Fuel pump failure is dangerous for the quality of your vehicle and it can endanger you as a driver. One of the first indication symptoms that a fuel pump is starting to fail, or has failed already in todays common rail diesel vehicles which are fitted with high pressure pumps. Modern engines require a fuel pressure of 40 to 60 PSI for proper operation. Engine misfires and stalling, or completely dead motor if it suddenly falls below this range. The vehicle can go into a reduced power mode while driving, which could be especially dangerous on the highway or in heavy traffic.
Toyota had to recall more than 700,000 cars in 2019 for stalling over fuel pump realated issues. The incident served to underscore a problem that many more drivers share: fuel pump failures, which threaten the safety of those commuters and represent big-dollar repair items for fleet operators. The cost of a fuel pump replacement can vary, but it will typically be somewhere between $500 – or often significantly more if you own an expensive car and labour is high.
Another danger is that if the fuel pump should fail then this can also cause serious engine damage in time. When the engine is running lean; it means that it gets too little fuel compared to air. Lean running can cause the engine to run exceedingly hot and dangerously, which will result in damage of critical parts (pistons/cylinders) as we have explained earlier. In the long run, malfunctioning fuel pump causes engine’s life to decrease several thousands miles short which in turn makes you rebuild or replace your last lifeline of an engine sooner.
John Haynes, founder of Haynes Manuals: “Preventative maintenance is the key to avoiding catastrophic failure.” Properly monitoring the performance of your fuel pump can help prevent these risks. The fuel filter is a critical component and installing new filters at the correct intervals (usually every 30,000 miles or so) can help extend the life of a pump by keeping clogging from valve imbalances.
For further specific on fuel pump care and problems, go for to Fuel Pump.