the mystery of what killed my fuel pump

[tfhorst]

Hi everybody!, given this is my first real post I am starting with a joke, those who don't have a sence of humor please skip to the next paragraph.

Chicken and an egg are laying in bed, chicken is nice and relaxed smoking a cig, egg rolls over to him and says "well I guess we answered that question".

So I just bought a nonrunning n/a mk3, guy I bought it from, good scrapper but not the quickest, told me he just put a fuel pump in her but after letting her sit for the summer it doesn't run anymore. I can tell that the tank was just droped so I assume he is telling the truth. I skip most of the steps and go right to direct wireing the pump to a battery, nothing. So here is the question. What would make a new pump not work after sitting? I don't want to drop the tank just to have to do it again in a few months.

Just relized that my gas gauge doesn't move when I turn off the key...or on for that matter...is that nornal for a supra? Could this guy have run it out of gas and not known? It is really light in the back end.....have to pull the gauge and look in I guess. But the pump should still kick on if I give it juice....I think

Well anyway any help would be great, I am working on a slanted dirt driveway and where I do like playing in the mud the idea of getting under a car that is not on a firm level surface....well if it needs done i only want to do it once.

 

[destrux]

I can think of three things.

1. He didn't put a filter on the bottom of the pump and dirt ruined it. It will happen fast if that's left off a new pump.

2. He pinched the wiring between the tank and the bottom of the car somehow and it rubbed through and is shorted out, or he didn't connect the wiring in the tank to the pump and it fell off.

3. The tank was full of bad gas or water and the pump is either varnished or corroded and locked up.


It's also possible it's simply a defective part. I've changed probably a hundred or two fuel pumps in my life and I only remember maybe two bad pumps. One never worked at all and the other lasted 2 weeks and quit.

It's pretty easy to drop the tank on these cars. The fittings are easy to get to and so are all the bolts. It's not like a chevy or ford where you want to find the engineer who designed it and stab them in the nuts with a line wrench. There's even a drain plug so you can drain the gas into a gas can so you're not wrestling with a 120 pound tank of gas. The only thing they could have done better was put an access panel in the hatch (really though, they dropped the ball on that one).

 

[tfhorst]

Thanks, the car sat since 03 till the end of this winter, I can not imagain that he would try to use the same gas but I am still suprized by people once in a wile. He did mention a rat problem that chewed up some of the wireing.

Would love to save the pump because acording to him he spent the extra on a good one and I don't think he drove it more than 8miles since he put the pump in. (No stickers or plate) probably no chance of that right?

I need to seafoam the hell out of everything once I get her going, and hope that does the trick.

Was honestly thinking of just going at the back with a grinder and making a pannel, would only use it one time hopefully but would make life easier on the short turn.

What about the gas gauge? Does yours drop when you turn of the key or stay at the level?

 

[Suprapowaz!(2)]

I moved into my home June of '03. I actually drove my supra into the garage and it sat for years. This is what it looked like when I pulled it July of 2010. My fuel float/sender looked like that. Hell, the entire inside of my fuel tank looked like that. My gas gauge wouldn't work & my fuel pump was rusted shut.

 

[bioskyline]

odds are from sitting so long, and with condensation/fuel turning to vanish it is probly rusted up. fuel pumps dont like sitting for long periods of time not being used has been my experiance

thats my bet on what killed it. is lack of use.

 

[tfhorst]

Dam suprapowaz, thank you for that pic, have never delt with a car that sat for as long as this one did, and I don't really know all that can go to crap by just sitting. Ii understand how without a proper soak and clean that much rust would eat up the new pump in a matter of minuets. Lucky for me my neighbor used to weild tanks so he will help me cleaning this one up for a price.

Where there any other nice little suprizes like that one I can look foward to?

Should I just change out the lines wile it is in the air or see how that one goes.

Once the new pump went in it only sat for 3 month bio, guess that is long enough but have never seen a pump go so quick.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Have you tried this http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/manual.aspx?S=FI&P=71

I would check everything else out before pulling the pump. If the PO is telling you the truth then that pump is either bad or not getting power to it. I would look for bad wiring, resistor, something along those lines first.

 

[tfhorst]

That was my first thought, so I. Pulled the access cover and hooked a battery right up to the plug......nothing. I was pissed because that ment I had to tow it home.

Thanks for the link it will come in handy soon.

 

[tfhorst]

Just to folow up, I pulled my tank today, clean inside, new pump that is not locked up. Guess it was just a bad pump....wish the guy saved the paperwork so I could warenty exchange it.

 

[bioskyline]

bummer but since its out, id recomend installing a walbro or other high flow pump if you can afford it, since its easy to do now, and lets you upgrade later

 

[tfhorst]

Afford hell i's cheaper than the oem. Why all the hype with warbo?