Possible fuel pump death need advise please

Ok here we go , hope i explain clearly..I have read threads on the fuel pump issue but feel i need to ask the following to make sure i am on the right track!
A couple of days ago the td4 02 reg took a couple of 5 second pulls of the starter to fire up the mptor [ usually its on the button] anyway it did fire and ran ok. But yesterday went to car and would not start after many attemps so checked the fuses and connections etc but could not see any problems now i could hear the pump mounted next to the filter on the n/s inner wing in engine bay run and was trying to pump diesel but sounded as if it was pumping air/diesel and made bubbling noise , this stopped after say 20 seconds till i switched off ignition and turned on again they same happend.
Eventually battery went dead so charged it up and tried to start it again , this time it did start and engine ran for a few seconds then died and would not go again.
Maybe this was due to a bit of fuel getting to where it should go but no more was being pumped from the tank, so i lifted the rear seat and had a listen for the tank fuel pump but could not hear anything . I have tapped the pump as suggested in other threads but still no joy.
So my questions are , how to test the tank mounted pump and do you think i am on the right track ?

Alan

I think you've sussed it. Both pumps should run together at ignition on, so your findings suggest the in-tank one has failed if it's only the under bonnet pump that's running.

Thanks chaser , but i have just gained access to the in tank pump and before i whipped it out of the tank i tested for voltage on the white purple power supply lead to the pump and nothing .....the fuel gauge line did have voltage .
So i wonder as both pumps run from the relay on the same line i wonder if i have a broken wire to the rear pump?

i have also put 12v to the pump directly and no life from the pump !

your thoughts appreciated before i buy summat i dont need

the fuse/relay must be ok as the under bonnet pump runs ...

the plot thickens

g0jdk said:

the under bonnet pup runs ...

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That might be yo problem .

Have you made a circuit to the pump ie 12v in and return incase as you said there is a wiring fault?

g0jdk said:

Thanks chaser , but i have just gained access to the in tank pump and before i whipped it out of the tank i tested for voltage on the white purple power supply lead to the pump and nothing .....the fuel gauge line did have voltage .
So i wonder as both pumps run from the relay on the same line i wonder if i have a broken wire to the rear pump?

i have also put 12v to the pump directly and no life from the pump !

your thoughts appreciated before i buy summat i dont need

the fuse/relay must be ok as the under bonnet pump runs ...

the plot thickens

Click to expand...

When testing for a live feed the front pump must actually be running. It times out after a minute. Check you are testing against a good earth. There is an earth header for the in-tank pump behind the RH side panel near the tail door hinge.

Chaser said:

When testing for a live feed the front pump must actually be running. It times out after a minute. Check you are testing against a good earth. There is an earth header for the in-tank pump behind the RH side panel near the tail door hinge.

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chaser as usual you are the man! of course by the time i had switched ign on got in back of car with my test leads the front pump could have been electrically dead . i ll go try again .

cheers

addition to above

Just prooved 12v at end of pump wiring by putting leads on 1st then switching on ign so its confirmed to be the pump ......any ideas where to buy from as been getting all different prices from £80 to £300

Just to update on the fuel pump . i have changed it and fuel started to pump through ok , gave it a couple of goes to get as much air out as possible then cranked the motor , it started running but lumpy as i would have expected , so run it at fast idle for a while it smoked like hell and then it would tick over ok.
Went for a drive and engine management light came on [ maybe cos of air in system]so stopped car and restarted engine light stayed off for the rest of journey.
Car seems ok now , started this morning bit of smoke on starting but after 10 seconds it ran clean , guess it needs a good run to get rid of all the air in fuel system and clean out the system from all that smoke!
Thanks alan

Thought I'd add my tip about the in-tank fuel pumps to the latest thread I could find.

I had mine stop working a week ago and was really annoyed as I'd only replaced it 18 months ago. It was dead, nothing with ignition on or with a live feed from another battery....

Before I lightened my wallet again I decided to take it out and look at it. I got it on the bench and started to strip it down. The only difficult thing (appart from getting covered in diesel) is removing the crimp clip from the pick-up pipe off the pump itself.

Now with the pump out I connected a battery again and nothing. After a gentle tap it span up breifly and then nothing again. The conclusion I came to was that there was crap in the pump stopping it from spinning up. After taking an air line and carefully blowing through all pipes, intakes etc the pump whirred into life. It didn't sound rough at all, infact it sounded like a new pump.....

I put it back together, fitted to the tank, primed a couple of times and it started without a problem.

So all the people with failing or failed in-tank TD4 fuel pumps if you're prepared to have a go you can save yourself a few quid like I have

I still have the old one ill strip it down and try , itll do for a spare!

so where u get your pump from

Is that to me?

Didn't buy a pump I fixed the old one?? Originally bought from E-Bay I think.

My in-tank pump have a tick-tack noise. Just like a blinkers relay. Is there any relay back there? ´01 TD4

It shouldn't do that... No relays just a motor in the tank. If you lift the back seat and the carpets up to access the pump cover you can hear a working pump for the 1st 30 seconds after the ignition is on.

If you don't get a whirring from the motor and you have a 12V feed to it then my guess is its either blocked or broken. If you're adventurous like me (lol) then have a go at stripping it down and blowing the pump and lines through with compressed air. You may get lucky.

Torsen said:

My in-tank pump have a tick-tack noise. Just like a blinkers relay. Is there any relay back there? ´01 TD4

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Ticking noise is likely to be from the FBH fuel pump if you have one, in which case it's perfectly normal but might be louder if it's been left resting against the chassis

Chaser, what is FBH fuel pump?

FBH is fuel burning heater which some models have. It has a seperate fuel pump which can tick away when running initially.

Ok, thanks. Yes i have a FBH

Torsen, it sounds as though it is still the in-tank pump that is the culprit to your starting issue.

I noted you tried a seperate 12v feed to the pump and it didn't work. You could try removing the unit and stripping it down like I did. Messy job but mine has been fine for weeks now after doing the same.