IcemanG17

Well the saga continues....

I get my 2nd fuel pump today....install it, which really didn't take long, since I'm an expert at removing it now......have the wife start the car while I watch for leaks.....guess what...dead battery....figures...so I use the jump box to start the car...sharkys running fine....then I smell gas....run to the back of the car....its leaking all over the place out the check valve and end cap.....GREAT

Of course I don't have a wrench that fits the check valve to make it really tight...so I go buy a deep 17mm socket......crank it down good....reinstall....& guess what....IT STILL LEAKS.....so tomorrow I will be off to the auto parts store to buy some 12x16mm copper washers.....

Hard to believe the WSM states a torque spec of only 14ftlbs for both the check valve and end cap?

I'm really starting to wonder if this will ever end.....& the smell of gas in the garage and all over myself is making me delirious....

FlyingDog

No, when should I take the worthless hunk of redness away for you?

BTW, always use new crush washers on the check valve.

Fabio421

They always leak at that spot. Tighten the $h!t out of it and it will stop. New washers will help too.

LndShrk

Will it run, yes. Will it run long before something else goes wrong, no. Its something you just got to live with if you love these cars.

Imo000

If you are re-using the copper washers, then at least file them down so they are flat and don't have any ridges.

G Man

That is what I did when I reused mine. I also read in a previous thread that if you heat the washers to red and let them air cool it will soften them again to seal better. The copper gets " work hardened" when you tighten down on them. I heated, cooled and ran them over a file to insure flatness. No leaks.

JHowell37

At a minimum, turn the washers over before you tighten them down.

dr bob

Brian--

You can anneal the copper washers with a torch, but do it well away from the garage and the gas-saturated clothes. That will soften them enough to allow the banjo bolt on the fitting to squeeze the softened copper some to mold into the contours on the filter and the bolt. Try not to overtighten the bolt. For one thing, that's what causes the washers to get work-hardened. At the same time, consider that you may want to be able to take the thing apart again some day. You can add a thin film of hylomar on the washers, and a tiny bit of never-seeze to the threads, and also to the sealing faces if you don't have hylomar. A tiny bit, not enough to get loose in the fuel pipes.

Charley B

Brian, it all sounds pretty normal to me. I can never complete a repair without learning all the little secrets of the job the hard way. So it's always a PITA for me, but at least I then have good advise for others later.
I'm about to start on my first TB/WP job on the S4 so I'm sure the neighborhood kids will have an extended vocabulary by the time I'm done.

jorj7

It took a couple times for me to get my fuel pump to stop leaking. In fact I was on
the dyno once (2001 DEVEK Days), and the operator spotted the fuel leak. I had to
make a quick run back to DEVEK to tighten the fittings and rush back to get my runs
in.

Hawkeyes

Iceman,

I've been there! You can reuse the old washers if you torch 'em like others have suggested. Then lay them on a sheet of medium sandpaper & sand til they're smooth - like turning a rotor.

Here's my quote from 5-14-07 post on changing fuel pumps:
A tip for anyone planning to do this procedure...take the fuel filter and fuel pump out as a unit, then take them apart. There is a 'cradle' that holds them both suspended on rubber bushings. Four 10mm (what else?) nuts, the electrical connections to the pump and the rubber hose to the in-tank pump must be disconnected, then the unit will just drop into your hand & you can get it to the bench & a vise for proper disassembly. My fuel filter pipe was torqued in so tight I had to fit a breaker bar over the 19mm box wrench to get it apart. Same with the acorn nut on the fuel pump banjo connection. So I torqued the new ones in just as tight - no leaks!

Now some criticized me for using the breaker bar to turn them down, but I still have no leaks!

And even though Baby Blue has turned into an electrical bitch (maybe she always was?), the fuel system is tight.

BTW, the no-start nightmare will end; I promise. Mine ended couple days ago after over 2 weeks of blind alleys. The guys on this board were kind enough to give me solid advice on what to look for. The rest was just grunt.

I was cruising in her today, thinking about how much my attitude changed when I got BB back on the road. You'll be there soon.

Now to clean up the mess in my garage...then find the flasher problem, then install the new wheel bearings & rotors, then paint the calipers, buy a new battery, replace the belly pan, replace the torn boot, fix the rear hatch release......(I know there's more - just have to go out & look at it for awhile; see ya).

Hawkeyes

SharkSkin

Brian, lots of good advice above. Not sure I can add anything, but look at the bright side: the car's not getting dirty...

IcemanG17

This is SO true....whenever I work on sharky and things are going well (like this afternoon was)...I just KNOW that something is about to hit the fan....because thats not how 928 ownership works!

if I had a torch I would light up the old washers (being that I have a hold herd of them around)...but they can't be that expensive...so I'll just buy a bunch and be done.....when BillB & I changed the check valve (2 months ago)....we used new washers and didn't put everything back together that tight....& it didn't leak....

Whats kinda interesting is the leaks get worse AFTER you shut off the car....which makes sense as the check valve is holding pressure right at those washers.....I guess I should be happy that the other connections are not leaking..only the output of the fuel pump....

I'm sure as soon as sharky runs and I get a couple BWAAAAAH's in I'll be happy again!

Might be time for a fun run?

Bill Ball

Ive annealed the washers as dr bob mentioned. They have to get cherry red. I've got the burn spots on the garage floor as evidence.

IcemanG17

Since I don't have a torch...I'll just buy a bunch at the store...plus my garage reaks of gas...the thought of open flame isn't too appealing right now

However I have LOTS of used washers.......so I'll donate them to bills repair bin next time I come over!

(BTW I do need to pick up my belly pan one day?)