Noisy fuel pump.

[Marneus]

Hi all,
I picked up a 1990 320i SE 4 dr yesterday, it drive faultless on the 260 mile drive home but as I got into the last 50 miles there was a buzzing/whining sound coming from the boot area. Am I right in thinking that this is the fuel pump? There was no loss of performance & it did the journey on 3/4 of a tank.

I'm back out at work until next week so can't check myself but does it have 2 fuel pumps? 1 in tank & 1 external? Also where's the best place to source these?

Cheers

Jamie

[daimlerman]

Fuel tank is mounted under the rear seat area,with an in-tank pump accessed via a hatch under the rear seat cushion.

Replacement pumps are available from GSF,but will need fitting to the in-tank cradle.

Are you sure the whining came from the boot?
Usually this is caused by 'er indoors getting locked in there by mistake....

[Marneus]

Thanks for the quick reply.
Lol, unfortunately it's looking like the pump.
SWMBO was on the phone giving me grief about buying an old BMW lol

It was fitted with a new pump 6 weeks ago according to the previous owner but the fuel filter wasn't changed so could this be a contributing factor?

[daimlerman]

Elderly filter will not help,but if the pump/cradle are not located correctly in the tank and are rubbing on the swirl pot,this could cause a vibration.

[Brianmoooore]

Pumps go noisy when the commutator in the motor begins to wear out, or when the bottom of the tank has been dented upwards and is touching the bottom of the pump.
When you say a new pump has been fitted, do you mean new or second hand replacement? Dry stored second hand pumps have a high failure rate.

[E30-Addict]

Mine is noisy
been noisy for years and runs better than any quiet one

[Marneus]

Ok, according to the paperwork a new pump was fitted by Vtec Automotive who carried out the work but the pump only cost £37 so I'm thinking this is a cheapy?
The car has been stood for the last 7 years & upon looking through the receipts it seems that it's had a new pump, regulator, radiator, water pump, timing belt kit & aux belts but no real service of fluids so that looks like the 1st thing I have to do is service & decent fuel pump. It's so loud that I can't put my daughter in the rear seat

[bosers]

Mine was really noisey till I changed the fuel filter. Much quieter now. Good luck!

[HairyScreech]

You might find the pump is some derivative of the walbro 225lph pump, they fit cosworths and e30s so are quite common and they are unfortunately loud.

[Iffy_E30]

Bmw 320i 1987 standard set up new fuel filter fitted 3 months ago.

My fuel pump has just died on me.

Did you replace with a standard fuel pump or would it be a nice idea to fit a upgrade pump or not really worth it ??

If things break in my cars i usually replace with uprated parts depending on what it is because i do drive them hard..

If replaced for a uprated one which make model number would you guys recommend and what is everyone using thanks.

[Brianmoooore]

'Uprated' in fuel pump terms, usually means higher flow/pressure, which has absolutely no beneficial effect with any standard engine, and just puts higher demands on the fuel pressure regulator.
With a few well documented exceptions (E46 rear top mounts, M3 control arm bushes, etc.), There isn't much that needs 'upgrading' on an E30. These cars were designed up to a quality, not down to a price, like more common brands, aimed at the general public.

[Iffy_E30]

'Uprated' in fuel pump terms, usually means higher flow/pressure, which has absolutely no beneficial effect with any standard engine, and just puts higher demands on the fuel pressure regulator.
With a few well documented exceptions (E46 rear top mounts, M3 control arm bushes, etc.), There isn't much that needs 'upgrading' on an E30. These cars were designed up to a quality, not down to a price, like more common brands, aimed at the general public.

Thanks Brianmoooooooooore just a replacement part then and yes I agree built to last not like the new crap out in the market now a days.