Looking for a Mechanic - Terrace BC

My son has broken down in my 2005 in Terrace. Anyone out that way with suggestions for a mechanic? Thornhill? Innovation Autoworks?

Seems like no fuel going to or from engine. Just after filling up...

Lift pump doesn't seem to be working but it is original with a replacement motor four or five years old. It wasn't working when I replaced it and the car ran ok driven normally then.

Even if it worked without a lift pump at some point, I would still suspect that the failed lift pump is the problem.

The tandem pump on the engine can still suck fuel in, but it isn't meant to. Cold temperatures could mean the difference between the tandem pump being able to pull fuel, and not being able to pull fuel. Harder to suck it from the tank when it's cold.

One way to test that is to disconnect the return line at the fuel filter, put the line in a bottle, and crank the engine. If the tandem pump is able to move fuel through the system, it'll come out there.

The return line is the one that goes into the plastic T fitting on the filter. Disconnecting that is risky because the T may break. It's better to disconnect it from the metal line that runs across the front of the engine, but then an additional hose would be required to run the fuel into a container. It's 8mm or 5/16" inside diameter.

Trying to drive around without a lift pump is basically asking to be stranded.

If the lift pump was replaced then it's possible that the tandem pump had been over-stressed prior to that, in which case it could be the tandem pump that's now the culprit?

UhOh said:

If the lift pump was replaced then it's possible that the tandem pump had been over-stressed prior to that, in which case it could be the tandem pump that's now the culprit?

Click to expand...

That's also possible. Running without the lift pump can lead to cavitation at the inlet of the tandem pump. Cavitation is well known to damage pumps by causing erosion.

Ok to close off the original question the car has been (apparently) satisfactorily repaired by Innovation Autoworks. 600 km from the nearest VW dealership the problem was diagnosed in short order and a new lift pump ordered for installation the next day. My fears quickly put to rest by the owner (Dallas) describing the differences between a tan and white lift pump over the phone, with the comment that one of his mechanics owns a TDI.

The problem appears to have been that the original lift pump, on which I had replaced the motor, had died catastrophically sending foreign material into the fuel line. The fuel line between tank and filter was plugged so the tandem pump could not pull fuel from the tank. I will have to look and see if anything in the tank might have been pulled through the pump and if more might be waiting to create another incident. About a week before the failure my son reported a limp mode incident which I discounted as a comment on his driving style, but might have been the lift pump dying.

Nice, good to know they are competent there just in case. I wouldn't have put much faith into the dealership in PG as an alternative.