Thread: Fuel Pump Woes

There can be several reasons for a pump whining, the worst case scenario is your pump being on its way out. I have had mine whining every now and then, especially when the truck has been stationary for a longer period. I suspect some growth clogging the pump. It then seems to disappear on its own after a while. Maybe you should put some Diesel treatment in the tank, just in case you have some algae growth?
Btw, I have noticed that the whine can change depending on where I filled up. Maybe some fuel retailers have different additives that make the pump having to work less?
In a nutshell, I don't think you will have to change your pump housing straight away. Good luck!
Cheers

Ey Jojo, cheers for your comments. Unfortunately I hadn't fueled up directly before or after. I will try putting a fuel treatment through though. Seriously wish I hadn't touched it!! She was working perfectly and silently.

Originally Posted by Beau99

Ey Jojo, cheers for your comments. Unfortunately I hadn't fueled up directly before or after. I will try putting a fuel treatment through though. Seriously wish I hadn't touched it!! She was working perfectly and silently.

gooday beau99... ive got a 99 defender as well. bought it 6 months ago then devoured this forum for information regarding all things landrover. i decided to change my fuel filter for good measure. hadn't noticed any pump noise prior to change but directly after the whirring noise was pretty loud. i put it down to air in the system. purged the system a few times and no change. asked here for any advise and received many ideas on cause. i removed the pump and cleaned it. three times. still had the noise . i bought a new fuel pump to install should the noisy one fail somewhere inconvenient. what i did do upon the advise of one bloke here was take it for a 30 k run. got home and the pump was notably quieter but not as silent as i recalled. not to worry, i had a new fuel pump ready to put in. that was 5 months ago and maybe 15ooo ks. still havnt needed the new pump and the original one hasn't changed noise level either. runs as well as it always had.
moral of the story? don't panic to soon. there are so many noises that worry me in this vehicle and reading up on them just gives you more reason to not enjoy the drive. carry a spare if you can or fix it when it breaks. in the meantime turn the stereo up a little and enjoy what is arguably an eccentric vehicle.


noted you only changed the cover but the moral is the same


cheers cactus

Cheers Cactus! Mate you've managed to put a smile on my face... Much appreciated. Funny I had the exact same experience after my 40km trip. Quieter but still noisy compared to how quiet it ran before.
Cactus since you've got a 99 also, when you purge... does your engine warning light (on the dash) flash? Because my doesn't?! I'm not all that sure it performing a purge cycle.
Anyways cheers once again dude!

Originally Posted by Beau99

Cheers Cactus! Mate you've managed to put a smile on my face... Much appreciated. Funny I had the exact same experience after my 40km trip. Quieter but still noisy compared to how quiet it ran before.
Cactus since you've got a 99 also, when you purge... does your engine warning light (on the dash) flash? Because my doesn't?! I'm not all that sure it performing a purge cycle.
Anyways cheers once again dude!

not that I recall,, just the pump goes through a series of on/ off cycles . it did purge because it started and ran fine. I think the later models 2000 onwards, may have the light flash but my memory isn't what it used to be. a search through the forums should find your answer as that's where I got my info. how long have you had your landy for

I recall reading somewhere that the very early Td5's didn't have that purge feature .... Mine don't go through any kind of cycle at all. The pump simply works continuously?!
Had my LR for almost 3 months now. So fresh it's still got its cling rap on. I serviced it myself last week but thought I'd take it to a specialist to sort out the Fuel housing.

Beau,

Yep, agree with the need to check the fuel pump for clogging with "algae"...or black slimy deposits.
Had the same problem in my old TD5 Defender. The fuel pump sounded like a demented mosquito.
Eventually removed the fuel pump (by cutting a hatch in the rear deck to gain access to the top of the fuel tank) and found the pump was well and truly clogged with this black slime.


After a clean and refit, all was well.

Alan

Originally Posted by Jojo

I suspect some growth clogging the pump. It then seems to disappear on its own after a while. Maybe you should put some Diesel treatment in the tank, just in case you have some algae growth?
Cheers

I did get pump whine also however, now that you mention the treatment additive, since using "Chemtech" additive the whine has gone away.

You might be onto something there.