Hi all,

Friday I was driving to work in my car( 2000 A6 quattro 2.7L) and it was low on fuel. I was getting late and the miles remaining indicator showed 5 miles, so I thought I ll get it filled on my way back home. In the evening i tried to start it and it would'nt start. Battery was good. The starter motor was cranking. So I got some fuel and filled it( about 2 gallons). Still it would'nt start. I thought jump start may work. Still would'nt start. At the end I had to call my insurance company to get it towed.

I took it to a Sears Auto place, I left the car over night and in the morning i get a call saying that they were not able to find the problem . When I went in they said they were not able to fix it, I should take it to an Audi dealer. They also said it might be the starter motor. . I said I heard the motor cranking then how is it the starter? They said its what the mechanic said.

So I called my insurance company again and got it towed to a sunoco service center. That guy checked the car figured its not the starter motor, but said it the fuel pump. He also added that when he smacked the fuel tank with a hammer, the car started. So i went to the car and tried starting it, and it started without a problem. The mechanic said the fuel pump must be replaced, and its a 1000$ job( 500 part + 500 labor)!!!!!.

I feel that dirt in the fuel tank caused the problem since i tried starting it when it was very low on fuel, but now on a full tank its starting and running fine. I drove the car back home( 5 miles from the service center) and didnt feel any problem. I parked the car at home worried if it may stop again.

So now i would like you guys to help me in figuring out if I am right or the mechanic is right? If the problem is with the fuel pump how is it still running?
If its really a fuel pump issue how much would it cost me. I saw the part online it was 230$ , so how much would the labor cost?


Thanks in advance

Sunil

 

Wait to see if the issue comes back. I got a sneaky feeling that everything will be fine.

 

The Problem is back!!!! I drove the car around for a while yesterday. It Ran very well, no signs of any problem. But today morning when i started it, it started for a second and then stopped. Now it wont start again. Cranked it a couple of times( For 5 seconds each time). So is it really the fuel pump? If there is a easy way to check it, can someone please describe how to do it? Or should i check the fuel filters first?

 

There is no "easy" way to check fuel pressure, you need a gauge. I quoted "easy" because easy is a relative term. To me, since I have the tools, its easy. To you, who takes a car to Sears, its very difficult.

The fuel pumps in modern cars rely on gasoline as a coolant and a lubricant. When you ran the tank down, you got air into the pump, which is why it wouldn't start for you at first. You then kept trying to start it, which ran the pump with no fuel in it to lubricate it, which probably ruined an otherwise good pump. When the Sunoco mechanic whacked the tank, he got the air bubble to move out of the pump or got the pump to start rotating. It lastedd a few hours but is now dead, again. Of course, this is speculation without testing, so take it with a grain of salt and have your car checked out by a qualified Audi mechanic.

Bob

 

Before replacing the fuel pump (which involves removing the fuel tank, which drives the cost), I would try some less expensive repairs and tests first. It is possible that the fuel filter was plugged by sediment. I would replace that first and they can crank the car with the filter off to determine if the fuel pump is pumping gas. It may not be final confirmation, since you report the problem as intermittent. It's possible that your fuel pump is failing periodically, but my limited experience with fp's is that they work or fail, period.

One strange thing is pounding the fuel tank with a hammer. Was that coincidental or did it actually help? If it helped, why? Was the fuel pump sticking? Did it cause some fuel movement that moved some sediment? That kind of worries me but I don't have an answer.

If no problem found with this, just keep the tank at least half full. I have run my tank down to 5 miles remaining a couple times and have been fortunate with no problems.

For what it is worth, I have 165k miles on my 2.7T and have replaced the fuel filter once. I also pour a can of fuel injector cleaner through the gas tank apprx every 2-3 months.

 

Who is right.... You or the mechanic....?

Well considering with your idea..... the car still doesn't start......


with the mechanic's idea..... he was able to start your car.

Vote = Mechanic

 

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

I would go and get the car checked again this weekend.

But strangely this is what happened the evening when I went back home.

Since the car didnt start in the morning, I tried starting when I went back home. As expected it didnt start. So I left the ignition in the on position and was looking at some papers in the glove compartment. Then when I was about to leave, I tried again. It started for a second and stopped. So I tried again, it started. I drove it around the parking lot to see if it will stay running, and it did. Next morning, since it was snowing I left the key in ON position and started to clean the car. So after cleaning I tried starting and it starts. Evening also did the same thing(wait and start) and it does. It runs without a problem, no loss of power, no noises.

I m still going to get the car checked. But does this behaviour shed any light on the problem?

 

It sounds as if your fuel pump is sticking. If it were junk in the filter the car would not have enough fuel under load.

I can get to the fuel pump in my VW thru an access hole in the trunk and top of the tank. It is a pita but I've done it. Once the covers are off the pump is twisted out of it's locks on the bottom of the tank and removed. While I was there I made sure all the crud was cleaned out. BTW - the VW pump would not run unless the motor was turning over but the Audi might be different.

 

The hammer to the fuel tank is actually a pretty reliable test. The tech who said that is correct.

 

If the hammer does not work the first time just get a bigger one.