Re: Replace 1994 Escort Fuel Pump at 200,000?

I have a Ford Escort with the 1.9 engine that has never had the

> electric fuel pump replaced. It has almost 200,000 miles on the > odometer and there are no problems.

I was wondering the same thing. My Toyota Cressida has 130K on it, as far as I know it's the original fuel pump.

My brother made the assertion that you should always fill the tank at

1/2 way because the pump being immersed in gas cools it and lengthens its life.

Any thoughts?

Reply to
Doc
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Or at least more than 1/4 tank to keep the pump cool. I second that. In general the pump should outlast the engine unless you get a tank of rust from an old station (see Diagnostic Flyer below).

Also, make sure you regularly change out the fuel filter so the pump doesn't have to work too hard. A typical, periodic current test should show that, for example, the pump always draws 4-6 amps. I change out the wimpy Toyota inline filter every 30K miles, so didn't bother to test current draw. In-take ones are usually good for 100K+ miles.

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Reply to
johngdole

I'm not sure about a Ford Escort, but Toyota fuel pumps do not have to be immersed to be cooled because the fuel flowing through the pump is sufficient. On your Cressida, filling the tank at 1/4 is often enough to keep the fuel filter cool. Toyota electric fuel pumps are generally very reliable.

Reply to
Ray O

Fuel flows through all the pumps I know. 1/4 tank should ensure about half the pump is in fuel.

Reply to
johngdole

The Ford pumps also have the fuel pass through the pumps to cool them. However, even in this case chronically running the car with only a few gallons in the tank can cause problems. Older cars (Ford, Toyota, GMs, etc.) all had single speed pumps that were sized to provide excess fuel to the engine under all conditions. There is a pressure regulator at the engine with a return line back to the tank. Because you are circulating the excess gas through the system back to the tank, the gas in the tank can get quite warm, reducing its ability to cool the pump, particularly when driving on a hot day at a slow speed in stop and go traffic, or if the vehicle spends a lot of time idling. The more fuel in the tank, the bigger the heat sink, and the less effect the recirculated gas has on the temperature of the gas in the tank. But when you only have a few gallons in the tank, the fuel can get very hot.

In recent years most companies are making the switch to variable speed fuel pumps and returnless systems. These systems control the speed of the fuel pump (and therefore the volume of fuel being delivered) in order to eliminate the problem of "hot fuel." The variable speed pumps also require less power on average.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Thanks for the info. I learned something new today!

Reply to
Ray O

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