Save yourself up to $200 and some headaches - Electric Fuel Pump PM

you can always stuff a increasing radius tool to plug the hole...lots to be creative with!

Originally Posted by TonyJ

Well, when I changed my fuel filter, the fuel keeps coming out from the line. I thought it may stop in a while, but it didn't... I accumulated about 5 litres and it still kept dripping with no slowing. At the end of the day, I did not want to wait any loner and just connect the new filter to stop the drain

My tank was pretty full though, so I guess this way you can drain out quite a lot of fuel to make pump change easier.

And I jacked up the rear higher maybe that caused more fuel flow to the fuel filter?

This is exactly why you should buy new fuel line and 6 new clamps, and have everything assembled and ready to stick in place as soon as you remove the old filter. Do the engine side first - remove the filter, and stick the new one on. Then pop off the two rear hoses, and stick the new filter in place. Make sure you have the clamps on the lines when you switch the new one in. I only lost about 1/2 a quart of fuel doing it this way. The prep work is critical here. Make sure your new lines are cut to the correct length, make sure you aligh the clamps correctly, so you can reach them when you slip the new filter in place. Once you pop off the front hose on the old filter, have the new one close at hand, and ready to pop in. Don't attach the clamps until you pop off the rear hoses, and fit the new filter in place. You can't screw around after removing the old filter, or you will lose fuel the entire time. Depressurizing the system by pulling the fuel pump fuse only helps you prevent being sprayed in the face! Done correctly, you will lose very little fuel. Don't cheap out, and try to reuse the old hoses and clamps. They will likely need replaced anyway. Don't forget to replace rubber sections of the vacuum line between the regulator on the new filter, and the hard line, and from the F connector on the intake hose, and the other end of the fuel pressure regulator hard line. Check the hard line, and make sure it is not cracked before reusing it.

Originally Posted by rovert

you can always stuff a increasing radius tool to plug the hole...lots to be creative with!

The caps on the new filter are a perfect fit. But if you replace it fast enough, you really don't need them.

Originally Posted by TonyJ

Exactly. That's why I don't understand why 01330i said only a little leak?

I was surprised myself after what I read here,,, I expected more.

Short re-cap;

I jacked up the car just on the driver's side (used jack stands under the two jacking areas). So, the car was quite tilted.

I removed the fuse.

I did not remove the fuel cap.

As a result (I'm guessing from the "tilt" and the fuel cap staying on) I had very little fuel drain from the fuel lines going into the filter. Most of the fuel came from the filter itself.

your experience is very common

Fellas,

I'm pretty certain the fuel pump on my son's 2004 BMW 325i sedan USA (109,000 miles) has failed; fortunately, while parked in my my driveway.

Before I replace the fuel pump, I just want to check a few things.

The car cranks strongly, but will not start. With a quick spray of starter fluid in the intake, the car runs for a second or two. I have removed the rear seat and rubber cover. The fuel pump makes no sound at all, regardless of key position (off, on, start). My voltage meter reads 7-8 volts on two of the four contacts at the connector; again, regardless of key position (off, on, start). I believe the fuel pump experienced what has been referred to in this thread as a "soft failure". The car was cutting out when accelerating at RPMs above 3,000.

I plan to replace the fuel pump in any case. However, I'm wondering if the fuel pump has actually failed or whether it might be the fuel pump relay or something else. So my questions are:

1) Where is the fuel pump relay located on the 2004 BMW 325i sedan (USA model with M54 engine)?

2) What is the correct voltage levels on each of the pins on the fuel pump connector, give the key position?

Thanks to all for contributing to this forum, especially jfoj for his informative posts.

Sounds like the fuel pump died, this is not unusual.

Hopefully it has less than 3/4 tank of fuel in the tank.

Forget about the Voltage readings, this almost always throws everyone. What you are likely measuring is a supervisory Voltage that the DME is sending to the fuel pump. You will only get 12 Volts during cranking or during the 2-3 second prime window. Even then you may miss the 12 Volts depending on how and what you are doing to measure the Voltage.

The fuel pump relay is located behind the glovebox. You need to remove the glovebox door and glovebox liner to access it.

The horn and fuel pump relay are interchangeable if you need to swap them.

Suggest you replace the fuel pump anyway, also order a fuel filter, it does not need to be changed at this moment, but get is changed in the next week or so. I really recommend fuel filters changed every 30k miles based upon all the black scum about 90% of these filters have in them when cutting them open for inspection.

+1. No sense in diagnosing a fuel pump on these cars. The pump is 1) Cheap, 2) Easily accessible, and 3) needs to be replaced anyway because it will leave you stranded.

Originally Posted by jfoj

Sounds like the fuel pump died, this is not unusual.

Hopefully it has less than 3/4 tank of fuel in the tank.

Forget about the Voltage readings, this almost always throws everyone. What you are likely measuring is a supervisory Voltage that the DME is sending to the fuel pump. You will only get 12 Volts during cranking or during the 2-3 second prime window. Even then you may miss the 12 Volts depending on how and what you are doing to measure the Voltage.

The fuel pump relay is located behind the glovebox. You need to remove the glovebox door and glovebox liner to access it.

The horn and fuel pump relay are interchangeable if you need to swap them.

Suggest you replace the fuel pump anyway, also order a fuel filter, it does not need to be changed at this moment, but get is changed in the next week or so. I really recommend fuel filters changed every 30k miles based upon all the black scum about 90% of these filters have in them when cutting them open for inspection.

jfoj-

Excellent. Thank you.

Just ordered a new fuel pump and gasket (Will follow your advise elsewhere on this thread to correctly install the gasket).

Unfortunately, the tank has just over 7/8 of fuel so sounds like I will need to deal with a bit of spilled fuel. Fortunately the car is on the driveway. Any tips on dealing with this?

