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No fuel pressure after replacing fuel pump

Pepsibottle1

CEG'er
Joined
Mar 3, 2018
Messages
57
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
This thing is going to drive me up the wall

2000 CSVT 98k. Purchased not running, found no fuel pressure and fuel pump not operating so the tank was dropped and a new pump was put into the existing assembly. Filter replaced as well. Car will run now but is choked, little to no fuel pressure. Pump audibly runs. Before I drop the tank and buy a Motorcraft assembly I want to make damn sure that I have covered my bases. So I've confirmed:

1. Little to no fuel pressure at fuel rail
2. Little to no fuel pressure coming into the fuel filter

Anyone experienced with these vehicles please chime in because it's been a week of wanting to burn this vehicle attempting to get it back running again.
 
You can get to the fuel pump from the top. You just need to remove the rear seat, and the opening needs a little "trimming" to allow full access. Most people simply bend the sheet metal back and seal the area with many different methods.

Now for your symptoms, maybe the check valve is stuck closed? Was E85 gas used - maybe the rubber hoses are collapsing and preventing the pump from flowing...
The new assembly does replace the check valve, and I would consider the mid range assembly on Rock Auto vs the Motorcraft option just to save a few $$$$
 
E85 was not used in this vehicle as far as I know. It was sitting for a few months and the owner had indicated he had pulled lean codes and had trouble starting. I was foolish to have just replaced the canister because I hear a pump moving albeit minus any pressure reading at the inlet of the fuel filter

My techs are arrogantly wanting to drop the entire tank again.
 
Happy to report that by replacing the entire fuel pump assembly, the issue was corrected:

The lesson here is to not skimp by and replace only the cartridge
 
Good to hear it's running again.
A good thing to add to your list is to pull the back seat and very carefully inspect the fuel pump module electrical connector, the pins and sockets are known to be a little undersized for the pump motor current they have to handle, and occasionally we see browned or burned connector bodies and evidence of overheated connector pins. This will cause intermittent fuel pump issues and drive you nuts.
 
All is fine with the vehicle. there were some lean codes that sorted themselves out after 100 miles and a good fuel additive and I replaced the dpfe to take care of the EGR code.
 
Late but with the likely reason..........................Ford changed the modules and pump 'by itself' changed along with it. The pumps look virtually identical but are NOT and will not interchange even though they seem to fit in place, the same situation on early Focus cars and it drives people crazy. The pump has a slightly longer nozzle to strike the end of the original cover and it blocks the fuel flow to almost zero. Note how on say Rock Auto all the 'pump alone' notes say only fits a two rod sprung pump and it's NOT the OEM one which nobody makes a pump for any longer. People trying to go on the cheap make that mistake all day long.

I myself modded the later pump to fit into the early module on Focus and believe me, you don't wanna do that. I had to cut the nozzle, make pump OD bigger and create a new bottom rubber as the original will no longer work. The nozzle as well ends up in different points in space to make the module top no longer fit right to have to make a custom cover for the pump module outer case. The parts cost maybe $10 but the time element was high. Mine after all that work fine though, making the second setup for my second Focus was much quicker.

ALWAYS change to the entire late module if still running the early one, it was recalled when thousands of cars had issues with ethanol but that was not the real reason, the ethanol itself was not clean enough and thousands of pumps got changed for literally NOTHING, they could be cleaned out and reused (I got years more out of mine doing it) but Ford could not take the chance there, the liability issue.............

Just changed a pump alone on my '98 Contour too, even that one had the incorrect rubber parts with it, I had to mod there to get them to work as well but running fine now.
 
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