Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Symptoms of a bad fuel pump?

Here's an update to my tragic story. Lately (ie: today) the car has been much much worse. It died on me in the middle of a 4-way stop and also at a traffic light. Not to mention it takes a few seconds to start moving when I'm at a complete stop. (I think I upset some people who were following me!)
I took the coil pack back out of the car and did some ohm tests on it. Tested it after the car had been sitting for an hour or two. Then I heated the coil pack in the oven to about 140degrees and then put it in the freezer for 2hrs. I tested it in each scenario and the only time it's within specs is when it's cold / room temperature. The hotter it gets, the more (way more) out of specs it gets.
Now I have to find a place that has one in stock, for a decent price. I think my local Autozone has them for $55, but not sure how long that would last. I can get it from carparts.com for around $79 (motorcraft), same goes for bill jenkins and ford parts online.
I think I'll go get the cheapo one, order a better one, and then return the cheapo one -- granted it fixes my problems. I also have new wires on the way, they will probably be here Saturday or Monday. (9mm Ford Racing)

More updates to come, unless ceg does down before hand!

Tim
'00 SVT

Tim, I believe the Autozone coil pack is a WELLS - that's a fairly decent brand - at Advance we used to sell WELLS ignition parts years ago, before we switched to GP SORENSEN, also a decent brand. I've had more experience selling GP SORENSEN stuff, & only very rarely do we see any come back defective.

(OOPS! Scratch that - see edit below.)

I'm showing the price at our Advance as $70 (overnight item), & Autozone's web site shows $69 for theirs, but different areas have different prices, and Advance price matches anyway.

Also, something to keep in mind - we do not allow electrical components to be returned if mounted/used, as they could be shorted out, & I believe most other parts stores have the same policy. I wouldn't have a problem using the GP SORENSEN, though. (Perhaps someone knows who makes the MOTORCRAFT coil pack & if it is of higher quality?)

Also, if you do have a bad wire or wires, remember that they could damage your new coil pack, so you might want to wait until you get the new wires installed before you replace the coil pack.

Other things to keep in mind - if you do have bad wires and/or coil pack, misfiring could have fouled a plug or plugs, especially since you say it has gotten worse - you might want to check them again when you install the new coil pack & wires. And, bad wires/coil pack could eventually damage the PCM. And a misfire could eventually damage the catalytic converter, due to raw gas.

An endless domino thing, so it's probably a good idea for all of us to remember to take care of a misfire ASAP, & to change plugs & wires at reasonable (way before the recommended) intervals, as preventative maintenance.

(I'm wondering if you may have a hairline crack in your coil pack - made worse by increased temp?)

EDIT: 8/4/02

Sorry, I was thinking of STANDARD brand ignition parts that we used to carry - that is a decent brand, WELLS is not, IMHO. I would definitely go w/the GP SORENSEN from Advance, over the WELLS from Autozone.

FWIW, I have changed the fuel filter numerous times without ever pulling the fuse or removing the cap. After leaving the engine off for a while, I've had the new filter ready to put on, pulled the old one and pushed the tubes back on the new one without delay. Don't think I've ever spilled more than a couple tablespoons of gasoline.

I'm getting sort of the same situation as the original poster is. My car idles horribly. I let it warm up for a few minutes before leaving, as soon as I hit the first stop, the RPM's rise b/w 1000 - 1500 RPM without falling off sometimes. On occasion, the car will hang at whatever RPM I leave it at and continue going without slowing down until I pull it out of gear. Even putting it in neutral, the RPM's stay stuck where I left them last, then after a while creep back down.

I'm also noticing taht when pulling tight u-turns or taking off real hard in 1st / 2nd that the car bucks occasionally and hesitates. Don't know if the problem is related or not. I've cleaned the TB, new air filter, putting a new fuel filter ASAP. Any ideas?