[T3] fuel pump problems

[Jim Adney]

On 8 Oct 2013 at 21:51, alluringeyewear at comcast.net wrote:

> Hello all! I parked my fastback running about three weeks ago to go
> away on business. Just got back and attempted to start, no fuel
> pressure. Not getting the two clicks. I think I only get one click,
> perhaps the fuel pump relay under the dash. Anyway, should I get 12V
> at the plug on the pump? Maybe tap fuel pump lightly to try to kick
> start this. Don't understand why all of a sudden I have no pump
> pressure? Any ideas? Thanks! 

If you're only getting one click, the problem is not in the pump.

You should get the first click at the instant you turn the key from 
OFF to ON. The second click should come ~1 second later. Do this test 
several times to make sure of what you're hearing. If you hear both 
clicks, the fuel pump should actually run only between the clicks, 
until you start the engine. Once the engine starts, the pump should 
run continuously.

The first click is actually the sound of 2 relays, both main and fuel 
pump, turning on at the same time. The second click is the fuel pump 
turning off after ~1 second of no engine activity. (Since you haven't 
tried to run the starter.)

You can verify some of this by reaching under the dash with your left 
hand and holding the fuel pump relay so you can feel its click. If 
you don't feel any activity there, the problem is farther up the 
chain.

If you hear (and feel) both clicks, and yet the fuel pump doesn't 
seem to be running during that second, then you have a fuse, wiring, 
or pump problem. If the fuse and wiring are okay, have you installed 
my overflow hose repair kit? Have I rebuilt your pump?

At this age, there's a rubber part in our pumps which is getting old 
enough that they are all starting to fail. That will allow the pump 
to run, but not develop any pressure. If the pump doesn't run at all, 
then the most likely cause is a cracked overflow hose which has let 
dirt and water collect and settle into the pump and seize it up.

The overflow kits are cheap, $25-33, depending on your year, and pump 
rebuilds are $75 to $125, depending on the problem. If the pump isn't 
leaking, the $75 rebuild is all it should need.

Contact me directly if you want the kit or a pump rebuild, but I'm 
leaving town for 3 weeks starting a week from tomorrow. There's time 
to get an overflow kit out, but there's not enough time to get a pump 
shipped here, rebuilt, and returned. I'll be back in early Nov.

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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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