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Broke down on a Sunday!!!

JamesBondSilverJamesBondSilver
I was attending a VW cruise on a recent Sunday,and upon leaving,about.5 mile away the car literally just died out,and this was in Honolulu,and luckily it was a Sunday and the traffic was light,otherwise it would have been mayhem.
I kept cranking it,and checking the fuses for the fuel pump (which had blown once in the past),and then it started.....I got the hell out of there and tried to make it about 3 miles to where my wife and kids were at enjoying the beach.
The car died out again while making a right turn into a BUSY street and guys offered to push the car,however after about 5 cranks it started again!
I made it to the beach park parking lot and upon inspection found the EMPI low pressure fuel pump had finally crapped out!!
Luckily we were across the street from a SEARS,so I used my truck (which the wife took the kids to the beach in)and bought;
1. A flat blade screwdriver for the hose clamps
2. A small,mini Vice grip to remove the single 13mm head nut and to do any cutting or crimping if needed.
Unfortunately it was a Sunday so ALL the auto parts places were closed!!!!!!
Except for a "O'Reilly",and once I got there they pointed me to the "high performance" section and I looked for a universal low pressure pump........AND THERE IT WAS!!!!
A "Mr.Gasket" 3.5 psi universal pump for carbureted cars.....
I purchased the pump,some teflon tape,and some butt connectors
and went back to the stricken speedster.
I used the bottle jack that Warren,the previous owner had so thoughtfully left in there,and removed the tire,and the pump was a perfect fit..I literally had the car up & running again within 1.5 hours of the initial breakdown,and this saved me atleast $200.00 for a tow,and I needed to replace the pump anyways,so it is now working well,I was able to drive it home and it is a permanent repair.
Really now,WHAT modern car can you fix nowadays with a single screwdriver and a vice grip!!! Hahahaha........Hope you enjoyed my little tale....I sure am glad I'm a professional mechanic,it really comes in handy you know.
Aloha,Thomas
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JamesBondSilverJamesBondSilver
I was attending a VW cruise on a recent Sunday,and upon leaving,about.5 mile away the car literally just died out,and this was in Honolulu,and luckily it was a Sunday and the traffic was light,otherwise it would have been mayhem.
I kept cranking it,and checking the fuses for the fuel pump (which had blown once in the past),and then it started.....I got the hell out of there and tried to make it about 3 miles to where my wife and kids were at enjoying the beach.
The car died out again while making a right turn into a BUSY street and guys offered to push the car,however after about 5 cranks it started again!
I made it to the beach park parking lot and upon inspection found the EMPI low pressure fuel pump had finally crapped out!!
Luckily we were across the street from a SEARS,so I used my truck (which the wife took the kids to the beach in)and bought;
1. A flat blade screwdriver for the hose clamps
2. A small,mini Vice grip to remove the single 13mm head nut and to do any cutting or crimping if needed.
Unfortunately it was a Sunday so ALL the auto parts places were closed!!!!!!
Except for a "O'Reilly",and once I got there they pointed me to the "high performance" section and I looked for a universal low pressure pump........AND THERE IT WAS!!!!
A "Mr.Gasket" 3.5 psi universal pump for carbureted cars.....
I purchased the pump,some teflon tape,and some butt connectors
and went back to the stricken speedster.
I used the bottle jack that Warren,the previous owner had so thoughtfully left in there,and removed the tire,and the pump was a perfect fit..I literally had the car up & running again within 1.5 hours of the initial breakdown,and this saved me atleast $200.00 for a tow,and I needed to replace the pump anyways,so it is now working well,I was able to drive it home and it is a permanent repair.
Really now,WHAT modern car can you fix nowadays with a single screwdriver and a vice grip!!! Hahahaha........Hope you enjoyed my little tale....I sure am glad I'm a professional mechanic,it really comes in handy you know.
Aloha,Thomas
FM Former Member
Electric fuel pumps follow the rule of all electric motors. As they wear out, they pull more amperage. If you have a light fuse in, and it blows once, no biggie. Twice and you have no shorts - take a reading at your pump. If the amperage is higher than it should be or the pump feels hot when it normally is not (e.g. for a pump mounted near the fuel tank - a long way from heat), then you are being given fair warning of a failure.

With an electric pump, it's the only warning you get. If you don't notice the extra heat or amperage, you get to practice pushing your car. Obviously they also spontaneously fail, but most of them do give some warning.

angela
El FrazooEl Frazoo Supporting Member
OK, there is some good advice here from those w/ healed bite marks on their butts: carry a spare pump. To go w/ the spare clutch cable, throttle cable, and fan belt. I'll put a spare fuel pump on the list. Turns out my original electric pump (cheap Chinese version, no doubt) failed by leakage inside of 1,000 mi. Lucky no fire was a result. Got a replacement from a local Auto Zone, or whatever, and that has been working great since. Probably still not American made . . .

If you run one of these cars around, you better hope your middle name is McGuyver. What do you think the little tool bag that Cory made for the Carlisle gang a year or so ago is for? 'Nuff room for a fuel pump in there, for sure. Plus thread tape, hose clamps and a small vice grip, I'd bet.
G GuitarsWeB
<<>

There's a lot of truth there. I have made three major road trips, over 1500 miles, and broke down two of the three. Wire, thread, string, etc. would not have helped. Steering went out once and the second time, I blew the left side head. But, you can't carry too many extra parts. One major thing to carry is a several feet of say 10 gauge wire with clips at each end. I thave though about building a "break down " toe-bar that would fit someplace in the car. Anyone here done that yet?
Paul

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