Fuel Pump Failure

[bayareaberk at yahoo.com (T Berk)]

--- Ron Bunch <scirocco@mindspring.com> wrote:

> Wasn't paying attention and my 86 8V ran out of
> fuel.
> Topped it off with the plastic reserve then added
> another 7 gallons.
> Half hour later, it died. Lifting the CIS sensor
> plate tells me there is no system pressure.
> Odds are, after 300,000 plus miles, I fried at least
> one of the pumps.
> 

OK, lets play. It's a good thing you tried, lifting
the plate. One thing I want to touch on from the first
is an air bubble in the line can be a real b*tch; if
the car has run out of gas, it takes a really long
time to purge. It is possible you need to be a bit
more patient with the damn thing. I have had this
happen to a number of people and they each thought it
was mechanical failure, only to have smart-assed _me_
show up and with the gas pedal to the floor crank and
crank and crank, and Vrooooom! (It can drain the
battery and heat up the starter, so act wisely,
perhaps have a spare battery with you in case you
drain plan A.)


> Could be the relay, but not likely. Still, I'd like
> to check that first. Only manual I can locate is a
> Haynes, and that doesn't tell me which relay is fuel
> pump, not to mention the bypass jumps. It gives
> locations and jumps for all but Sciroccos.
> 

The relay is the same same for all models- EXCEPT it
might be in a different location. (One disclaimer;  I
know Mk1s better than 82 or later fuse boxes.) 

Fuel Pump Relay Identifying Characteristics:

- There should be a fuse on the end of the fuel relay.
It's likely to only ever be the one with a built in
fuse on it's top. (Later ones have no fuse, see
disclaimer.)

- Jumpering the relay is a matter of dealing with the
largest of the four (sometimes 5) spade connections;
the medium dealies handle the switching, the larger
connections carry the 12 volts to the device, in the
case the pump(s). Your looking for some numbers
perhaps; 30 and 31... Let me check....

This site has online (downloadable Bentleys) It's in
Russia, (the Scirocco one is a German language text
ver).
<http://www.volkswagen.msk.ru>  .....
Rats! It's a 35 meg download,  Mine was corrupted in
transmission but I have successfully downloaded one
before.

- You can have someone turn the key while you check
with your hearing for pump function. (I know, low
tech) Sometimes placing your hand on the external pump
is an easy check to perform.

- OK, here is a link to VWVortex (with Pictures!),
BUT; it's talking about an 84. IN my case I would have
you look for the small socket/harness that relocates
the Fuel Pump Relay off it's normal position on the
Fuse Box, it gets placed on the top row of the box,
above it so to speak. (In my case it would be hanging
out up there w/ #s 24, 26, and 37...).
<http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2371833>

<snipping interesting sidetrack about sniper loads,
something I havent dealt with since I had a BB gun.)

> Also, the internal/transfer pump test? If it fails
> those two, I know it is the external pump.
> 

Dunno any thing about this one cause I one run One
Pump. <raspberry>

> Sorry to be a burden on something already covered on
> the list. I remember the topics and tried searches
> with no results.
> 

No prob Bob, lets us know how it turns out.


TBerk
Some light reading, Google is our friend:
<http://www.forparts.com/ICvolkswagenelectricalsystem2.00.htm>


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