Thread: TD5 Fuel Pump & Sender

Just recently I returned from Batemans Bay, South Coast NSW, to home, some 650km trip. About 6 months ago the fuel sender stopped working in our 2003 D2 TD5 140,000 km, but I didn’t worry about the problem because the pump & sender was a combined unit with a LR price tag of approx $1,000, so I put up with the gauge reading incorrectly. After travelling 620 of the 650km we stopped for supplies re started the car which started to behave like it was out of fuel, pulled up at the closest servo, put in $25, short cut the “out of fuel procedures” in the manual, it said 6 times I only did 4, restarted the car with very little change in how the engine was running, I thought that perhaps the fuel pump was on the way out, so I limped to my local repairer, turned off the car, restarted the car nothing wrong with it, however the mechanics commented that you should be able to hear the fuel pump, they did some testing the next morning and the fuel pump was under performing in a big way, I was lucky to get so close to home, purchased a new pump from a Sydney non LR dealer, almost half the price, picked up the vehicle Christmas eve, all is well. I’m not sure if the fuel sender going was an early warning sign? It seemed to be in my case. The car is noticeably better now than prior to the trip to the coast. Regards Difflock.

Originally Posted by eckolsim

Sorry to ask the silly question but did you follow the "ran out of fuel" starting sequence to purge the fuel system of air and get the pump up to pressure.

I recall after a number of dealings with the fuel system that the pump can be excessively noisy for a number of short drives until all of the air is out. A simple start and idle in the driveway is not sufficient. A good flogging around the block a couple of times is in order.

Yes it was purged and yes the old pump gone back in seemed to run alot quiter through the process. I am happy enough now to leave the old one in and whenever its goes I will try the new pump i have again. Maybe the failure of the relay with the new pump was only a coinsidence.