My new fuel pump should be arriving tomorrow. I'm wondering if I should remove the fuel tank strainer to clean/inspect it or would that be opening a can of worms?
My Bosch pump (which has between 10K and 12K miles on it) locked up solid when I went to start the car after filling up at the gas station.
I dissected the fuel pump and was able to break it free by hand but I didn't notice anything in the impeller section. While experimenting with it, I did notice that the tolerances are so close, the thickness of a tiny piece of paper will seize it up.

I removed the crimp from the fuel line and allowed a few pints of gas to drain full blast into a container. I found what looked like two small paint chips in the bottom. When picked up, they dissolved into nothing on my fingers. Might have been a plaque build up in the hose from where I crimped it...don't think it could affect the pump and definitely not parts of the strainer breaking apart.
Drained several more pints and everything is clear.

I don't want to kill a new $170 Bosch pump or worse yet, end up stranded again. On the other hand, rarely does a month go by where someone doesn't complain about breaking apart the inner knurled fitting from their fuel tank while removing the strainer.
Is the strainer best left alone as many often suggest? If so, any other suggestions on inspecting/testing it? I'm thinking of applying very low air pressure to the hose to back flush and then drain into a container again to see if any debris comes out. If nothing, I'm thinking of just leaving it be. Car has 51K miles and never any performance or clogged filter issues. Can the strainer be viewed from above if I remove the sending unit?

Lastly, anyone have experience with these $40 ebay fuel pumps?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/310737811947
I'm putting together a small road side repair kit to keep in the car and wouldn't mind having that as a back up.
I know it seems extremely paranoid, but I went on vacation last week and came real close to taking the 928 instead of my motorcycle. Had I taken the 928, I would have been screwed hundreds of miles from home over a special order part that takes only 30 minutes to change out.

 

Hello George;

Sorry to hear about you getting stranded, that is a big concern with all of us in these cars since I had a 90 mile tow home a few yrs ago and a emergency road kit is a great idea. You are not paranoid, I have some relays, fuses and tools but it may be a good deal to get some additional stuff like a fuel pump. Cant help you much on the tank question as I have never dug into this but I will watching this thread for info. Good Luck getting it worked out!

 

George,

The strainer can be seen from above once you remove the sender. Personally, I would try to gently unscrew the strainer and change it. On 3 928's I have never had any problems getting them out, but I have heard of folks less fortunate. On my '80 it was totally disintegrated and didn't catch anything, which I'm sure led to the pump failure on that car. Just be gentle....

Cheers!
Carl

 

George: I don't have personal experience in this one, but IIRC Andrew Olsen (handle AO) recommends using only a strainer in the tank and using a more robust external pump. I think he has a thread wi/details on this. That would be for models w/two pumps. YMMV. You might search his posts or PM him.

 

Regardless of the consequences, the fuel strainer must be removed and cleaned/replaced whenever a new pump is installed.....especially when the failure of the current pump is premature.

I've never seen an insert spin in a tank, unless it was over tightened. If you can see a 2mm space between the strainer and the tank and see the rubber seal ring, you should have no problem. If the strainer is touching the tank, you might have an issue. If there are "pipe wrench"/"Channel Lock" marks on the strainer....you might have a problem.

Make sure you use a new sealing ring, minimum.

 

On my rescue project, it was the failure of the old tank screen and subsequent ingestion of the screen material into the pump that killed the original pump.

Here is a (poor) pic of the new and removed parts:



Sorry, I guess the pic with the new screen removed from the packaging hasn't made it off the tablet yet.

It is probably also worth mentioning that this wasn't the first time the tank had been touched on my car. My car is wired for the the dual pump set-up with the in-tank pump. This had already been replaced with the now-failed strainer at some point in the past.

 

Thanks for the replies and I appreciate all the advice.

Drained all 20+ gallons and the strainer removed with no drama. Got more of those little flakes that turn to powder when you touch them.

I glad I pulled it because now I know what they were...



Surprisingly it's been replaced at some point as it's a Purolator brand. Nothing in any of the maintenance records about it being done.

 

^^ At least it would have stopped rocks getting through!

 

They'd have to be pretty big rocks.