Was anyone else fuel pump defected, because mine went out at 15k.

 

Not yet. Mine just hit 15k. Question, though...do you run the fuel level below 1/4 tank often?

 

What type of gasoline did you put in?

 

I do let it get to the light often but still the fuel pump shouldnt be bad by 15k. it works extra hard but still.
I only pump chevron for my car so i was surprise when it went out.

 

No most likely you ruined it. You burn out a fuel pump by going below 1/4 tank all the time, it just has to work harder.

The guys on Car Talk I remember years ago saying don't let it get like below half unless you have to.

I've had a ton of cars and never replaced a fuel pump ever.

 

As long as the fuel pump motor/moving part is submerged in fuel, the pump doesn't work any harder. Also pump doesn't know whether it is full or 1/4 full either.

 

That's a myth. The Car Talk guys are entertainers and the official motto of their show was "Unencumbered by the thought process!"

No engineer would design a fuel system where you couldn't use its capacity without harm. Doing so would result in a flood of warranty claims.

In-tank fuel pumps are cooled by the fuel passing through them, not the fuel surrounding them, so as long as they have fuel to draw they will be cooled properly.

Fuel system pressure is now so high that the fuel level "head" is insignificant. The pump works no "harder" with a near-empty tank than a full one.

The "stir up the debris that has settled" argument also comes up now and then. A half-full tank is just as agitated as a near-empty tank and the pump is equipped with an effective fuel filter that screens out junk. Buy dirty gas and you'll get a clogged filter regardless of the tank state.

I take the level down to the low fuel light every time and I haven't had a pump failure in any of my cars either.

 

The fuel is a coolant for the pump. Running below 1/4 tank can ruin it. Period.

 

Read my post or better, disassemble a pump yourself. You'll learn that the pump is cooled by the fuel that passes through it, not by the fuel around it.

Honestly, do you really believe that competent engineers would design fuel systems that damage themselves in normal driving mode?

"Common wisdom" is not common. Period.

 

Partially cooled by the gas going through it. It is supposed to be submerged in the gas to maximize the cooling. So sayeth my auto tech training at college. And the sponsoring dealers who help pay for the school.

 

If it's supposed to be submerged, then wouldn't they recess it so that it would always be in the low point of the tank? Seems silly to engineer it that you could only use 3/4 of the gas tank without damaging the component. Not an engineer myself, but maybe the same guy who put the toaster setting that burns toast designs gas tanks...?

 

Sorry, but I'm not a trade school instructor. I'm an engineer, and there is no way that any engineer would intentionally design a system with a failure mode that could be caused by normal operation. No manufacturer would stand for it, particularly one like Honda whose reputation is chiefly based on reliability.

Note that the people who spread this scare story never talk about a specific manufacturer. Nope, they warn that *every* in-tank pump is susceptible to this malady. Honestly, does anyone believe that *every* manufacturer is in on the conspiracy?

As for the "dealer said it is so" argument, we all know how dealers are scrupulously honest with their customers concerning warranty claims. Not. If there is a way to convince the customer that they are in the wrong and convert a warranty job to a $$$ customer paid job many dealers will try it.

I challenge anyone to come up with a factory (not dealer, trade school, mechanic friend, or Click and Clack) document that states that it is dangerous to the pump to run the fuel tank below 1/4 full. An owner's manual would be ideal, since that would be something that informs owners about the supposed danger.

 

Not a customer. A tech student who was told that by the techs who work for the dealers who sponsor the schools.

 

I'm neither an engineer nor even remotely handy, but I am a lawyer, and I can't imagine George L is incorrect.

 

If you're trying to cite an authority that's a mighty weak one! A student of the techs who back up the dealers' "it's always your fault" line? Sounds like he is learning the craft of misleading customers so well that even he believes what he's saying!

Here's a pump failure data sheet from a manufacturer of OEM fuel pumps. They mention contamination and electrical continuity, but not a word about fuel level.

http://carterfuelsystems.com/fuelpum...rt/TEC1608.pdf

 

Having just fixed the fuel pump problem on my John Deere diesel riding lawn mower, I can attest to one argument for keeping a full fuel tank, but it is based on how to prevent condensation from forming in the tank, which is particularly fatal to diesel fuel. I also noticed that when I pulled the fuel pump assembly (fuel pump and sender unit), out of the fuel tank, it was covered in rust from top to bottom (it looked like it was covered in barnacles). The actual problem ended up being the filter located on the bottom of the fuel pump, which had become completely clogged (or smothered), in rusty black residue (no doubt caused by moisture in the tank). Once the filter was replaced, the mower started working again.

The mower was built in 1996 (I have only owned it for 7 years), and I am sure it was abused by not adding any additive to combat moisture, so now that I am paying attention to the potential problem, I don't anticipate any further issues (I also keep extra filters on hand now and use the appropriate additives). In the past, I would try and use up the last remaining tank of fuel before winter set in, now I fill the tank and add a fuel stabilizer.

My only recollection of people saying why not to let your fuel tank reach empty, or why it was better to fill the tank when it reached half tank, as I recall (my memory is not what it was when younger), had something to do with the catalytic converter, but for the life of me I can't see how that would be a valid concern. I just remember people saying it was better to not let your fuel tank reach empty on a regular basis, or, that there was some advantage to keeping it above half tank.

 

Aren't modern fuel tanks composite now, limiting rust?

 

What do you mean by 'it defected'?

It broke..then what broke? Just stopped pumping? Sounded louder than normal? Worked but didn't pump enough or pumped too high a pressure?

 

I suspect your right. Even the fuel tank on my 1996 John Deere riding lawn mower is made of a black plastic, but the fuel pump and sender unit assembly, are all metal. Also remember that diesel fuel is just nasty stuff anyway, full of contaminants (including water).

I don't know enough about regular gasoline fuel systems to comment, but I can't imagine condensation being good for any fuel system, diesel or gasoline.

 

Condensation in your gas tank isn't good in general, but I was under the impression that the modern ethanol blend fuels "absorbed" the water and helped to get it through the system safely, as it were.