Fuel pump issue..need some assistance..sheys dyin.

[DMAN302]

Well on the way back from a drive today the car died...fast furious. Started her again and sputtering...keep driving and intermittenly I hear a audible noise from the pump (like a chipmunk talkin in the trunk) and every time I hear the noise the car stumbles and dies. Now I attribute this to a bad fuel pump...BUT I also notice the fuel relay upon inspection is getting quite hot..still working but quite warm to touch. Any thoughts as to the relay issue? Anyone familiar with issues regarding the WAlbro 190 pound pumps (600 miles on her)?

 

[HISSIN50]

Derek, how do you know what chipmunks talkin inside your trunk would sound like? Your crazy Canadians.

Do you have a FP gauge that you can see while it takes a dump on you?

A reminder from Tom that I hadnt thought of in awhile (paraphrased):
If you suspect the relay, I'd check the output terminal (N.O.) voltage versus the input (common) - look for a voltage drop across the two, which indicates a relay poopin itself.

Good luck D.

 

[DMAN302]

The pump has made the coveted chipmunk sounds before when the car was sitting hot in the garage with the ignition on so I'm somewhat certain the pump is guilty. Have you ever heard a pump 'talk' after it's already primed and pressure is up? When cutting out, pressure seems to hold at 33...and occationally today the car would reprime if the ignition was on....strange..it reprimes to a max of 23lbs of pressure and to 33 once the car is started.

Since the relay is a cheap pc that I can return (thanks to a good freind) if it's not the problem I figure this is an easy item to check off quickly.
JT thanks for your time...by the way, did you see my dyno update on the other thread I started earlier...GREAT TIME

 

[HISSIN50]

Interesting. Let's hope the relay does it. Since it reprimed, it almost sounds like the FP driver in the puter burped and let that happen (though I haven't let a stang sit with the key on, engine off [well, not intentionally]). In your dyno thread, it sounds like it could go either way. The pump wiring at the tank is sound and clean? I guess that's a rhetorical question.

If it's a fresh pump, I wonder if Walbro would do forensics on it or just warranty it out. Aside from the shipping issue, Dave at JD's is a great guy in my book (when I call for something, it ends up being a 30 minute chat) and he's got great pump prices.

Stand-by, dyno-thread loading. Stand-by, dyno thread loading. Nice work! That's quite a jumpito! Now you can brag that you're well into the 3 club.

 

[DMAN302]

Well at this point it's kind of trial and error, always has to be something doesn't it? As for JD's can you give me a little more insight?
Thanks JT.

 

[HISSIN50]

Here's Jd's FP page. It was ~$65 USD shipped for a 155 LPH pump. EDIT: I think prices went up a couple bucks. I think the pump itself was 59 beans when I ordered it.

He really went above and beyond to make sure things were right-on when I got the pump - that means tons to me in this day and age of crap service. Very cool guy to do business with.

And yeah, it is always something. Wanna come over and help me fix crap?

I can supply an IV feed of gatorade and you can choose what channel we watch on the garage TV.

 

[DMAN302]

Sound pretty cool actually, wish I could man.
I have a couple questions for ya since you're perdy smert..or so I've heard
Now:
I know the relay is getting hot...possible causes come to mind?
Could low voltage from the relay cause the pump to become audible...acutally sounds like a large ass bee is buzzing around in the tank, the sound was present prior to the car sputtering and dying, however the sputtering, bogging, and dying is directly related to the intermittent buzzing from the pump. Thoughts?
Lastly, could a dying pump create a situation that would cause the relay to become hot, rather than vis versa?

 

[HISSIN50]

Me - I ain't smart.

Loose connections, in general, can cause heat. I suppose you could make sure the relay socket's female-terminals are nice and tight on the relay's male terminals. Are any wires also hotter than they should be?

Here's my thinkin: If anything in the circuit was overdrawing, the fusible link should blow before the relay or any wiring gets hot (whether the relay or pump or wiring cause the overdraw). Now as far as relays degrading internally, I won't pretend to know 1/2 as much as Tom, Joe, Saleen, et al - I'd leave it to one of them to comment about the contacts degrading, etc inside the relay.

In my experience, low voltage makes pumps get quieter. Now what does make them louder is cavitation. I cant think of a good reason why yours would though (you used a new intermediate hose that came with the new pump?). But that can make them loud and would obviously cause a stumble. And cavitation can cause the pump to start to fail (the diaphram uses fuel for lubrication and cooling - being deprived of that would shorten its life).

I know that really doesnt help. In a similar situation, I'd try your relay idea (I've been known to do a hotwire on a really failing pump, for diagnostic purposes - I sure wouldnt one your nice machine though). And the pump and its plumbling inside the tank is what is left.

That be the best I gots.
Good luck with it brah.