JKelly

Hopefully this will help someone out later on. My car had sat for awhile before I got around to doing a timing belt change on it. When I was ready to work on it, I drove it to my work spot, did the timing belt, and then started it back up. It ran for about 10 minutes, then I would shut it off and check some things, and then start it back up. I did this several times until all of the sudden it turned off and wouldn't start. I ran some jumper lines from the battery straight to the fuel pump and there wasn't any turning or any hum either. I took out the fuel pump and put the jumper wires on in reverse to check it for clogging and it ran. Thinking it was unclogged, I started putting the pump back in and thought I better double check it. Sure enough, it didn't run and there was no hum. I tried reversing the wires again and it didn't run or hum. After throwing it in some gravel a few times, thinking I would have to buy another anyway, a gel-like mass started oozing out of it.......gummed up gasoline. I got the varnish/gum stuff cleaned out, put the pump back in and have put 150 miles on it since; plus a fresh tank of gas and some techron.

The moral of the story is that the pump was clogged, but didn't make a hum or noise when power was applied, which can lead a person to believe that the pump is completely dead when it really isn't. It kind of makes me wonder how many clogged fuel pumps have been unnecessarily replaced.

Since you can't take these things apart to clean, does anyone know what kind of solvent a pump could be rinsed out with to unclog it?

Mike Frye

Hey John,

I'm thinking of becoming a sponsor, I'll offer the 'gravel treatment' for any non-functioning fuel pumps at a reasonable price .

Just kidding.


Seriously though, how about some carb and choke cleaner? Can you get some in there?

I'd be concerned that you got some of the gunk out, but what if there's still some in there? It's just going to gum up again, no? I haven't replaced my fuel pump in this car yet, but I've done it in others and I'd rather just replace it if there's any question once I've gone to the trouble of pulling it out. Just my .02.

JKelly

If it had a little extension straw like WD40 it may work. Maybe plug up one end of the pump and fill it with cleaner to dissolve the goo.

As I understand it, some fresh gas and techron, or some injection cleaner, will help dissolve residual varnish/gum in the system.
I was trying to think of something that could be used to instantly dissolve a clog when the pump is in-hand; like acetone or benzene or something. The stuff that came out was enough to fill a teaspoon and was thick. EDIT: I think acetone will eat plastic, so I don't know it that would be good to use in the pump .

killingmoon65

I tried penetrating fluid on my seized pump and kept it soaked for 24 hours with no luck The pump did say 'made in Czechkoslovakia' though.

Mike Frye

Killingmoon,
In that case, you should have soaked it in vodka.

the flyin' scotsman

Nah, thats the Russian pumps............the Czech ones need Screech

SharkSkin

IIRC Dave Mann (CWO4Mann) ran hoses from & to a bucket of kerosene, or maybe it was diesel, and ran the pump continuously for several hours. Seemed to be OK, and ran quieter afterward. See post #9 here.

JKelly

It's interesting you mention that because mine ran quieter too.

JHowell37

Throw it away and get a new one. Once it begins to fail, you can't stop it. Think of it this way, it's lasted twenty years. Put in a replacement and forget about it for another 20. It's an easy part to find as well. Prices vary a lot so shop around.

JKelly

I guess you didn't read the thread. It didn't fail, or begin to fail, it clogged, but the symptoms resembled a failure. You could buy a new one, but if it clogged too then you just wasted $250+.

Fogey1

What Dave said and Mr. Mann did, but also remember the recent StaBil endorsement from Gary Knox
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/314817-fuel-injection-cleaning-stabil.html