New Pump Appears to have Stopped Pumping Fuel

[Doakster]

Some may know i just finished up installing my new Giles IP and injectors. Keep the bad luck coming.

The car ran great for 60 miles, then suddenly lost power and died, leaving me stranded.

When I popped the truck I noticed a little air in the clear lines, I thought i might have sucked some air into the pump.

I tried sucking from the return line out of the "Out Bolt" and I could not pull a suction/vaccum on the pump to re-prime it. All i heard was gurgling coming from the pump. If i did this for a little while, trying to get a little fuel into the pump, i could get the car to fire, but it would sputter and died. It seems like the pump just doesn't want to  move fuel. I've tried and tried to pull fuel through the pump, but id doesn't want to do it, and the car just dies anyway.

When i installed the pump, i had no problem priming the pump by sucking on the return line and pulling fuel through the pump, no gurgling noise then either.

I've checked all my lines, there are no leaks in the supply or return lines, no blockages in the lines or back to the tank, I have 12v at the solenoid with key on, and there is no obvious leaks on the body of the pump.

Not sure where to turn to, I'm trying to get a hold of Giles, but they are not open until the 4th.

Tyler, if your reading, I sent you a message on this too, please help me out if you can, or have Giles call me as soon as he's available.

[Rabbit on Roids]

get a small automotive fuel pump? think lift pump...

works great if your pump is actually good and all the lines are clear of obstructions. my rabbit primes its self in about 3 seconds. turn the key on *tic tic tic tic*  and then it fires right up, even if i just ran it clear out of fuel.

[Doakster]

get a small automotive fuel pump? think lift pump...

works great if your pump is actually good and all the lines are clear of obstructions. my rabbit primes its self in about 3 seconds. turn the key on *tic tic tic tic*  and then it fires right up, even if i just ran it clear out of fuel.

i'm not going to try a band aid fix to a real problem, the car ran great for 60 miles and then lost power and died, there should be no reason why this new pump does not pull/push fuel

[Henchman]

Remove the pin from the fuel shut of solenoid and see if that makes a difference.  I had one fail this summer, even though it was clicking and appeared to be OK.

Ian

[Henchman]

Are you trying to suck it out of the tank or do you have a fuel source close to the ip to eliminate blockages or leaks from the rest of the system?

Ian

[Doakster]

If you can't suck fuel into the pump and all you get is a gurgling sound, then the stop solenoid isn't the problem as it only affects the high pressure portion of the pump.  I would assume that you have a leak that is letting air into the supply for the pump and/or you have a blockage preventing fuel from coming from the tank.

I agree, i need to start at the fuel tank, I'm going to pull the fuel pick up and take a look at it. I was able to easily blow back all the fuel in the return line from the filter to the tank, so that line is clear.

I have to take a look at the supply line from the filter to the tank and see if it's clogged.

I also checked the supply line from the pump to the tank, i pulled it off and lightly pressure tested it, no leaks, it also has new washers at the inlet banjo bolt on the pump, the bolt was/is tight so that's not the problem.

I just seemed odd to me that the car ran great, and then just didn't want to pump fuel, to me either it's a big air leak (which should be obvious) or something is wrong with the pump. An air leak to me just wouldn't happen all of a sudden like it did.

I'm leaning more toward an air leak somewhere, because if there was a blockage up stream of the pump, i would think i should be able to suck on the out bolt line all day long and pull a hard suction with no fuel flow, i can pull a slight suction with only gurgling at the pump.

[Doakster]

Are you trying to suck it out of the tank or do you have a fuel source close to the ip to eliminate blockages or leaks from the rest of the system?

Ian

I'm sucking from the out bolt of the pump, essentially trying to prime the pump by pulling fuel from the tank, filter and to the pump, that's when i can't get fuel to flow, just gurgling sound in the pump

If i have to rig up a seperate 5 gallon tank and run it on that for a bit to show the pump is good/bad then i will.

