Fuel pump died tonight!

[Tim]

89 Spirit ES, 2.5 Turbo 5 speed....

Well, it finally happened. This car, which I bought 4 years and 4 months ago, and have put 93,000+ miles on, finally lost the fuel pump. And when I bought it, the previous owner said it was probably the original pump. The car has 201,000 miles on it now.

I had a problem a few days ago, where I went to start it and turned the key and didn't hear the pump run. Putting a stick under the back of the car and banging on the gas tank fixed it.

Then again a couple days later.

And today... nothing. It ran fine a few hours ago when I came home from work. But I guess if it has to die, it's best for it to die at home.

There's just never a good time for a fuel pump to die, is there?

I had my idiot brother turn the key while I checked voltage at the pump power connector, it read 10.87 with the engine cranking, so I presume all is good except the pump itself. I tested for resistance across the pump terminals and it read open circuit. I am guessing the armature got a bad spot in it, then maybe 2 bad spots side by side, and it's sitting on those bad spots now, laughing at me.

And of course, I have a paycheck coming friday, and for once, no big bills to spend it on. Until now!

And the gas tank is over half full, and I have no good way to drain it, or enough gas cans to hold it all. And I'll miss work tomorrow, resulting in a smaller paycheck next time.

Over the years, and until this car, I have had the worst luck with Chrysler fuel pumps. Back when I had my previous 89 Turbo Spirit years ago, it was blowing Walbro 255 pumps at least once a year if not more often. I feel lucky to have gotten 4+ years out of this one. Which included 2 cross country trips and 2 years in L.A., doing a lot of driving there.

[cordes]

Sorry to hear it Tim. That voltage sounds a bit low. I would run a jumper from the + battery terminal to the coil and read the voltage at the plug again. Lower voltage will pull way more amps...

[85boostbox]

+1 on checking the voltage. My buddy had a problem with his minivan. The factory gauge always seemed a bit low as far as what a typical gauge would read. We just chalked it up as a van and cluster that had 220,000 on it. Well as time went on he was having intermittent problems. One time he had it die when he turned the A/C on. Chalked it up to a HEP. Ok problem never returned. Then one time he was behind me it dies. I mean just died. He restarted it no problems. Then one day he noticed it starting to crank slowly. Well he had replaced it when he got the van. So a battery that was maybe 4 5 months old. Well he hooked up a meter to it and it was reading 12.4 volts with it running. Ok alternator has stopped charging. It was original I believe. So we changed it. Charged the battery started it up. We got 12.5 out of it. We were like WTF. So further diagnosis on the van it ended up being the power module inside the SMEC. Which IS replaceable. So definitely check the voltage. We drove that van for months and countless miles before it started acting up. Oh and BTW when we replaced the power module the voltage gauge went up to where they usually sit in td clusters. Who would have knew.

[turbovanman²]

If he's cranking, sounds about right, especially if the battery is low.

Buy a large oil drain pan, then you can save most of the gas and reuse it.

[tryingbe]

That fuel pump gave PLENTY of warning, I'm not sure why you didn't take any of them.

If it is barely over half, no need to drain the tank. Just jack up the rear and no fuel should come out. No need to drop the tank either. Fuel pump change is less than 1/2 hour. Take more time to change the fuel hoses and fuel filter than the pump itself.



Change all the fuel injection 30R9 hoses and fuel filter while you're at it. 3 ft 5/16 and 2 ft 1/4 inch should be enough.



I like Deatchwerks pump, 3 years no fault warranty.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...d-non-L-body.&

[Tim]

I went to the local Advance Auto Parts and have an Airtex complete pump assembly coming tomorrow for $130. I wanted to get the OEM Delphi unit, but it was 5-7 days waiting time. I'll get the rear end jacked up tomorrow and try to do it in the car as much as possible, with the rear axle swung down out of the way I'm hoping I can get it in and out easily. And it'll get a new filter and hoses too.

It'd be a great opportunity to drop the tank and scrub it out good if it were near empty, but it isn't and I need it back on the road ASAP.

[tryingbe]

Remember, fuel injection hose only, or else your car will catch on fire.

[bfarroo]

For future job you should really check out rockauto. They're almost always cheaper and if you can wait a few days for shipping its well worth it. I saved $80 on the pump for my truck.

[Tim]

Got the job done today.

New fuel pump - $130 with tax.
New filter, fuel lines, clamps, etc - $30
A 5 foot piece of fuel injection hose to replace a rusted metal line - $35

Sore hands. I have been a PC gamer for years, I don't have the hands for auto work anymore.

I jacked the rear of the car up and put it on jack stands, with ramps underneath for safety. I was able to get the old pump assembly out in an hour without dropping the tank more than an inch or so, by just running the tank strap bolts down to the end of their threads.

Putting the new pump in took longer. I had to drop the track bar and use jacks to drop the tank a few inches to get the new pump in. No gas ever spilled out of the tank even with lowering it.

So after I got it all put back together, I changed the fuel filter, and when I started it up, the 1 foot rubber line going to the filter was leaking from the metal end I had barely even touched. Looks like it was cracked or rusted in a spot right there and about to start leaking, so good thing I was there doing fuel system work today!

So I had to go back to the auto parts store for a 5 foot piece of high pressure fuel injection line, I wasn't going to try and run a metal line from the pump to the filter.

This weekend I'll find some old heater hose and cut pieces to slip over the 5 foot fuel hose so it doesn't rub on anything.

So in the past 2 months of doing winter maintenance, I have:

4 new tires, $400
1 new timing belt and tensioner pulley, $60
1 new fuel pump and related parts, $195
2 new rear shocks $50
1 gallon of orange windshield washer fluid (I run only water when the temperature is above freezing) $3

If anything happens to this car before next summer, like a wreck or icy road or some drunk idiot hits it, I'm gonna be PEE, EYE, ISSED!!!!!

[cordes]

If you have some junk garden hose lying around some of that will work well to protect the fuel line too.

[onerippinturbo2]

the stuff you did to that car is all maintenence items, any car on the road today would likely need the same stuff,why be mad if something happens in 6-7 months? if something does happen, consider yourself having broke even, the car doesnt owe you anything considering you havent done much of anything to it in the 4+ years of ownership.