Date:         Sun, 14 Mar 2004 14:08:51 -0800
Reply-To:     Wognacious <wognacious@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Wognacious <wognacious@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: How loud is your fuel pump?
Comments: To: "Phillips, Andrew" <phillips@ISGS.UIUC.EDU>
In-Reply-To:  <537CB9DDD9077549945D568618BDCA0B2050A9@isgs1pdc.isgs.uiuc.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Mine can be quiet at times and then other times I can hear it whine like that Nanny lady on TV. Been doing it since September when I did an engine swap. I've replaced both fuel filters and nada. So next step is to drop the tank and have it boiled out. I do carry a spare one just in case..............................

"Phillips, Andrew" <phillips@ISGS.UIUC.EDU> wrote:[Sorry in case this is a double posting; I just realized I sent this message from the wrong account]

The recently installed, rebuilt fuel pump on my '91 Westy can be heard
over the roar of 2.1L of muscle and a not all that perfect exhaust system. The noise is disturbing for two reasons:
1. The Haynes manual describes touching the pump when first starting the engine to check for a vibration, implying that there shouldn't be much noise from the pump.
2. My original pump was also unheard for much of its life. When it it suddenly became audible a year and a half or so ago, my mechanic commented that was a sign that it was "going bad". I didn't necessarily believe him when there were no other symptoms for at least a year. After the engine began to start only when it was cold, a pressure test showed that the pump should be replaced.
The rebuilt pump was noisy from the moment I installed it, but seemed to work OK. In fact, there were three full days of bliss. I'm wondering if there was crud in my fuel tank that KO'd the new pump just as it did the old one. Haven't performed a pressure test yet, nor dropped the tank to inspect it.
So instead of heading out to the garage, I thought I'd take a poll: How loud is your fuel pump?
Drew Phillips
'91 Westy GL, parked