I removed the glove box and found four relays in a row; reading from left to right their colors are light green, light green, orange, light green. Can you tell me which one is the fuel pump relay?

Will also follow your advise on getting a new fuel filter installed in the next week or two.

Thank you again for all your help!

Originally Posted by rgyarbro

jfoj-

Excellent. Thank you.

Just ordered a new fuel pump and gasket (Will follow your advise elsewhere on this thread to correctly install the gasket).

Unfortunately, the tank has just over 7/8 of fuel so sounds like I will need to deal with a bit of spilled fuel. Fortunately the car is on the driveway. Any tips on dealing with this?

I removed the glove box and found four relays in a row; reading from left to right their colors are light green, light green, orange, light green. Can you tell me which one is the fuel pump relay?

Will also follow your advise on getting a new fuel filter installed in the next week or two.

Thank you again for all your help!

the green relay on the left

as far as fuel, siphon it out using a hand pump.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

the green relay on the left

as far as fuel, siphon it out using a hand pump.

E46Mango & jfoj-

You guys are excellent!

I really, really appreciate you both sharing your knowledge. I read all 29 pages of posts on this thread.

You guys saved me a ton of money, including the cost of towing the car to the dealership plus the cost of a fuel pump/installation at the dealership.

Thank you again!

Dealers must really love all the DIY information we craft and then post on this board!
Much of the advice given here is borne of experience, taliored to the exact circumstance posted by the novice, and better described and illustrated than Bentlley!

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Dealers must really love all the DIY information we craft and then post on this board!
Much of the advice given here is borne of experience, taliored to the exact circumstance posted by the novice, and better described and illustrated than Bentlley!

Had to chuckle on this one!

Originally Posted by rgyarbro

E46Mango & jfoj-

You guys are excellent!

I really, really appreciate you both sharing your knowledge. I read all 29 pages of posts on this thread.

You guys saved me a ton of money, including the cost of towing the car to the dealership plus the cost of a fuel pump/installation at the dealership.

Thank you again!

You are very welcome!! Let this be heard to anyone who thinks the information on PM is a waste!!

Originally Posted by rgyarbro

E46Mango & jfoj-

You guys are excellent!

I really, really appreciate you both sharing your knowledge. I read all 29 pages of posts on this thread.

You guys saved me a ton of money, including the cost of towing the car to the dealership plus the cost of a fuel pump/installation at the dealership.

Thank you again!

Ditto. !!!

Originally Posted by E46Mango

You are very welcome!! Let this be heard to anyone who thinks the information on PM is a waste!!

E46Mango & jfoj-

Just got back in town and installed the new fuel pump in my son's 2004 BMW 325i per your instructions.

All is good! Pump primed itself upon turning the key to "ON". Car fired up straight away and runs like a champ.

As you've said, this is a piece of cake DIY.

Next, on to replacing the fuel filter.

Thank you both one more time!

My fuel pump went out at around 165,000 miles on my 2000 323i. I ran out of fuel at around 1/4 tank. With the help of this thread, I determined it to be the fuel pump, put a new one in and it fixed the problem. However, now the problem I have is that the fuel guage acts normal until it gets just above 1/2 tank, then it stays there for the rest of the tank of gas. It started doing this as soon as I replaced the fuel pump, which was 6 months ago. Since then I have pulled the pump twice to double check that I installed it correctly, and I still have the same problem. Any suggestiions? Thanks in advance!

You have a sender on the other half of the tank too.
Use the OBC hidden functions to see what the measurements are for each sender. Report that here.
Signs point to something you did with the pump upon installation that is not correct for he sender. Could be it was damaged, or you damaged it.

Originally Posted by kicker1_solo

My fuel pump went out at around 165,000 miles on my 2000 323i. I ran out of fuel at around 1/4 tank. With the help of this thread, I determined it to be the fuel pump, put a new one in and it fixed the problem. However, now the problem I have is that the fuel guage acts normal until it gets just above 1/2 tank, then it stays there for the rest of the tank of gas. It started doing this as soon as I replaced the fuel pump, which was 6 months ago. Since then I have pulled the pump twice to double check that I installed it correctly, and I still have the same problem. Any suggestiions? Thanks in advance!

Check out this post:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...&postcount=460
This guy had an issue with a part called the Sucking Jet Pump. It transfers fuel from the tank on the left to the one on the right. Somehow, he had knocked it loose when he installed his new pump. He responded to my post, and had identified the issue. Here is the post:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...&postcount=466
You could PM him, and he can explain exactly what he found, and how he fixed it.
If that is not the exact problem, then it is probably something with the sending unit on the left side. It mounts under the rear seat just like the fuel pump, but it is on the left side.
But, since this occured at the same time you installed the new pump, I would bet that the Sucking Jet Pump has somehow been knocked loose, and is not functioning properly. So those earlier posts should help you.
here is a diagram of the parts involved. The Sucking Jet Pump is part #3. Unfortunately, it does not show exactly how everything fits inside the tank. But I think your issue is probably related to this, so this may be what you need to get it sorted out. The Sucking Jet Pump can fail, so if it has not been knocked loose, it may have gone bad. But since it happened when you changed the pump out, I would bet that something has been moved.
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...73&hg=16&fg=15

BTW - Don't fill your car up until you get this problem sorted. Don't fill it more than 1/2 a tank. You don't want to have to remove the pump or the sending unit with a full tank of gas. The pump sits lower than the full level of the tank, and the gas will come pouring out if you remove the pump with a full tank.

Well I got to changing my fuel pump and I know I installed it correctly and I still have p0313 missfire with low fuel and bank2 too lean any advice? I will go back and re do the .job but I know everything is right
Sent from my PC36100 using Bimmer App