Noisy fuel pump

Need technical Q/A then you're in the right place

Moderator: martauto

User avatar
bigade
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: norfolk

Post Sat May 28, 2016 9:27 am

Morning, fuel pump is noisy I've just noticed.
Should I be buying one from bmw, or can I get one elsewhere to keep me on the road this bank holiday weekend?
88 325i
Tia
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49359
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Post Sat May 28, 2016 9:43 am

Take the inspection cover off under the rear seat cushion, and keep something like a 10" extension bar from a 1/2" socket set handy to hit it with if it does stop on you.
If it's only just started being noisy, then it's unlikely to start quitting on you while the engine is running for a while, although it may start sometimes needing a thump to get it running when starting the engine.
User avatar
bigade
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: norfolk

Post Sat May 28, 2016 10:02 am

That's great advise Brian thankyou
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49359
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Post Sat May 28, 2016 6:44 pm

I'm actually speaking from experience on this one. I had exactly the same problem with my touring several years ago on a 1500 mile family holiday to France.
First noticed a whine from the pump at Reading Services on the way out, and the problem gradually developed through the next two weeks from there.
By the end of the two weeks we had got the whole performance of getting three kids out of the back seats, the pump thumped back into life, and on our way again, down to something a current Formula one tyre pit crew would have been impressed with.
Back in the UK, I called in at my favourite breaker's yard on the way home, and found a low mileage pump hanging out of an E30 tank, that whoever had tried to remove it was too thick to realise that the level sender has to be removed first. Half an hour later I was on my way, just £5 lighter.