Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Ugh... what a weekend.

I'm running low on gas, and i've been riding the light. With gas prices $3.50+ for 85 octane!!! (Denver) it's never one of the "to-do's" for the day. So I rode the light a while. Just before I hit a gas station at $3.49 a gallon I stopped in for a smoothie. It was Sunday and I figured, if i'm doing this, i'm doing this right.

So i'm all "juiced" and I figure i'll hit the pump now. Turned the key... dead. It was trying to start, but couldn't catch. I check that I had fuel pressure and it seemed so - but it wasn't starting up. I knew right away....ran so low that I killed the fuel pump. Crap.

It's Sunday, 6pm - Needless to say I wasn't going anywhere for a while - but at least i'm at the smoothie place.

2 hours later, I tow it home.

The next day (yesterday) I towed it to the Volvo dealer (the only shop in the area that could look at it THAT day), though I am 90% sure it's the fuel pump, i'm thinking it could be something with any other part of the fuel pressure system and maybe I lost a valve or something.... I look into a fuel pump and i'm shocked!! Over $400 for the OEM part at Napa, CarQuest, Advance, and a couple aftermarkets that are at least a $100 cheaper. But I don't want to change out a $300-$400 part and then find out I didn't need to and the problem was elsewhere.

But a fuel pump change is easy on this car... so if it is the fuel pump....

Sil-TerHar Volvo (Broomfield) come back and diagnose it as being the fuel pump (I KNEW IT!! - I thought).

Cost: $730.00

The OEM part for this is insane - $450 or somewhere in there alone. And only a 1 year warranty!?!

$230 for a Bosch fuel pump for this make and model, including a lifetime warranty.

$500 difference?

Sure you've got the savings on the labor, but $500? For a fuel pump of a Volvo 850 Wagon? Perhaps easier than changing the spark plugs!?!

I was in a bind and couldn't afford the time it would take for me to get the car back to my garage, the time it took to special order the part from AutoZone (1 day wait), and then to do the actual work. I'm already working with a 4-day work week as i'm flying out of town on thursday.... so i paid the $730 - voying that i'd never see them again.

On the good note - they did reset my SERVICE light that's been on for 2 years (was hoping that damn bulb would burn out by now).......

....the bad with that is that it'll come on again in 5000 miles. FUN!

Anyway....there's my rant. Ugh...$700 bucks down the crapper.

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

They are kinda noisy but they are cheap and they seem to run forever.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fuel-...3286.m20.l1116

I know how time and location impacts the decision. I had to shell out around $650.00 when the pump crapped out on my Suburban while I was out of town. I fully intended to drop the fuel tank and change it myself in the McDonald's parking lot but my wife would not hear of it.

My rule is to never let the fuel go below 1/4 tank - The fuel actually cools the pump motor.

...Lee

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

OEM from FCP is 355, just FYI
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RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

I feel for ya. IT always seems that when I have the time,I don't have the money, and when I have the money, I don't have the time. Then there are the times when I do not have either one!

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Hey now,

I too feel for ya. But.

Here's the deal though. I live in a small town in Ontario, Canada and 1 litre of gas is a minimum of $1.20 and upfor 87 octane. This works out to around $4.80 a gallon so I wouldn't really complain because that's the price we pay for driving our "boxy, but nice" rides. And that will learn ya to fill your tank BEFORE your belly. Hard lesson to learn, but learned it was.

I let the Anvil run out while sitting in the car during a break at work one day and just about had a heart attack. I didn't know how much they were until I mentioned it to my shop mech and when he told me I just about s*#t. I lucked out though when it happened and didn't try to start itagain.

The readout on the dash said 10, then zero and I knew that I was screwed. I got a five litre can and dumped it in and the car started up but for about a week or so would stall whenI stepped lightlyon the gas, was idling at a stop light, and when I did get going it would chug and sputter.

I am sorry that it cost you so much but I bet you'll never, eeevvveer, do that again.:)

Make you feel better though. WhenI bought the Anvil the safety alone was 1K for all four tail lights and one head light. Then there was struts, shocks, mounting hardware,rotors, pads, power steering rack, power steering lines, front left drive shaft(ABS tone ring broken) rad, rad cap,A/C compressor, left front caliper, blower motor and after all of that was replaced I could hear that familiar bearing squeel from under the hood but couldn't figure from where exactly from until I was coming back from taking Mom out for brunch and the car just stopped running. Water pump bearing seized and that snapped the timing belt and being an interferance engine bent every valve after they slammed into every piston. Engine was toast [:@].

I have replaced the engine at just over $4200 andI now seem to have a fan that doesn't come on when it's supposed to.

Again, I feel for you as these are really nice cars but when things go wrong, they can be a pain to fix and can cost an arm, both legs and one,maybe two testicles :D.

Glad you got it fixed though. Next time make sure the "Quicky Mart" has a gas pump:)

[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Eeeeeekkkk!!!! $4,200

Why so much?

It should be possible to replace the motor in an 850 for a bitless than that.

Am I the only one that has a feeling you might have been 'taken-to-the-cleaners'?

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

$4200 does seem like a lot. But then, if that includes all labor and the misc. parts needed.....

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Hey now,

Ya baby :). It is alot but everyting that needed to be done for the warranty was done. I get 20K.

Water pump, the infamous timing belt, seals, tensioner andthermostat.

I kind of lucked out as I had a leaking exhaust manifoldgasket, the car sounded like crap, and the "new to me" engine came with a new intake, exhaust manifold(mine needed to be replaced), Volvo plugs, Volvo wires and a Mann oil filter :). Oh, and all labour ;).

My shop is very cool in that most of the things that went wrong in the beginning pretty much emptied the account and they're letting me pay down the current "wopper"(trademark pending)bill [&o], and for the I really greatful.

I've been going to this shop for about five years and had my Acura Vigor GS serviced there, a premimum fuel only ride, and they were great with my as I'm pretty sure that what I sent on that ride could have been tuition to a good college. Great car, fast car, handled like a dream but being an ACK, when something went it cost $$$$[:'(].http://www.cardomain.com/ride/1717298This was it.

Too bad I had to let it go but now that gas is through the roof, premimum is almost a buck fifty, and atsix bucks a gallon I'd have had to live in the Vig. At least the Anvil is an estate and if it needed the high test, I could live in the back.:D

Anyhoo, it still needs a little love[sm=loveeyes.gif] to make it right and as time goes on I'll get it back into shape as when in for a penny.

Back in a bit with more good news, I hope [sm=lol.gif].

[sm=icon_cheers.gif]



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RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Yea, I have recently learned that.

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Need some help here.

So I picked up the car from the Volvo shop on Wednesday, it was running great with the new fuel pump. So I was thinking "well, at least they did it right and I got the factory part". No more worries right?

Well, thursday I had to leave town and when I returned on sunday, I tried to start it up.... and it was not happy. It gurlgled and puttered right when I started it up - then it died. Tried starting it again and it didn't want to and then finally caught. I let it idle a bit, sounding rough, feathering the gas a bit. I didn't want to try and drive it so I took my girl's car and I plan on calling Volvo tomorrow about it.

This is what i'm thinking.... could there be a problem with replacing the fuel pump, driving it for a day, and then letting it sit for 3 days? Should i be expecting a bit of a rough start in those conditions? I'm worried about continuing to try and run it, or drive it, until I talk with Volvo.

I'm worried what it's going to be like when i try to start it tomorrow.

Any ideas what's going on?

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Did they replace the relay? Try jumpering the socket postions associated with pins 15 and 87 on the relay (Number 103 under the fuse box cover) and see how it runs.

...Lee

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Happened to me before. After filled up at the gas station and the car won't start. I have to sit for 2 -3 minutes and it willstart again. Sometimeswhile driving, it will have no power all of a sudden but the stereo will still be on andI can stillput the emergency lights on. That happened a few times on the highway and is pretty dangerous.The car was tempermental that the fuel gauge might be down and the "low gas" light will be on but you know that you just filled the car up.

Took it to the dealership and they say it is "Fuel Pump Relay" and pay about $250 (Canada) and it is fixed.

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Are you kidding me?!!?!?!

A brand new relay is 50 dollars (with the Canadian on par, you're talking 50 candian) and it's a simple matter of opening the fuse box and replacing relay #103.

If you're cheap, you can just solder in a new capacitor.

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Actually it is 2 capacitors to be sure that you fix it. I am cheap. :)

Here is a link to a writeup I did on the subject.

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/cha...pic.php?t=9681

Under $3.00 US and it works like new.

...Lee

...Lee

RE: Fuel Pump Fiasco
 

Hey now,

When you got the car back from the shop did you have any problems with it it running? Did it sputter at any time before you went on your trip? Did it stall at any time?

You may have air in the fuel line which will cause the sputtering, clunking, stallingunder acceleration and other unpleasent sounds.

I let the Anvil run out of fuel once and for about a week to ten daysI had some of the problems that you're describing. It went away not too long after.

[sm=icon_cheers.gif]