SRL

I try to drive the car once a week. If I do that, it starts just fine. If I let it sit 2 or more weeks, it's hard to start from cold. I keep it on a battery tender so it cranks happily all day long, so battery and starter are just fine. After about 10-15 tries, it fires up, gets me to where I am going, and fires right up to get me home later that day, whether warm or cold. Will also fire right up the next day, or the next, etc.......only seems to occur after a couple weeks of sitting, like I said above.

Seems to me the fuel pump may be on it's way out. Is this typical behavior for a failing pump? Freezes up after a while from non-use, only to wake up grudgingly after a number of tries?

What say you?

Pep!RRRR

Hmmm. I hope it's not a fuel line leak that slowly drains the line when sitting. This might require more cranking time to refill the line? Please let us know what you find out.

Amber Gramps

^^^Along that same line of thinking.....there is a check valve on the fuel pump that can go bad. It helps keep the system primed and ready.

SRL

Def not a leak in the line, I'd smell it. If there's a check valve, it's in the pump and would be rectified with a pump replacement, yes?

SRL

Also, the fuel pump runs as soon as it gets power, correct? So it shouldn't require cranking to get pressure, like a mechanical fuel pump would.

irobertson

The fuel pump only runs when cranking and when the engine is running. This is safety feature that stops the pump from running if the engine stops running, as it would with a ruptured fuel line.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

FP check valve is available separately and quite inexpensive.