should i have to replace my fuel pump this soon??

Question

hi all,

i was having issues with starting my car (04 nissan sentra) and when i asked the question, i got back an answer that suggested leaving the key in the "on" position for a bit before starting the car and this seems to work. here are my questions:

1. why does my 3 year old car with about 58,000 miles on it need a fuel filter or even worse, a new fuel pump?
2. is this a common problem?
3. what can i do to lessen the wear on the fuel filter/pump?
4. is the fuel pump a costly repair?

i also linked my previous question:

http://tinyurl.com/29dzux

thanks!

Answer 1

I'm not sure I want to get on the fuel pump and filter wagon quite so fast. In my opinion your symptoms could be caused by a check valve if you have one. You see in 30 minutes of setting the pressure shouldn't bleed down to the point that it makes starting difficult. And, since it will start and run in a satisfactory fashion I have my doubts it is a filter. If you do have a check valve it is probably part of the pump and would require a pump replacement to correct the problem.

To answer your questions though.
1. An automobile component can fail at any time. It seems to me that the pump and associated components should last the life of the vehicle but so should the seat rails and I have seen failures there as well.

2. I don't have first hand knowledge of you vehicle so I can't really address the issue of how often your car would experience starting problems.

3. The best advice I can offer for keeping a fuel system health is to use a fuel injector cleaner in a tank of gas three or four times a year. Aside from that, purchasing clean fuel is a plus. However, knowing whether or not the fueling station is delivering clean fuel is virtually impossible.

4. Yes. Again, I can't address your car specifically but my son and I changed the fuel pump in his Dodge pickup. He bought a used pump for $100 and it took both of us about four hours to change it. Now we are shade tree mechanics and were working in the driveway of my home. I'm sure a shop could beat that time considerably but even if they cut it in half we saved $200 to $300 dollars in labor charges. His pump was in the gas tank. We had to drain the tank, remove it, change the pump and reinstall the tank. I don't know where your pump is located but I will assume that it is in the tank until I'm told differently.

If I were you, I would continue to turn the key, wait a few seconds and start the car. I would continue doing that as long as it worked. The only real down side to doing what I suggest is that if the pump is into a failure mode it could leave you stranded at any time. The pump is electric and I seriously doubt it would fail partially. I think it would simply quit. In other words IMO if it is working, it is working correctly.

I hope that helps you. I'm telling you exactly what I would tell my kids or do for myself so if I am wrong, I would be wrong on my own car too.

Answer 2

You should change out your fuel filter around every 30,000. The reason for this is because the filter can get clogged and with a clogged fuel filter, you won't get any fuel flow into the injectors. This is a maintence item that is recommended for ALL vehicles. When you get gas at your local gas station, not only are you pumping gas into your car, but your getting dirt and debris from the tank under the gas pump. That is what the filter is filtering out. The fuel pump would definately be a costly repair but the fuel filter is generally under $100 for parts, labor, and tax.

There really isn't a whole lot you can do to lessen the wear on your fuel pump except drive less.

I recommend getting your fuel filter changed asap and see if that takes care of the problem.

Feel free to email me if you need anymore help!

Answer 3

i own a repair shop,and your over due on a fuel filter ,there supposed to be replaced about every 15 thousand miles at the most the book says around 24 thousand,but if your not going to take care of this car and have it serviced when it needs it,i can tell you right now your going to have problems from it,putting a new fuel filter on it is just regular maintenance on it just like the air filter,has that been replaced recently,?,you need to get the owners manual out and read it really good because if you don't ,and you don't keep this car maintenance real good ,your going to have lot of problems from it,i wouldn't be complaining about a fuel filter,id be thankful that's all i had to do to it,i don't think you need a new pump,just a filter ,but I'm real serious if you don't take care of this car it wont last real good,please read the manual,all the way through,it will tell you when to change this stuff,good luck with it,i hope this help,s.

Answer 4

I'm sure it varies by manufacturers and models, but the repair manual for my truck says not to change or check the fuel filter unless contamination is suspected.

It's a Dodge. This will probably offend the guy with the Dodge avatar.

Back to your question. It's a little early but not unheard of for a fuel pump to go bad this early. It is expensive, but the only way to get around it on the cheap is putting an external pump on. You'd need to know what you're doing and any mechanic will probably give me a thumbs down, but it works if you do it right.

Answer 5

If it's a newer truck the fuel pump is going to be in the fuel tank, it's not hard to change out , but you will need to drop the fuel tank in order to change the fuel pump out. Now if it's a older truck the fuel pump will be bolted to the frame below the drivers seat. That's were the fuel filter will be at on all trucks.

Answer 6

Modern vehicles' fuel pump are mounted in the fuel tank,and the gasoline acts as a coolant for the pump.The best way to prolong fuel pump life is to never let the fuel get below 1/4 tank.You'll also lessen your chances of having dirt or moisture in your tank the fuller it is.

Answer 7

No you shouldn't have to replace the pump this soon but your service professionals should have changed out the fuel filter long befor this !
Celtic sky........Excelent Job Gal ! You are a credit to all women Mechanics/ Techs...Keep up the good work !

Answer 8

OK to the first ?a fail fit er keep the trash our of the motor,an in ejector....2th yes it is,, like any thing it going to ware out,....nothing, unless you walk more an use it less,,,, an to the last, it can be as little as for filter, 5.00,an uo to 30, depend on the type,pump,, if it on the out side of motoe,, arounf 30, to 40, in side the tank,, i say from 70, up to 170, depen on the type, an where you buy it