Killing fuel pumps

[walshc]

Anyone got an idea why my peice of sh*te nova keeps killing fuel pumps?
Story goes like this, done a 1.6 16v conversion so fitted an MPI pump from the scrap yard, it worked for about half hour then stopped working :roll: so i put my SPI pump on to drive to the scrappy to replaced the MPI one with another, the new one worked for all of 10 mins and then just stopped :mad: so put SPI back on, lasted about 10 mins also and now that is fuc*ed grrrrrrrrrrrr

Can anyone shed any light? before i set this shed a light lol (see what i did there? yeah, im sad :tard: )

[Welsh Dan]

..because you're using scrapyard ones? try a new-ish one.

[meritlover]

have you got the fuel lines round the right way nd the polarity correct on the pump?

[Philsutton]

If they run dry they lock up, just a thought.

[Adam]

Aye, how much fuel have you got in?

The pumps are lubricated/cooled by the fuel passing through them

[General Baxter]

correct, mine set on fire due to no fuel lol


do you have a mpi tank?

[Mike]

If they run dry they lock up, just a thought.

Aye, some of you may remember last year the problems i had with my fuel pumps lol serves me right for not connecting the fuel gauge prior to firing the engine lol

[Riggy]

he has and spi tank with the mpi pump fitted into it , and i think he said he had just put £10 in it beofre it went ?

[Adam]

Hmm, thats strange then

[Riggy]

could the earth point have anythin to do with it as its just earthed to one of the bolts that hold pump into tank , not to the actuall car ?

[meritlover]

would be better to have a solid earth on the chassis. but should not cause the pumps to fail, unless the earth was so poor that the pump couldnt draw enough current to run. is the polarity correct on the motor?is the FPR connected properly?

[walshc]

***noob alert*** whats a polarity? :confused:

welsh-dan, i thought that, but for 3 different pumps to go??? one from an R reg astra and another from a P reg astra???? plus they worked fine for a short time.....

[meritlover]

in this context it is the + and - terminals being round the right way round ;)

this will cause the motor to run backwards, and while it 'may' still flow, the seals and windings will over heat and be broken.

the fact that you have been through so many pumps feels like there is a problem. i dont think its bad luck

[Adam]

If its an intank pump, you are plugging the plug on the right way up aren't you?

[walshc]

It can only go in one way...... i think?????

[meritlover]

yes it can only go one way, i just wasnt sure if there had been wiring mods done somewhere at some time

[walshc]

Bit of an update for future reference
The spi pump started working again :D absolute funking trooper that thing lol ive earthed it to the seat belt bolt now
Im going to get another scrap yard mpi jobbie (cant justify being financially botty raped of £159 for a new one) and see what happens with that...
Is there a chance that the reason the last ones were seizing was because of a bad earth?

[meritlover]

meritlover would doubt it, but there may be a problem with the fuel pump relay, might be worth a check?

[Adam]

Are you sure they weren't just getting a poor earth?

[walshc]

meritlover would doubt it, but there may be a problem with the fuel pump relay, might be worth a check?

Nope, relay has always been fine :confused:

Adam, i checked them with a perminant live on the bat and then earthed them to the car to see if the motor was working afterwards, got nothing

[meritlover]

theres been a thread about this before, and it was because the pump was being tested dry, often they worked when submerged in fuel. just a thought.

what is the resistance of the windings on a 'good' pump and a faulty one?
and also can you spin the impellor some how to check if its seized?

perhaps the Adam is right.

[craig green]

On a side note, is there a need to prime a fuel pump?>

Mine is new, all lines are dry, as is the tank. Is it OK to whack a gallon in the tank & crank away at the engine?

[walshc]

theres been a thread about this before, and it was because the pump was being tested dry, often they worked when submerged in fuel. just a thought.

what is the resistance of the windings on a 'good' pump and a faulty one?
and also can you spin the impellor some how to check if its seized?

perhaps the Adam is right.

I tested them first at the scrap yard mate (dry) then fitted them in the tank, they worked for a short time, then tested them again dry (you cant really hear them working in the tank) and nothing, tried turning them manually with a screwdriver but they were seized :(

Do you think it could be anything to do with wiring?

Anyone got an MPI for sale too? theres none left in the scrappy near me now lol

[meritlover]

the wiring will not cause them to seize (unless perhaps the pump ws running backwards, but you are sure the wiring is correct). only running dry will cause that. is the fuel pressure regulator connected correctly? it might be working against a dead head and restricting the flow through the seals causing it to burn out.

perhaps you are just an unlucky?!

[just vaux trev]

i had this when i put 20seh into my nova i went throught 3 pumps in about a week, i also had probs with the fpr after the fpr was set up right it was fine,
when my pumps started to go they got louder and really high pitched then would just cut out, but then mine were from scrappers too so it could be that they have been dry for so long,
[EDIT] YOU ARE A CLEVER BOY MERIT/\

[walshc]

Right, i`ll check the FPR today :cool:
Nice one dudes :thumb: