Stuck on the side of the road

[captndave737]

Well I checked everything before starting out on a 2 week trip. Just installed the TR 6 and the car is purring like a kitten. 175 miles in I start seeing my voltage vary quite a bit, I hear a little whine and the car dies! No fuel pressure. I check out the fuses, unplug the hotwire and hook up the stock wiring. Nothing, a less than 1 year old fuel pump is dead.

I just replaced the ORIGINAL fuel pump 10 1/2 months ago with a DW because of the unreliability of the Walbro's.

Waiting on AAA now for a tow home where I'll install the Walbro I have. Then start the trip again. It seems everything stock on this car lasts forever and the replacement parts make you afraid to leave the house. Notable exceptions are my MAF Translator and MAF.

 

[we4Mateo]

Sure it's not the alternator? edit, I assume the battery is still fully charged and the pump is still dead?

 

[1952ray]

Wow, that sucks. I agree about the after market parts, do not seem to last. But what is one to do. Hope all goes well with you. It would be a shame to have a tow truck to follow us every where we go.

 

[captndave737]

Yup fully charged battery.

 

[TurboBob]

no fuel pressure is pretty conclusive.

i had one friend that had intermittent factory fuel pump wiring that caused him a lot of grief..

let us know how it turns out.

B

 

[turbofabricator]

Where you at? If you were near me (pacific N.W.) I would drop what I was doing and bring you a pump and diagnostic equip.

 

[Raeban]

Man that sucks. Anyone else keep a box of "spares" for their road trips. Mine wouldn't have done me any good as it doesn't have a spare fuel pump

 

[TurboBob]

I always thought a external fuel pump with some long hoses and a shrader fitting on the end of it, with a cigarette lighter cord would be a good rescue item. But I never built one.

Hope you got home safe and get this thing fixed.

Bob

 

[captndave737]

Makes me want to put an access hole,in the trunk which, I wont't do.

 

[captndave737]

I was on Rt. 95 in VA at mile marker 95! A 175 mile tow home I'm glad I had AAA Premier. Got in at 11:00 last night.

I wanted to check everything out this morning so the first thing I did was run a jumper from the hot wire on the alternator to the fuel prime connector just below it and saw no fuel pressure. I went to the back and saw that I hadn't bypassed the hotwire kit properly and the plug from the front of the car was hanging. I then plugged it into the connector to the fuel pump and the fuel pump ran, full pressure. I then re connected the hotwire kit and nothing. I unplugged the hotwire relay and rapped on it then plugged it back in and full pressure.

At this time i'm thinking it's an intermittent hotwire relay. This happened once a few months ago and i bypassed it and the pump ran fine. When I got home I reconnected the hotwire and it again ran fine.

I then checked the fuel pump relay by depressurizing the system and turning on the ignition key to make sure the pump ran for 2 seconds and pressurized the system which it did. I depressurized the system again, disconnected the fuel pump relay and started the car to make sure the oil pressure switch was working. It was. I reconnected everything.

I still think I have an intermittent hotwire relay and I made an emergency kit which eliminates everything in the system to check the fuel pump if I ever need to on the side of the road.

You unplug the hotwire relay, plug a jumper between the 2 red wires, just bypasses the relay and puts power directly to the fuel pump. Contrary to popular belief you can leave the fuel pump running for some time without starting the car and it doesn't flood. I tested it several times today so it's now my emergency bypass everything to run the fuel pump and get somewhere kit. Of course the only way to shut off the fuel pump in this situation is to remove the jumper.

Of course if the fuel pump does die this doesn't help.

Thanks for everyones support. I'm about to get back on the road again. If anyone has a list of shops that know what a GN is along Rt. 95 between Raleigh and Boston and from Boston to Plattsburgh NY please let me know. I don't expect to need any assistance but then I didn't think i'd need it yesterday either.

 

[captndave737]

BTW when I plugged in my jumper to the connector one of them fit very loosley. I tightened it up. It's possible that's all it was all along.

 

[turbofabricator]

I always carry a spare relay or two and fuses along with a 25' coil of 12 g wire. Spark plugs, too. I've even changed head gaskets on the side of the road.

 

[John Larkin]

You need AAA too. Or maybe AA if you're doing roadside HG changes.