Ford Fiesta Fuel Pump/Sender

[keyplayer]

I've got a Fiesta that won't start which is annoying as someone was coming to buy it and it's always run fine before although it has been standing doing nothing on a relative's drive for a while. It's a '96 SI petrol, 1.25 zetec engine. I tried starting it in the dark last night and while a helper turned it over I could see tracking across all the HT leads so thought that must be it. A new set of plugs and leads this morning, still no joy.

So, removing the fuel lines at the rail and having the helper turn on the ignition results in no fuel pumping out of either pipe. (I put a can's worth of new fuel in last night) A bit of googling suggests looking at the pump cut off switch in the nearside footwell which I've done, and the red switch seems to be recessed into the body. I'm assuming it pops out in an obvious way, it certainly doesn't push in any further. So, I'm thinking it has to be the pump? The fuel gauge wasn't working yesterday, so I took the rear seat off and exposed the top of the sender and tapped it with a socket bar. The gauge now works, but still no fuel pressure at the rail.

Anything else worth checking before ordering a new pump? And what is it like as a job to do? The tank has to come out, and a special tool is apparently required to unscrew it from the tank, although I'm happy I can fashion one. The main nuisance is it's miles away from my workshop, and the brakes failed yesterday on my Boxer so I'm having to dive back and forth like an idiot.

 

[Burnerman]

Before diving into the pump, can you check to see if you are getting a live feed to it, with the ignition turned on?
John

 

[Spark123]

Another option may be to enlarge the hole under the back seat if you find you need into that bit, but do what Burnerman says first.

 

[keyplayer]

Thanks for you input chaps, I've been and had another quick look today to try a fuel pump relay that I borrowed off another vehicle. However, I have ascertained that it is consistently blowing the 10A fuse ie F35 in the auxiliary fusebox in the engine bay. From what I can gather this is a common symptom of a knackered pump which is drawing too much current. (I suppose it must have shorted inside the unit). So I'm thinking, if I remove the plug off the top of the unit at the tank, and I'm hoping I can do this via the hole under the rear seat although it's hopelessly small, if the fuse then stops blowing it will confirm the unit in the tank needs renewing?

 

[Burnerman]

If the pump has seized for one reason or another, then it will try to draw more current than the pump can handle. So, your test of removing the pump connector is exactly the way to go.
John

 

[keyplayer]

Yeah that's what i thought, thanks John. I'll try that tomorrow.

 

[Burnerman]

Unfortunately its a tank off job for a new pump, if that's what's needed- which includes those wretched rusty straps. Prepare for breakage there
John

 

[keyplayer]

I'm hoping to be lucky on that one, it's a mint little car, 59k mainly dry miles, garaged all it's life and left in a garage from 2006 to 2014, and then left on a drive since with hardly any miles put on it. I'd be surprised if it's rusty under there but i haven't looked yet.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Shame otherwise that you have this problem, if you can get to the fuel pump connector terminal, as I have no idea how small this hole is, whether you can get to it, but on a VW, there is a service hatch, and one can open screws to reveal the whole pump body, and remove it from the top without having to drain and remove the whole tank, imagine the risks involved draining highly inflammable fuel that can be ignited, Ford engineers did not think of that did they what VW did.

Any ways, i had to deal with very weird problem for a mechanic, who asked me for my help, as he had given up all avenues as one of his customer kept getting seized pumps one after another, I was called in to shed ideas even though I am not a car mechanic, so I went about investigating the problem, the pumps on this VW POLO were sealed, so i had to open one up that had seized to see what was causing the pump failures, one after another he had changed 3 pumps, any he was no longer going to fit a 4th one, so I asked him to give me a seized pump so that I can see what is causing the problem and it could be water vapours, debri, rust particles, despite the fact new pumps have a fine mesh filter, so each time he fits a new pump, next day the pump is seized up!

I stripped one up, and could not find any debris or foreign particles that may seize it, but started to suspect his fuel, and I took a sample of laid a drop on a glass dish,
allowed it to evaporate, and a small amount of residue was left behind that looked like some oily substance, I asked his customer if he poured any fuel additives in his tank, and he said no, and I asked him if he has accidently poured diesel in his tank, and again he said no, but it was certainly that oily substance that was jamming his pump gears, normally you would think that oil would actually help lubricate moving parts but this was not the case. I asked him to seek information from the garage who sold him that fuel, to check if any other drivers may have experienced similar problems. But the garage admitted to nothing (Esso)

So I wonder if your fuel may have been contaminated due to car not in daily use.

Unfortunately i am not going to be able to give you any advice on here as to how one could free a seized pump using a special technique that requires extreme caution as petrol vapours could ignite. But I managed to free his other two pumps and they are still running now in two different cars both Polos.

If you must ask me you can pm me.

 

[keyplayer]

Well my curiosity is certainly aroused, although I wouldn't want to risk sparks in a nearly empty tank! I'm happy enough to drop the tank though and pop a new unit in. Anyone got any thoughts on this brand on ebay? It's the cheapest I can find, bearing in mind I just want to move the car on.

 

[keyplayer]

Pfft, that was a waste of time. There's no way that plugs coming off without dropping the tank. For one thing there's no clearance between tank and body, and for the other the hole is too small anyway to be able to get at the spring retaining clip to pop it off. I honestly can't see why Ford have bothered putting an inspection hole there at all, although I suppose if I just lower the tank I'd be able to get it off. Pain in the proverbial!

 

[keyplayer]

On the plus side, there are no tank straps, just 4 bolts which have had a liberal spraying of penetrating fluid. Incidentally, I'm using Tech 7 GT7 penetrating fluid at the moment. No reason really, I just bought a can of it as the only available one. Are any substantially better than most?

 

[Mikefromlondon]

I sent you a PM

 

[Belle427]

Well my curiosity is certainly aroused, although I wouldn't want to risk sparks in a nearly empty tank! I'm happy enough to drop the tank though and pop a new unit in. Anyone got any thoughts on this brand on ebay? It's the cheapest I can find, bearing in mind I just want to move the car on.

Looks ok to me, maybe you could get get a working second hand one for £20 though if your moving it on?
Should be plenty on ebay.