1996 mercury cougar fuel pump problem?

Question

I just boght a 1996 mercury cougar with 47k miles. I drove it off the lot and it was fine. The next day im sitting outside of a store waiting for my friend and the car stalled. It was idleing under 1000rpm I belive. I asked a friend of mines who is mechanicly inclined and he said it was the fuel pump. If I sit in the car and try to start it, it wont. But if someone else turns the key while I bang on the gas tank fom underneath it, it starts. Is it the fuel pump that causing this problem? I also notice that there is pressure in the fue lines. When I take a pen and push down on the purge valve on the fuel line, fuel shoots outs....so I dunno. Im at a loss here. please help....

Answer 1

Sounds like the fuel pump to me. Pressure in the fuel lines doesn't mean that the pump is good, it takes several hours (sometimes days) for the pressure to go down. On most cars if you turn the key to the run position without starting the car you can hear the pump run briefly. Might even be your fuel filter too.

Answer 2

you might want to take off the gas tank and dump all the gas out and look for peices of rust in the tank and in the gas. then look at the fuel pump to see if there is any rust in the pump or on the pump. if not then you will need a new fuel pump.
the same thing happened to my fathers truck.

Answer 3

hi there, the preasure in the fuel lines sound spot, to be far with you has the feul filter been change? it might be blocked, get your friend to replace the feul filter and then try it, if this dont help then get the feul pump checked out, Gary, (oswestry)