hey all

car stopped while i was driving down a main road! ahhh

think i burnt the fuel pump out on my ed fairmont. wanting to know though what steps i would take roughly just to do a quick check;

of the whole fuel pump system from the relays through to the pump itself so i can ascertain wether or not it was the relays or the pump or whatever before i go rushing out to buy myself a nice new pump and filter.

could it just be the relays not powering the pump or would that have stuffed the pump anyway.

thanks

any takers? lol i need my car for work tuesday so im trying to figure this out pretty quick

Okies...make sure you have petrol...

Check if you get spark from the leads...if you don't its either leads that need replacing or your dizzy cap may be screwed or the whole thing.

Turn the key to ignition and listen for a WHIRRING noise (yes not the best description) like an electric motor powering up...and then just stop. IF you do hear an electric noise when the car is on ignition (car off) then fuel pump is fine.

Get someone to crank the engine over while you stick your head under the bonnet to hear for any clicking noises coming out of the injectors. If you can't hear anything it may be injectors...but to double check get a long screwdriver and put the tip of the screw driver onto the injectors and put your ear next to the handle. If you hear ticking noises the injectors are fine.

To recap. Check leads and check for spark, check if petrol pump is pumping fuel to pressurize the fuel line before the car is started, and check if the injectors are making ticking noises..

Another thing you might want to check is the wiring. Check for any wirings that may be loose especially on the positive side of the battery.

If all fails...seek further advise from someone besides me =D.

hope that helps

phong =P~

TIP: If you don't hear the petrol pump kicking in...get someone to kick the petrol tank or smack the fuel pump cover in the boot.

for a mechanical n00b phongus that was pretty good!

I only give good advice if I have experienced it before

My EA has given me many dramas during my youth as a P-Plater

phong =P~

what leads am i checking? lol

i already knew about checking for the whirring noise. Its not there.i am certain the spark plugs are still clicking and i read in another topic to check the relays(make sure they didnt get water etc in them and corrode) they are all fine as far as i can see.

so again,,, what leads? i already checked for loose wiring etc and checked the batt terminals.. all fine...

thnks phongus too...lol quicker than expected.

Your welcome.

The spark plug leads, but if you are sure that there is spark then just unplug the relay. I think they are on the drivers side of the car next to the battery. Not sure which one the fuel one is but pull all them out if you want.

then give it a bit of a clean and then just put it back in. If that don't fix it then you might need a new fuel pump.

Did you give the fuel tank a bit of a kick or tap the fuel pump access cover a whack when starting the car up at the same time?

phong =P~

The best way to check the fuel pump is to disconnect the hoses then get someone to crank then engine. If nothing comes out the pipes then ur pump is el rooted.

Like phong the total mechanic noob said check all that.

Main causes of the fuel pump f**k out is because they run dry for tooooo long.

BTW that was pretty good for a noob phong

okies. well established that is the pump is rooted and i need a new one.....

being the inquisitive person that i am i wanna do it myself so i know if there is a next time....

anyone give a quick lowdown on how to remove the pump and put the new one in etc etc...

or should i leave it to a professional? lol

p.s. however appealing the idea of taking the hose of and trying to squirt petrol everywhere is i am pretty sure that its the pump without doing that.

still no takers? im obviously not at work today for lack of a working vehicle....... any help would be good.

Hey Pinyata. Good to see you found out what the problem is.

Okay to remove the fuel pump you have to open the access cover in the boot. I think there are 6 screws. Once you removed that there should some wires and 2 hoses. A return hose and a feeding hose.

By the way you don't have to release the pressure to do this since your pump is rooted and you already released the pressure by trying to start the car up.

Anyways removed the negative terminal from the battery...good idea when you are working anywhere near electricity and petrol. Unplug the fuel sender and fuel pump and remove the 2 hoses.

This is the fun part. You could either get yourself a petrol cover remover (expensive from ford) or you can use a blunt screw driver and a mallet.

Remove the retaining clip or whatever its called around the black plastic ring with grooves on it. Once you removed that it should loosen the black ring a bit and then you can undo it. What you are trying to achieve now is to undo the black plastic ring which has grooves on it by turning it anti-clockwise. put the blunt screw driver up against one of the grooves and use the mallet to push the black plastic ring around anti-clockwise. This will take A LOT of effort...so if its not budging don't give up...but try not to whack it too hard that the screw driver starts digging into the plastic. Eventually it should come off...so I hope.

Once the ring is off you can take the whole assembly off. Though when you put it back together it is wise for you to buy a new O-Ring...or else you will have petrol leakage like i did

hope that helps and covered everything

phong =P~

Here is a tip.
Dont let the tank GO under a 1/4 of a tank or if you have a trip computer never let it go below 80km or you will be replacing the fuel pump more often as the gunk from the bottom of your tank roots the fuel pump.

Ha go to the wreakers & get the new ring before the other one is taken off as said before the ring can BREAK

ok done all that... except for unscrewing the black ring. ive undone the clamp around it, and i also saw a topic in here (cant remember where) about making a make shift tool for getting that black one off..... made it (length of wodd exactly the right width with 2 screws in it)... didnt work. then tried using the old mallet and blunt screwdriver, damaged the ring. lol.

after much deliberation i called my old man and he is gonna bring me the proper tool to do it tomorrow. then in goes my new pump.

are there 2 filters in the tank? one that comes with the pump and one at the bottom of the tank? do i change them both.

thanks for your help guys... specially phongus

There is only one filter in the tank...it's just a little one that hangs off the whole, fuel pump/sender unit. The second fuel filter is actually outside the tank, underneath the passenger side rear door. You'll need to jack it up to get to it unless you have 4x4 suspension. I suggest you replace the outside fuel pump before you put the new fuel pump in...that way the fuel line is not pressurised and you won't get fuel all over you unlike what I did.

Fuel filter is a much easier replacement then the fuel pump so you shouldn't have too much problems.

Just make sure everything is tight and that you get a new O-Ring for the fuel pump if required or else you'll get a leak and make the whole black ring all nice and soft and twice as hard to get off to replace the O-Ring.

Hope you get it all done tomorrow mate.

and your welcome

phong =P~