Fuel pump issue - why is nothing easy (or is it just me)?

[David Brown]

Following on my post on Sunday when I broke down with pump not running. Recovery chap confirmed power to the pump so recovered home. Firstly wiring into the pump doesn't correspond to the wiring diagram. Find it agrees up to the connector under the back, where the 4 wires going in change colour to 5 wires out. Hard wire the from the battery to the pump to the feed from the inertia switch and the earth but the pump doesn't run. Try to remove the pump but two of the screws just turning, presumably nurserts underneath are spinning. Contact Chris at Redline to see if he has one but, despite supplying a member here in 2019, it's now obsolete. (He's trying to find a replacement). Also, despite what mechanic says, I can't get any voltage on the pump feed. Inertia switch has continuity and immobiliser is disengaged. 
Head bursting!

[David_Long]

Hi David, My comment on the first post about the alternator was from a previous experience when voltage dropped to point the ECU closed down. But if yours spins the engine then that is less likely. But I would be surprised if the pump stopped mid stream, so to speak, certainly if there was no warning in terms of low fuel pressure or fuel starvation. So I would still be looking at voltages getting to the ECU and getting Easimap to confirm it is fully running - ecu's do go faulty. 

PS to add the fuel pump wouldn't be powered unless the engine was running (after it has primed) so how did the breakdown man check? Seems like a red herring to me.

[David Brown]

Breakdown man shoved his multimeter into the connector with the ignition on and immobiliser disabled. Haven't yet had a chance to check the relay in the MFRU. Surely pump should run if hard wired from the battery, although accept that it is some coincidence that it fails and I can't detect voltage at the plug. 

[David_Long]

The ECU will only run the pump (via the MFU relay) when it detects that the engine is running, or at least cranking. When you turn on the ignition, the pump runs for a few second to prime the fuel rail for starting. So I would not expect the fuel pump to be powered during the breakdown checking. If it does not prime then that's a clue and could suggest the pump is faulty, or something wrong with the supply or ecu. My first check would be the pump supply as the ignition is turned on, then easimap if nothing is seen at the pump. Third thing would be swap out the MFU.

[Golf Juliet Tango]

why is nothing easy (or is it just me)?

David, it certainly isn't just you.

Whenever I, reluctantly, turn to do something on one of the cars, it takes longer than anyone here suggests, is seized up, is dirtier, hard to reach or identify, costs more than first told, requires some special device or tool, is out of stock or discontinued or needs something extra because nothing is standard.

[David Brown]

Thanks David, will get my glamorous assistant to crank the engine, before she goes out to golf, while I check the voltage. 

[David aka Blue7]

How are you hard wiring the pump from the battery, are you connecting the red wire to power and black wire to earth?  I don't know what the purple wire does, you think inertia switch?  The wiring diagrams posted are all too small to read wiring colours.  You said earlier that the black and white wire are for the fuel gauge.

In the old days, giving the pump a gentle knock with a hammer sometimes woke it up

[anthonym]

is this a K?

no it's not just you. Suspect all the connectors. Is this the extensive (should be) yellow/green wire?

anthony

[David Brown]

Anthonym, I'm sorry, I should have said it was a CSR260, which was mentioned on my earlier posting. Think I've finally got it resolved after drilling the heads off the two screws in the spinning rivnuts I got the pump out. Have subsequently found out that it is only obsolete with Caterham but was fitted to the MG ZS amongst a number of other vehicles. The part number if anyone else is looking for one is WFX100631 which is available from a number of different manufacturers but was concerned that one for a Berlingo may not have the correct flow rate. Decided to buy from Rimmer who, although more expensive, are at least recognised Rover spares suppliers. 
Despite having hard wired it from the battery twice, with no response, I connected it up again when it was out and it ran! I had to shake it to get rid of the fuel from the swirl pot which may have freed off a sticky pump. In any case I don't want to get stuck again in the middle of nowhere so fitted the new pump and the car is now running fine. 
Haven't resolved the issue of the two spinning rivnuts which have still got the remnants of the screws in them despite attacking them with screw extractors with mole grips holding them inside the tank. Reluctant to do any more drilling on the fuel tank so have used Hylomar blue to seal them. If I have to I'll drill out the existing rivnuts and fit two new ones. 

[7 wonders of the world]

Ti Automotive (the new name for Walbro) offer pumps on various flow rates and pick up configutations that fit.

[TomB]

No it’s not just you. This is my new rotor arm after cracking and falling apart. QH pattern parts from Redline and it doesn’t have the recess in the inside of the arm to receive the end of the standard length bolt. So it cracked on fitting. The Lucas part is metal bodied with a bolt recess, the QH one is plastic. Grrr.