was smelly car, now is fuel pump whining, 89 90q

[Richard Beels]

Buzzing is normal since it's outside the tank but changing pitch during
driving is a sign of impending failure.  :-(

You really want to change the filter at the same time.  Since the fuel
lines are most likely all corroded and nasty, you want to replace them as
well.  The fittings all copper crush washers so get those too.  I seem to
recall them all being different sizes.  Your accumulator is most likely fine.

The line from the tank to the pump should be fine.  The line from the pump
to the accumulator will most likely be shot or will fall apart when you
take it off.  The same for ht eline between the accumulator and the
filter.  The painful thing is that the fuel line from the filter to the
engine bay is one (really long) piece and you really only need the
fuel-filter end because you can cut it and sleeve/clamp it together.  If
you can get just this end, all the better.

It's much easier to do if you clamp off the line from the tank and then cut
the line coming out of the filter.  Then, after disconnecting the pump's
wiring, you can remove the whole assembly and rebuild it on the
workbench.  No smoking, disconnect the battery to eliminate any sparking
possibilities, wrap/cover the joints with a big rag when opening them -
fuel pressure.  The most amazing thing is that those little things hold
about 3 gallons of gas.  Just kidding, but you will never get it all out -
you think you have and then more starts pouring out all over the bench and
you....  :-)

The bosch filter is $12.  The pumps runs from 180-200 or so.  The lines and
washers are (supposedly) dealer-only but Rod (TPC) might have them...



At 01:15 12/06/2001,  Nathan Engelbert was inspired to say:
>This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>--
>[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>Last week, I emailed the list regarding my car smelling like gasoline
>after having driven it and letting it sit.  The fuel pump was buzzing, but
>I figured that to be "normal."  This evening, while driving around town,
>the FP began to whine, or something in that general vicinity began to
>whine.  The whine increased in pitch as I accelerated, and came and
>disappeared intermittently.
>
>A solution I was given for the smell was that an evaporative return hose
>may have cracked under the car, would that make this noise.
>
>Is this my fuel pump?  Could it just be the fuel filter/a return
>hose/something under $180 needing replacing?  I have to drive 300 miles in
>a week (Chicago to Dayton), so I need to get whatever this is fixed PRONTO.
>
>If so, what's a good source for this part?  Zygmunt has one for $169, and
>the parts connection seems to have fuel pumps on special right now.
>
>TIA,
>
>Nathan Engelbert
>89 90q
>--


Cheers!