Fuel pump

Post Wed Oct 21, 2015 6:41 pm

When I turn my key I do not hear the initial priming of the fuel pump. When I start my car it just turns for a little and you can hear my fuel pump start working only when the car is trying to turn over. When I'm driving it stays on and there's no problem.

Post Wed Oct 21, 2015 6:49 pm

Which is exactly as it should be.

Post Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:38 pm

So it's not supposed to do an initial prime before I actually start trying to turn over?

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 12:07 am

A common myth. I suspect the noise of the ICV 'sorting itself out' is what most people hear.
The fuel system should retain most of its pressure for several days after the engine has been running.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 1:52 am

So what could be the possible problem? It went from starting over in the first couple seconds to needing a several times turning the key over.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:02 am

First thing to do is to buy a £10 fuel pressure gauge from ebay, connect it up, and see what happens to the fuel pressure when the car is parked. You will need a six inch length of rubber fuel hose as well, to connect the gauge to an E30.
If the pressure falls, you will need a couple of hose clamps to clamp off the fuel supply and return hoses, in turn, to determine exactly what the problem is.
When the car does eventually start, does it do so cleanly?

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:27 pm

Well today when I was driving to work it seemed like it was running out of gas. I had to keep revs higher to keep it running. So I put gas in at the station. It seemed to run a little smoother but I could here that noise like a noisy fuel pump but it sounded like it was coming from the engine. It lasted the 3 miles that I drove to work and even when I stopped the car. I could still here with the engine running but it turned off when I turned the car back on. I'm registering at half a tank and when I put gas in it moved up a bit. I'm not sure if the gas tank registers at half when I'm actually more at empty or what. But the noise does concern me. As far as starting it will keep turning until it actually fires and then once it fires and starts it shuts off a second or two later and then would start and run just fine.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:30 pm

Now it all seems normal. Starts and runs just fine”¦

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 8:07 pm

Carefully check the large rubber convoluted air hose between the air meter/filter and the throttle body for slits and tears.
An incorrect combination of fuel tank and fuel gauge will result in a gauge that reads half when the tank is empty. The low fuel light should work as normal though.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:24 pm

Thanks so much for the help. Also the computer next to the radio is reading accurately with distance to go as it was blank before I put gas in and now it's telling me that I have distance to go and it seems closer to what I should go with the amount of as I put in