Fuel Pump?

After changing the oil, I noticed gunk from an oil leak. I'm hoping the leak is from the loose filter I replaced, but I cleaned the engine in order to get a better idea. Problem is the thing wouldn't start a few hours later. After checking for the usual wet plugs (dry), popped fuses and bad relays, I traced things down to the fuel pump power connection.


The picture on the right shows the shelf behind the seats after removing the bar that holds the wind deflector and (I guess) keeps junk from flying into the cockpit from back there. The access panel in my car was missing. It covers that big hole. The picture on the left is a close up. There's a wire-tie holding the connector to its socket now.

I tracked this down with the help of some resources at miata.net. After not smelling gas, seeing dry plugs and spark, I assumed it was a fuel problem.

First I checked the fuses:

This is under the dash on the left under a door. You can see the clutch pedal below. The connector at the top is the OBD II connector. The fuses are behind.

The fuel problems list then directs you to the pump and it's supply. I checked that there is power to that connector while the engine is cranking (sorry, no pictures). There was, so I wondered about the pump. I found a 12v supply (a trickle charger) and tested the pump: it ran. I even tested that the car would run with the pump running this way: it did. Out of curiosity at that point, I put it back together and it worked!

..then it didn't. I jiggled the connector and it worked again: hence the wire tie.