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By Matthew C. Keegan
Updated: March 20, 2008
Cruising down the highway at 70mph in your ‘98 Bimmer you notice a strange
sound coming from somewhere underneath your car. You proceed down the road a few
more miles before exiting and making the turn into your subdivision. The sound
magically disappears and you dismiss it as something that must have wedged
itself underneath your car and then worked itself free. However, your car engine
buckles, hesitates and then dies as you make the turn into your driveway.
Fortunately, you made it home. Unfortunately, your fuel pump has gone to auto
parts heaven.
Sure, we can dream that your fuel pump died just as you got
home. How convenient. In all likelihood the problem would have surfaced while
you were on a long trip, on a Sunday afternoon, miles from no where. Fuel pump
failures can happen without warning and without any engine codes signaling the
problem. In other words: when it happens you are SOL.
A Job For Weekend Mechanics
Replacing a fuel pump is a job that many weekend mechanics would feel
comfortable with doing provided they are at home and have the right tools on
hand. Still, you will be working with gasoline which will require you to prop
your car up and then drop the gas tank down to replace the pump. I did say that
the fuel pump is located inside of the gas tank, didn’t I? Oh, yeah, one small
matter...you need to have the replacement fuel pump on hand before proceeding
with the work.
At Your Local Parts Store
You can go to a local auto parts store and have your pick of low priced
generic pumps that just may last you a few years. Chances are that once you have
gone to all the trouble of installing the low priced model, you would have
wished you put in a Bosch
fuel pump or given your Bimmer a
BMW fuel pump even
though it would have cost you plenty to buy one, right? Well, not exactly. By
shopping online you can turn up some very good prices provided you select the
name brand fuel pump and that you buy it from a
reputable dealer. Ebay may work
well for buying dolls and trinkets but your automobile parts should come from
someone you can trust.
Once you have the right part on hand you can continue with the job. Follow
your owner’s manual instructions to get the job done and done right. Your Bimmer
will be glad, particularly if you remember to install a new fuel filter with
your fuel pump.
Author Information:
Matt
Keegan is The Article Writer
who writes on a variety of social, human interest, as well as business
related topics.