IndiaRedAvant

So, my car stutters and runs crappy, then it just died and wouldn't restart. No codes, battery is good, and it won't jump start or start from a roll. Did my fuel pump just STB??

Any guidance would be great.

2001 A4 B5 1.8TQ Avant with an AWM engine.

turbo510

Sure could have lost your pump. Mine dumped last January at a real dicy time and place. What I'd suggest is that you remove the pump inspection cover (on my sedan its black painted sheet metal with three screws), unneath of which you'll see the white plastic cover with two rubber hoses attached. I don't know about the Avant, you may have to explore back there. There are arrows in the plastic cover showing flow direction; twords and away from the tank. Unclamp the hose leading into the tank, which is the return hose, couple to it a length of spare fuel hose, so you can safely discharge fuel into a gas can. Have a fire extinguisher available! Now if you try to start the car and fuel comes out of the hose, the pump is running. If No, then remove the electrical connector, and check for power at pins 1 and 4 when trying to start. The Chilton manual #70700 has a decent explanation of how to diagnose this.

IndiaRedAvant

Thanks for the advice. I have to get it towed home today before I can do any diagnostics.

jacaplinger

This isn't the most accurate why to diagnose a fuel pump failure, but you should be able to hear it. Turn your ignition to accessory mode and you can hear the fuel pump starting. There is a fuel pump relay, but if your car started sputtering the pump sounds more likely.

jacaplinger

*way

jschick

also you can have someone crank the car and you crawl under and give the fuel tank a good wack once or twice. many times this will get the pump working again (untill you shut the car off) it may work for 1 time or weeks. if the car does run order a pump, generally when the pump fails it has a burned or bad spot on the armature, vibrations from the tap on the tank will get it to move and make contact again, then it will likely work again till it shuts and stops on the bad spot again. this can save you from a tow bill though.
when my last pump failed I just left a 2x4 in the trunk, so when it quit again my wife could crank it and my 9yr old could wack it! Yea she loved that!

turbo510

"will likely work again till it shuts and stops on the bad spot again"

Not always. Mine quit on a freeway in a construction zone, no emergency lane. Just "goodby" and I was coasting. Lived through it, but if the pump is giving signs, change it. They're not that expensive (I ordered mine from onlyfuelpumps.com) and changing is an interesting but not tough job.

600whpA4

Have you ever changed your fuel filter? If you can still hear the fuel pump runniing when you turn on the key or jump the fuel pump relay then it could just be a clogged fuel filter.


The last thing you want to do is start buying parts without knowing exactly what is causing the car not to run.

turbo510

To my way of thinking the clogged fuel filter would be noticed first at WOT, when fuel flow is greatest, causing low fuel pressure. At idle or starting, fuel flow is so little that pressure drop will be slight. So from his description, I'd think the pump not running is more likely, but I suggested checking for return flow, because that's a direct observation.

IndiaRedAvant

So, I got a fuel pump from ECS, and changed it. That sucked... Car won't start, and I don't even hear the pump running. Checked the fuse, and it's ok.
What did I miss in the replacement process? Is there anything you need to do to "prime" the new pump? There were only 2 connectors to hook up, and one of them only fit one way. The other was 2 black wires, so I figured (maybe incorrectly) that they were just grounds and didn't need to go back any specific way.

Oh, and the outside hood release bit me when I tried to open the hood to hook up my battery charger. One tetanus shot and four stitches later, the car kicked my @ss..