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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Fuel pump #4



My mechanic just installed replacement diesel fuel pump #4 on the veggie van. Unlike the last 3 burned out Chinese built pumps, this one is Ford original parts. The new Ford pump is silent, just like the pump that went 188,000 miles. The Chinese ones sounded like dying electric can openers from day one.

He also found an air leak in one of the veggie lines. That may have had something do with the pump's shortened life. Lines were replaced. He also put in a section of clear fuel line to easily check for air bubbles. The guy does nice work.

Now all I've got to do if find out why the veggie fuel isn't flowing like it's supposed to. It's acting like there's a plug in the line. That does happen from time to time. Usually something has plugged the veggie uptake pipe in the secondary fuel tank. Sometimes a chunk of gunk is too big to make it to the filter.

It could be the filter itself. With all the work done on the fuel lines, any debris broken loose would end up in the filter.

Most likely this is a minor problem that I've seen before.

The fuel pump ordeal has been a huge time sink. There are better ways to spend my time -like sailing.


-Sixbears

8 comments:

  1. I hope this one goes 188,000 miles, too!

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  2. There is a screen on the pick up tube inside the tank. I ran into a similar issue with a 7.3 liter turbo diesel that kept losing power intermittently.
    The dealer wanted 10 grand to install a new engine. Apparently the technician wasn't interested in diagnosing the fuel pressure that day.

    The screen is a fairly fine mesh.
    If you continue to have issues I would start considering looking that way.

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    Replies
    1. I forgot to add, that screen was completely plugged up.
      The pump couldn't get any fuel to begin with.

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    2. The veggie tank is set up a bit differently.

      I did have trouble with the diesel tank too in the spring. Real bad load of diesel. Had a small compressor on the van and backflushed the diesel line. Got me back on the road.

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  3. The pump is the means to a wonderful ending...

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  4. You probably have a french-fry stuck in the line. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That actually does happen and may be the case this time.

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