Date:         Fri, 26 Jul 1996 11:28:19 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felix <felix@sisna.com>
Subject:      RE : Gerry Skerbitz's fuel pump problems

Greetings, vana-listers!

So Steven (sjohnson@pcocd2.intel.com) writes:

>Speaking of problems, Gerry Skerbitz is concerned about his fuel pump
>as it's making a whining noise because of air in the system.  I recommended
>that he 'bite the bullet' and just get one at the dealer as he has to
>be in the bay area on Saturday. 

I am having the same problem with my 84 Westy. I did replace the fuel pump
(ouch, $230!!) and filter, which had no impact on the whining noise. So I
wouldn't rush right out and buy a fuel pump without doing some further
investigation.

My mechanic said it was likely air bubbles or an obstruction on the input
side of the fuel pump that was causing the whining. He disconnected the
filter and pump, ran a wire up into the fuel tank to insure there were no
obstructions, noted a good strong flow out of the tank, then put it all back
together. The noise went away - for about 30 miles worth of driving.

I repeated this process last weekend, and saw hardly any flow out of the tank -
barely even a trickle. By blowing are into, then sucking back out of the tank 
(not recommended for those with an aversion to the taste of gasoline), I was
able to establish reasonable fuel flow, though still not as strong as I
would expect. I put it all back together again, and the noise subsided for a
little while. Again, it came back after very little driving. I checked the
flow out of the tank again - it was back to a trickle.

So my best guess at this point is that I've got some large pieces of junk
floating around in my tank. The whining noise is audible inside the van. It
doesn't seem to vary with the level of fuel in the tank. My plan at this
point is to drop the tank and inspect it this weekend. Any sugestions from
the list from others that may have had a similar problem would be most
appreciated!

Thanks, Jim Felix