A2: Fuel Pump Noise?

I don't know if the car is really making a new noise, or if it's just something I'm now noticing because I've had the rear seats folded forward for the past month or so... but anyways. The car is an '86 GTi (RD), and it seems like the fuel pump might be making a horrible buzzing/pre-death sound (?). Yes, I know what the normal pressurizing up buzz sound is, but that's constant and this comes and goes.

The car runs fine, and in fact, recently got it's best milage ever (35mpg) on a thousand mile roadtrip. But this sound is stressing me out, and I'd like to be proactive before I end up by the side of the road. In the first minute after starting it up in the morning, it will often do a quick (1/4 sec) cough/stall the first time I run it up off of idle, ie. it's fine puttering out to the road but can scare me the first time I pull into traffic. After that, no symptoms other than the loud buzzing I hear on and off coming from the general fuel pump area.

I believe this car actually has two fuel pumps, a tank one and a transfer one, and I've heard that one can go while the other will pick up the slack.. for a while at least. But that only burns out the one surviving pump quicker. Any truth to that rumor? This was a $200 beater that's served me faithfully for the past year, but I'm not investing in a mechanics time or new parts here. I've got the upcoming weekend off and a decent selection at the local Pick N' Pull. Are there some simple tests to do and would pulling some emergency spares from the wrecking yard be pretty straight forward? I have a replacement fuel filter sitting around somewhere too. Open to advise or experience in similar situations.

BTW, my last project pre-roadtrip was fixing the oil cooler:oil flange gasket, and let me document for all after three attempts and four sockets bought that it's a 1 1/16" nut holding the cooler to the flange, and you still have to be careful and ensure that it's flush. Also, a carefully applied clamp will remove the 'oil pipe' (name?) from the flange to facilitate getting the gasket out without having to disconnect the coolant hoses to the cooler. Just an FYI. This car barely leaks a drop now, after getting up to about 1/2 qt a month from this one gasket alone.

Thanks for your help!

Reply to
Giambi
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test transfer pump (intank pump) to see if it is working. IIRC it's left hose is the output hose! AS ALWAYS BE VERY CAREFUL WITH OPEN FUEL LINES!!! You "might" also feel it working if you have your hand on it while the engine is running!

later, dave Reminder........ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. Frieda Norris

Reply to
dave

Your transfer pump is on the way out and it'll starve the main pump which will overheat. Get a new transfer pump. Make sure it's the Pierburg unit and not the VDO one. germanautoparts.com has the P-burg ones for a decent price. Once pump doesn't pick up the slack from the other...when my transfer pump was failing the car acted as if it was running out of gas and I had been getting the Buzz of Fuel Pump Death too.

Reply to
Matt B.

Reply to
Randolph

It is actually a 27 mm nut. Very few things on a VW are imperial. I remember you posting about the O-ring back in December. I had to replace my own on my '87 GTi within weeks of you doing yours.

Reply to
Randolph

:> The car runs fine, and in fact, recently got it's best milage ever (35mpg) :> on a thousand mile roadtrip. But this sound is stressing me out, and I'd :> like to be proactive before I end up by the side of the road. In the first :> minute after starting it up in the morning, it will often do a quick (1/4 :> sec) cough/stall the first time I run it up off of idle, ie. it's fine :> puttering out to the road but can scare me the first time I pull into :> traffic. After that, no symptoms other than the loud buzzing I hear on and :> off coming from the general fuel pump area. :>

:> I believe this car actually has two fuel pumps, a tank one and a transfer :> one, and I've heard that one can go while the other will pick up the : slack.. :> for a while at least. But that only burns out the one surviving pump :> quicker. Any truth to that rumor? This was a $200 beater that's served me :> faithfully for the past year, but I'm not investing in a mechanics time or :> new parts here. I've got the upcoming weekend off and a decent selection : at :> the local Pick N' Pull. Are there some simple tests to do and would : pulling :> some emergency spares from the wrecking yard be pretty straight forward? I :> have a replacement fuel filter sitting around somewhere too. Open to : advise :> or experience in similar situations. :>

:> BTW, my last project pre-roadtrip was fixing the oil cooler:oil flange :> gasket, and let me document for all after three attempts and four sockets :> bought that it's a 1 1/16" nut holding the cooler to the flange, and you :> still have to be careful and ensure that it's flush. Also, a carefully :> applied clamp will remove the 'oil pipe' (name?) from the flange to :> facilitate getting the gasket out without having to disconnect the coolant :> hoses to the cooler. Just an FYI. This car barely leaks a drop now, after :> getting up to about 1/2 qt a month from this one gasket alone. :>

:> Thanks for your help! :> --

: Your transfer pump is on the way out and it'll starve the main pump which : will overheat. Get a new transfer pump. Make sure it's the Pierburg unit : and not the VDO one. germanautoparts.com has the P-burg ones for a decent : price. Once pump doesn't pick up the slack from the other...when my : transfer pump was failing the car acted as if it was running out of gas and : I had been getting the Buzz of Fuel Pump Death too.

How hard of a project is this? I have my pump (Pierburg... $49 from rapidparts) sitting on the console and need to install as mines been buzzing for a while as well....

Reply to
Chicago Paddling-Fishing

Simple. Remove the cover, carefully remove the hoses, unscrew the pump and remove slowly. No sources of spark and try to use ambient light sources as opposed to a nice hot trouble light. First time? 1 hour.

Reply to
Darryl

Reply to
Randolph

Correct. I tried to get it as low as reasonably possible.

the original ones are not reusable

Correct again. germanautoparts.com has these as well.

The service manual also says to disconnect your negative battery terminal to minimize the chance of a spark. I didn't do that, but what I did do was start the car and let it idle and pulled the fuel pump fuse and let the car die on its own. This is to cut power to the pump and to get as much fuel out of the lines as possible. Don't know if pulling the fuse is as equally safe as disconnecting the neg. terminal on the battery but it seemed to make sense to me. Use your best judgement here if deviating from the manual.

Reply to
Matt B.

I think it took me about an hour. It's pretty easy for the most part. When you remove the old pump, you're really removing the entire pump and sending unit assembly from the tank via the trunk floor opening. The pump is a small part of this assembly. I seem to remember having some difficulty swapping the pump off of the larger assembly and putting the new one on (things didn't unsnap easily or something like that). I think I also had a little trouble seating the pump/sender assembly in the tank too. All in all though it wasn't bad. On a 1-10 scale of difficulty I'd say it's a 4.5.

Reply to
Matt B.

Well, yes.. I know it's really a metric nut. But, at least in my neck of the woods, it turned out that finding a metric socket between 24-30mm seemed to be a black hole of unavailability. Smaller and bigger ones were easily found, but I was just posting the info about the SAE size that worked for me. Just another drop in the 'my 2c' bucket... I'm just glad it worked. ;)

Reply to
Giambi

Well, it looks like I now know what I'll be doing with my newly discovered Saturday off! ;)

Time to go web-shopping for a good price on 2-day shipping. Nice to know that it's not quite as fearsome a task as I'd dreaded. Thanks again for the help guys.

Reply to
Giambi

Good points. I use a flat-head screwdriver to jar the plastic ring loose but I like the oil filter wrench suggestion!

Reply to
Darryl

Reply to
PJ4LIFE

Done. 2 Screwdrivers, a pair of oversize pliers, some labeling tape, a pen and two beers. First timer, one hour. It was cake.

Now the real test, time to go out and actually drive it around instead of just idling in the driveway.. but it hasn't caught on fire yet, so i have high hopes. ;)

Reply to
Giambi

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