check. And this newer relay quit the other day. Is this odd? We had an '87 Olds with this engine in it and it went 10 years and 130,000 miles for us on the original relay. I can't see anything in the wiring that I might have eliminated that would cause this relay to fail or do I just put a spare relay in my toolbox. Now you all have something new to read GPster

[enjenjo]

Relays are all over the map on quality anymore. I try to use Delphi or Bosch relays any time I need one now.

[kb426]

I would call it unusual. I'm using the inexpensive bulk pack on ebay with pigtails that sells for I thing around $10 for 6 and have yet to have a failure. Maybe I'm lucky in that department.

[WZ JUNK]

One thing that comes to mind is the connection to the relay.  Failures I have noticed recently with electrical components have been related to a poor connection.  The connection arcs, which causes heat, and causes failure.  It is the same effect as an arc welder.  If it fails again, look closely at the male and female parts of the connection for signs arcing and heat.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Yeah , like everything in recent 5 - 8 yrs... Parts are sketchy.

Many folks blame the pandemic , but the problem was there before.  It got worse tho.