9 replies to this topic

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Hi,

I’ve got a problem with my fuel pump fuse blowing. It started out intermittent and a bit random but now blows 10-20 seconds after starting without fail.

I can’t see any obvious shorts in the wiring but there are bits I cannot see.

I have a multimeter but i’m No auto electrician and wondered if there’s a failsafe systematic way to test and diagnose the issue? Or even test the fuel pump to rule the pump out as a problem.

I tried replacing with a higher rated fuse just to see what happened. It doesn’t blow the fuse but the fuel pump seems to pulsate. Doesn’t really help the diagnosis.

Thanks

JJ

[craig 1010cc]

to me it sounds like the pump is failing and starting to seize or that there is a restriction in the fuel system (one of the filters blocked or a kinked pipe) thus drawing extra current.

 

You could test the pump by running a fresh 12v feed to it straight from the battery and see if it still pulsates. If it doesn't, then there is a wiring issue, if it does then there is a physical issue

[humph]

minimissions had a similar problem with his fuel pump cutting out, can't find the thread at the moment. It'll be here somewhere, likely under injection specific.

[[email protected]]

I wondered about a blockage. I did have a local garage replace some sections of corroded fuel pipe between the tank and filter with rubber sections.

As a precaution I did take the fuel filter off and checked for debris. I didn’t find anything but probably worth checking again.

I will also hook the pump up to the battery and see what happens.

Thanks

[riktanius]

Never replace a fuse with a higher rated one. you are just asking for more trouble with that. Your fuse is blowing because somehting is pushing it too hard. If you dont fix the problem, then you are asking for that surge to blow something else. Either the wiring which isnt rated to hold higher than the fuse, or the actual pump itself. 

 

Pumps arent that expensive and it is always smart to have a backup. Switch it out and see if the problem persists. 

 

Seems that you had issues with pipe corrosion, might be a good idea to replace all of them. 

[spiguy]

Your pump is on the way out. Been there. It is drawing too much current hence blowing the fuse. I did actually put a higher rated fuse in when it happened to me (just to get the car moving) but it didn't last long. I believe my problem was caused by the fact I had run the tank almost empty. The pump is cooled by fuel in the tank, but due to the way the pump sits in the tank this means that you actually need quite alot of fuel to keep the pump immersed. I have always found that the gauge is on the red with around 1/3 of the tank still full (I believe this is deliberate and not a gauge fault, it has been this way on both my SPi cars). So to be on the safe side, don't run them too low on fuel.

 

The Spi pump is actually used on several other cars, when mine went I sourced one from a non mini vehicle and transferred the pipework over. This was alot cheaper than buying a mini specific one. Just checked there and sadly the web page which listed compatible sources is no longer up, sorry.

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Pretty sure now this is a wiring issue. Battery drained overnight. I had previous problems with the 13 way loom connector in the engine bay including a dead tachometer which was on the list of faults to find.

I had a play around with the connector last night and seem to have cured (at least temporarily) the fuel pump and tacho issues.

I’ve had a number of issues which have all ended up being due to this connector. I have cleaned it all up in the recent past but all the individual connects are clean and intact bar one which I took out and made a new connection.

Getting the individual connectors out of the housing is a right ballache even with the little tools for doing so, particularly the male ones. I did start trying to replace all the connectors but gave up in the end. Looks like I need to give it another go, or connect with a load of bullet connectors.

I also found a bit of a kink in the new rubber fuel pipes but it wasn’t much and srtaightening out didn’t change the fuel pump issue.

I don’t think this is the end

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SPIguy. It has spent a lot of the last few months with next to no fuel in it, with me topping up from a can while I sorted out some issues.

After what you’ve said i’m expecting more pump issues.

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Problem returned. Car runs ok with a 15amp fuse but 10amp pops fairly quickly. Car cuts out occasionally but seems to settle down once warmed up. Just seen the price for a pump up on minisport.....oooya!

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So last night I hooked the fuel pump up to the battery via a 10amp fuse and the pump runs without faultering. No blown fuse, nothing.

Back to the wiring fiasco.

I completely took apart the previously problematic 13way connector at bulkhead engine side and it was pretty green and nasty inside, much of which was hidden by the yellow plastic liner on the male side, so I cleaned everything up and renewed one particularly bad looking connector. If this is where the problem lies I can’t for the life of me figure out where the short in the circuit was as it shouldn’t really be possible for any kind of arc between the individual terminals unless there was a corrosion bridge.

Put it all back together and pump now runs fine through the original wiring with the proper 10amp fuse.

Fingers crossed.