4th fuel pump in less then 2 years?

[JGood]

I am on my 4th in-tank fuel pump in 2 years, maybe 5k miles of track/autox driving. Tried pumps from Bavarian Autosport, BMA parts, KO Performance, the original pump that the car had, and whoever I decide to order from this time.

The only thing I can think of is letting the tank get low is burning the pump out, but I really don't think I let it get low on fuel more then anyone else does. I never track it with less then 1/4 - 1/2 tank.

The filter is always perfectly clean when I remove them.

Any ideas on what could cause this?

Every time I post about this, people tell me to get a fuel cell. That's out of the question, I'd like to actually fix the problem.

[Dillinger]

If the screen is ok then it must be starving and overheating.

[nando]

I would move on to the bosch motorsports pump - 044 or 040, whichever is the in-tank model. a little more than an OE pump but not if you count 4 replacements..

[Erick]

Porsche Turbo pump. Probably the same as the motorsports pump Chris Nando is going on about :)

[JGood]

I would move on to the bosch motorsports pump - 044 or 040, whichever is the in-tank model. a little more than an OE pump but not if you count 4 replacements..

I'd really like to find a solution. I'm not the only person tracking a e30 with a stock pump. I'd hate to buy that pump and fry that one too.

[nando]

well it's just a beefier pump, and it's designed for racing conditions.. the stock one wasn't. I know there are lots of people tracking on stock pumps with no problems, and some that swear you will get fuel starvation with less than 1/2 tank. I've personally never experienced that, so I'm in the group that never had a problem with stock parts. Either something wrong with your car, or just the particular track you are driving on, your suspension/tire setup and your driving style. The experiences seem to vary so much it's hard to tell.

you have any way of datalogging your voltage output at the pump?

[JGood]

well it's just a beefier pump, and it's designed for racing conditions.. the stock one wasn't. I know there are lots of people tracking on stock pumps with no problems, and some that swear you will get fuel starvation with less than 1/2 tank. I've personally never experienced that, so I'm in the group that never had a problem with stock parts. Either something wrong with your car, or just the particular track you are driving on, your suspension/tire setup and your driving style. The experiences seem to vary so much it's hard to tell.

you have any way of datalogging your voltage output at the pump?

It's spread across 8-9 tracks that I go through, the pump dies every 3-4 events. With a new pump, it can run on fumes and not starve (I stopped doing that after I fried the first pump, obviously, now I don't go below 1/4-1/2).

I'm not sure how I could log the voltage, any ideas? I don't want to spend $200+ on some industrial unit. If I can rule out voltage spikes/drops though, it would certainly get me moving in the right direction. After that I'd replace the tank and then if I still have the issue, I guess I'd go with that motorsport pump. I just find it hard to believe there's not something wrong with the car that's causing this problem.

[nando]

flush out the tank maybe? doesn't usually cost that much.. it's just a bitch to take it all out.

maybe you have a friend with a nice DMM.. a better one can do a bit of datalogging. A few minutes would probably be enough. I use my standalone but that's not always an option.

[JGood]

flush out the tank maybe? doesn't usually cost that much.. it's just a bitch to take it all out.

maybe you have a friend with a nice DMM.. a better one can do a bit of datalogging. A few minutes would probably be enough. I use my standalone but that's not always an option.

I think the tank is clean as the filters always look brand new when the pumps die. But I'll double check it this time, I'll drain it and look in there as best as I can.

I have 2 DMM's, neither do logging. A friend has a high end automotive meter, I'll see if that can do any logging. I would think someone makes a cheap D/C logger just for things like this.

[jlevie]

I can think of three things that could cause premature failure of the in-tank transfer pump and those are:

1) Rust in the fuel tank
2) Extended running with low fuel (at or below 1/4 tank)
3) Excessive system voltage

For the high pressure pump I'd add excessive load to the list, but that shouldn't be a factor with the transfer pump.

When you pull the pump, use a stick to stir the bottom of the tank to see if there is a layer rusty sediment in the tank. Rust is quite abrasive and will fail a pump fairly quickly. If there's no rust, make sure that the system voltage is at or below 14.5v at max rpm.