Primary fuel pump failed while on road trip - please advise
 

I am on a road trip and started to experience serious stuttering, stalling and fueling issues. It seemed like the fuel pump based on behavior so I googled and found a thread that said to pull fuse #14 in the engine bay. The car was dying every few feet unless I floored the gas right after starting it. Pulling the fuse worked and it is forcing it to use the secondary pump.

I am able to drive the car currently with fuse 14 pulled. My question is can I drive the 400 miles home on the secondary pump? I am in the middle of nowhere and would love the answer to be yes. I will be much better equipped to fix the car at home. Does anyone know if there is a reason NOT to attempt driving home using the secondary pump? I need to get home so any input is greatly appreciated.

TIA

Some posting I found says that you can drive until you run out of fuel on that side of the tank

http://www.justanswer.com/porsche/7c...ill-drive.html

How long does it take to run out of fuel on that side of the tank?

Can Porsche service advisor confirm this?

I don't know but I would keep the tank above 1/2 level if I was in your situation.

Yeah that's the plan. Thanks for strategizing.

What model year?

2004 CS

You hit the road yet? Good luck!

I made it home! I kept filling it before it dropped below half. Although when I first read the response about keeping it above half I was slightly below half at that point. So who knows where the threshold is or whether steep grades affect it. All I know is I am so damned relieved that I could pull a fuse and get home.

Good for you!

And another mental note to make. What did we do without the google?

I would have been f?$&@d without google.

Each pump sucks fuel from both sides of the tank, so it really has to get pretty low before it's dangerous. For example, the secondary pump kicks in when fuel level is below 2.5 gallons. This way both pumps are operating simultaneously to prevent starvation in the event of a sharp corner or uneven road.
Both pumps also operate simultaneously if fuel consumption is above 13.2 gallons/hour, so I'd also recommend against full throttle operation on just one pump.
Glad you made it home!

Ha ha Great to know Tim. No full throttle operation trying to get it to the shop before the other pump fails.

:thumbup:

That is good to know and I kinda suspected as much. On the way home i kept it really chill with the throttle. I usually drive faster but i set it at 75 on cruise and it was actually fun to watch all the jokers (like me usually) try and jockey through the lanes while i just chilled in the slow lane. Now i need to tackle this fuel pump job.

Question for Tim or others that have attempted this:
Is this a difficult job (or messy) to attempt? How much time is involved? How involved with the fuel are you? How many hours of shop time would I expect to pay if I don't do it myself? I noticed the part itself doesn't seem that expensive.