help on 1988 740 turbo possible fuel pump

[be gentle, I'm no mechanic] I have recently had a problem with my
740 turbo. It stalled on the road during Acceleration the other day.
I could not get it to start. I waited about an hour or so after
pulling it off the road and tried a couple of times and it started. I
began to drive it home and at a stop light it began to stutter a
little and eventually died and would not start again. I think I
noticed some slight noise changes in the fuel pump (almost like the
pump was "stuttering" and stopped). Thinking back, I have noticed
(what i thnk is the pump) has been sounding louder or "odd" lately in
the last month. I have read a few postings regarding fuel pump
issues.

Is it a pretty good clue that it is the pump or should i be looking at
something else first (being cheap and broke)? (ie relay, battery
cable wire for ECU?) How hard is it for a novice to replace?

email is: ehalvorson2k() @ msn.com
removing the "()" and spaces

 

Seems more likely to be the fuel filter. Has it been changed recently? it should
be changed every 60,000 miles. It is also possible that the in-tank pump may be
on the way out or has developed a blockage or air leak.

Cheers, Peter.

: [be gentle, I'm no mechanic] I have recently had a problem with my
: 740 turbo. It stalled on the road during Acceleration the other day.
: I could not get it to start. I waited about an hour or so after
: pulling it off the road and tried a couple of times and it started. I
: began to drive it home and at a stop light it began to stutter a
: little and eventually died and would not start again. I think I
: noticed some slight noise changes in the fuel pump (almost like the
: pump was "stuttering" and stopped). Thinking back, I have noticed
: (what i thnk is the pump) has been sounding louder or "odd" lately in
: the last month. I have read a few postings regarding fuel pump
: issues.
:
: Is it a pretty good clue that it is the pump or should i be looking at
: something else first (being cheap and broke)? (ie relay, battery
: cable wire for ECU?) How hard is it for a novice to replace?
:
: email is: ehalvorson2k() @ msn.com
: removing the "()" and spaces

 

The relay likely has cracked solder joints, but since you noticed the sound
changing the pump or filter may well need replacing, but I would guess
fixing the relay will likely get you back on the road. You should have
someone measure the electrical draw of the pump though, it should be under
about 10A, it's pretty easy to do for anyone with a multimeter.

 

Definitely start with the fuel pump relay. Also there may be another
relay under the hood, a black 4 pin relay under the hood, usually
mounted on or near one of the shock towers. If the main fuel pump is
still noisy, then probably the in tank pump or the hose from that pump
to the fuel sender has failed.

 

Thanks guys. I am replacing the fuel filter and fuel pump tonight.
Not too much $$ to replace anyway. I'll check the relay out also.
The main relay is in the fuse panel right? which one is the pump
relay? (which slot? hard to get in there).

 

Is it in the center console like on an '87? If so the entire fuse box/relay
panel comes out, just remove the cover over the cig lighter, remove the
screw, pull that pocket out, then pull the fuse box forward and up, it'll
come out of it's cave on wires and you can access it easily.

 

You've probably done it already, but the fuel pump relay is the white
one on the right in the middle row. If you remove the little storage
box and lighter, access becomes easy.

 

Hello again! OK, I replaced the fuel filter and held off on the
pump....and thought everything was ok. anyway...this is what is
happening. I have noticed when I get down to a little less than a 1/4
tank the problem happens And thinking back, it was low on gas the
first time it happened. Does this sound like something might be in my
tank?