Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Maintenance Fuel Pump Issues? Try this first!!

I had the classic fuel pump related starvation issues discussed here in quite some detail: car dying, bucking, stalling at half tank of gas or below, especially under hard acceleration.

Reading all the howtos and seeing the pics convinced me that sock/filter crud buildup, and not pump failure, was the root cause, so I tried the following procedure:

Use 3 bottles of Berryman's B-12 cleaner (the one in the metal container with the white screw lid, marked for use in the fuel tank or in the crankcase for sludge removal before an oil change), one of every other tank of gas (filled between 1/2 to 1/3 mark). You have to use a funnel to put this stuff in, since it comes in a widemouth metal container with no neck or spout. Why this B-12 container or not the long-neck one? Because this one has a longer list of solvents listed!

Anyway, I did the 3-bottle routine because I noticed an improvement after the first can (fuel ran down to 1/3 before stalling issues, rather than right around 1/2 mark). After 3 treatments, I've run to under 1/4 tank (I almost never wait that long to fill up, so that works for me), with no stalling issues.

My personal theory is that the B-12 broke down and dissolved the crud in the sock and/or screen. Worth a try, since the total cost is less than $6 at Wally World, and you don't have to cut up your 'tour.

YMMV, as always.

what about all that stuff just going down the fuel system now?

would be interesting to cut your fuel filter open and see if it got anything or not

but I might try that, thanks

Figure it is mostly dissolved and getting burnt off thru the exhaust.

If there is a "chunk", which I seriously doubt, then I figure my upstream fuel filter caught it. I did replace my fuel filter about a month after the 3-can treatment, but that was just a 60k thing.

This B-12 stuff is supposed to dissolve varnish and sludge, so my theory is that the crud in the screen and sock dissolved, and I'm sticking with it

Tis is probably a temporary fix as the crap may have been dislodged for now but will possibly reaccumulate on the screen again.

The B-12 in the pourable long-neck bottle or the one in the stubby container labeled for use in the gas tank and the crankcase (for a flush before an oil change)? A scan of the constituents revealed the latter to be more toxic , with a significantly different list of ingredients. I've used the pourable fuel-system cleaner many times too, but now use Techron at every oil change.

If the B-12 did dislodge / breakup the crud as theorized here, I expect some of it to have gotten dissolved in the various solvents., esp after 3 back-to-back treatments.

At any rate, it seems foolish to spend $100 and cut up your 'tour before you spend $6 to try this fix. I'm stall-free for 2k miles and loving it..

The fact is, NO one knows if this is temporary or permanent. As Stazi said, it may be temporary, or as I think, it may last for several K miles, which in my book is pretty permanent, or atleast comparable to how long it took for this problem to crop up in the first place. Strong opinions and facts are two entirely different things.

For folks who love fiddling with their cars, replacing the pump is an agreeable indulgence.. for folks who seek an easier solution first, this may well work.