I'm also going to try and pull a vacuum on the system with brake bleed/vaccum pump and see how that goes.

[Powered by Spearco]

I had a  simular problem. New pump, new filter, new rubber hoses, new everything. Runs great for a while and then no fuel. Sit for a bit and then I could start it then nothing. I pulled the tank, and there was the problem. Clogged filter that sits in the bottom of tank. All kinds of stuff, but mostly some white crusty chalky residue covering the filter. Cleaned with brake clean and new fuel, sucked out most as posable and have never had any problems sence.
My two cents.

[Doakster]

I had a  simular problem. New pump, new filter, new rubber hoses, new everything. Runs great for a while and then no fuel. Sit for a bit and then I could start it then nothing. I pulled the tank, and there was the problem. Clogged filter that sits in the bottom of tank. All kinds of stuff, but mostly some white crusty chalky residue covering the filter. Cleaned with brake clean and new fuel, sucked out most as posable and have never had any problems sence.
My two cents.

Man i hope it is just as easy of a fix for me, the car had been sitting for a few months before i got it all back together, so maybe some sediment/crud formed and made it's way into the pick up.

Did you say you cleaned out the tank too, if so, what did you end up sucking it out with, shop vac?

[Doakster]

It wouldn't be all that hard to run a line from before the fuel filter and the return line into a container of diesel just to test the pump for operation before getting too involved in the tank.

Yup, good idea, going to give that a try

[Rabbit on Roids]

i had pine needles clogging the inlet banjo to my filter once, and another time i had a completely clogged fuel tank outlet. and the usual air leaks from the old rubber hoses.

[fatmobile]

Electric fuel pump with a filter in front of it can be used to "vacuum" the crud from the tank's pickup area,.. then pump filtered fuel back into the tank..
 If you can't suck fuel from the output of the pump,
 it's time to see if you can suck fuel through the filter.
,.. or even before the filter.
 Blowing on the supply line doesn't prove fuel can be pulled from it.

[rabbitman]

Is this a mk2? On the rabbits you can get to the in-tank filter under the rear seat, there's a little hatch.

[Doakster]

Is this a mk2? On the rabbits you can get to the in-tank filter under the rear seat, there's a little hatch.

MK2 Jetta, it's no big dealing getting into the tank cover, it's in the trunk just under the carpet.

[Doakster]

I'm pretty sure i found the issue, and it's not the pump, pretty sure it's the supply line check valve on the outlet of the water separator.

I started off by just running the pump directly off the filter through a can of diesel, the car ran fine.

Then i started working my way back and checking for blockages in the return and supply lines, I disconnected the supply line at the tank and blew back with air toward the filter (line was disconnected at the filter), seemed like there wasn't much restriction, I did the same with the return line, no blockage what so ever.

Then i pulled the pick up tube, the tube was completely clean, no crud, in the tank there was only one small piece of junk, otherwise it was clean around the pick up, I reinstalled everything and fired the car pulling fuel from the tank, the car fired but died withing a few minute, and i noticed when it did, fuel rushed back from the pump to the filter, so a suction was building up on the line due to a blockage still somewhere.

So i pulled the supply line apart at the check valve out of the water separator, hooked up my can of diesel again and ran car directly from that section of line, car ran fine, so now i knew from the check valve back was the problem.

I cleared the lines directly from the tank to the water separator, there was no blockage and i could easily blow the lines down with my mouth.

I re-plumbed the supply line without the check valve in place, car ran fine. When testing the check valve it does in fact open but it seems pretty hard to do so, either blowing/sucking by mouth or with air.

Of course no parts stores are open until monday due to the holidays, so it will have to wait until i get a generic check valve.

Is there any reason why they bother to install a check valve, I know it is supposed to keep the fuel in the lines when the you shut the car off, but the lines are the low point in the system and the fuel wouldn't migrate back up to the tank.

Anyone run their car with out one?