May 7th
2004
Nothing new on the bus front, but the Jeep was back in need of some
work...
We've been having some problems with the Jeep. It's been
reluctant to start at times and takes quite a bit of cranking to get it
to turn over and keep running. In addition, we'd lost just about
all power in the mid range - making it impossible to pass anyone or even
run in 5th gear and stay above 60 miles per hour. I had noticed a
pretty horrible pump-like sound coming from the area around the gas tank
on one of our last trips, so I assumed that the fuel pump was going out.
Anyway, to make a long story short, with the help of Dean (a retired
auto mechanic that I met while searching for a replacement fuel pump) we
pulled the fuel pump from the gas tank of the Jeep. It turned out
that a hose connected to the fuel pump (inside the gas tank) was
loose. Fuel had been leaking back into the tank instead of getting
pressurized and sent to the injection ports in the engine compartment.
Dean did most of the work pulling and replacing the fuel
filter. He also drove me about 60 miles round trip trying to find
a new pump in case the old one was bad... After having no luck
finding a decent match, we decided to give the old pump another try -
hoping that the loose hose was the cause of the problems... Sure
enough, the Jeep now runs great and starts right up. It was going
to cost me at least $135.00 for the parts. The Chrysler dealership
quoted me $340.00 to replace the fuel pump. It only cost me $50.00
and a lunch to have Dean help me resolve the problem. Can't beat
that. |
