fuel pump?

[ascronce]

my 84 gti dies while driving over rough roads or making sharp turns in either direction. i pull over and try to start it but the fuel pump doesn't come on. if i wait 5-10 minutes the car will start up. it doesn't act up while accelerating or stopping. and if i stay on pretty smooth roads i have no problems. the fuel pump is only a month old i checked the connections to the pump and they are tight the wires to the pump also look good as far as i can follow them. the car died today the tank is 3/4 full. has anybody had similar symptoms or have any suggestions? thank you

[briano1234]

Which 84 is it? That is, does your auto have a full sized spare tire, or a Space saver one?

There is the question that I have to ask, because in mid year 84 they went from a 10 gallon gas tank to a 13 gallon tank.
The 10 gallon tank has one fuel pump.
The 13 gallon tank has 2 fuel pumps.

When you are driving the car is there a loud whine from the passenger side rear wheel? If you have a space saver spare tire, then chances are that your in-tank pump has bit the wienie.

Now, the first thing that I would try is to replace the fuel pump relay.
Second thing is to run 1 pt of Marvel Mystery Oil in your tank.

Then if it is still flaky, I would be changing out the in-tank pump first, then the external if equipped.
If you have the full sized spare tire, then you will be changing out the main fuel pump.

The after 20 minutes tells me that your fuel pump is over heating and locking up. But I have seen fuel pump relays do that too.

Be warned the pumps are pricey save for the in-tank one. O'Reily's wanted 120, for the in-tank one that you can get on line usually for 40-50 bucks.

[ascronce]

thanks for your reply. it has a full sized spare. i'll pick up a bottle of marvel mystery oil tomorrow. it has a new external fuel pump that is just over a month old. there is a whine or whirr from the rear passenger side where the external fuel pump is. but i have noticed that it is louder than the old one was. the local o'reily's wanted 56-98 for a relay and it is a special order item. is that something i could pick from the local junkyard or are relays an item that you are better off buying new? thanks

[briano1234]

yes, you can junk yard that part, but at napa they are 24-31 bucks,
at www.autohausaz.com
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...20Pump%20Relay
17 bucks

they are 25 bucks at parts4vws.com

so O'Reily's are a ripppppppoffff.

Now if the pump is making noise, then you may want to take the sending unit out of the tank and inspect the hose (which is rubber) as they are known to collapse and then restrict the flow, which causes the pump to overheat and bind.....

But if the pump don't run you can jumper the relay, look at it and jumper the two big leads together,,, if your style of relay has a fuse on top of it, then measure that fuse as it may be blown. If the fuse immediately blows again, then I would be taking that fuel pump back for a new one.

But you do need to check the fuel feeds to the pump.

[ascronce]

so it turned out that one of the connections on the fuse block wasn't connected to where the fuel pump relay plugs in. all i had to do was click it back into place. thank you for all your help.