OP
OP
mark.porthouse
Active Member
Hi Diy_dan,
Yes, Specialist came back with exactly the same fault I initially diagnosed: A fuel pump that was taking too much current. They had managed to open the fuel pump relay (which I hadn't managed to do myself and found a burnt out track (see image). Thing is, when I diagnosed the problem and replaced the pump and relay I thought there was only one pump! Once I learnt that there were two I had lost focus on the original diagnosis and didn't go back to it!
So, I replaced the other pump (the one in front of the axle, under the plastic cover, mounted with the filter and accumulator) and resoldered the burnt out track on the relay and bingo - better than it was before! Previously the car had been slow to fire when cranking, now it fires up quicker - no doubt because fuel pressure builds more quickly with both pumps working well.
So if your car has to crank for say two seconds before firing in the morning, then suspect a worn out fuel pump!
See photo of opened up relay and burnt out track below. You can see the burnt out track because it stands out more than the rest.
I then opened up my other (spare) relay and fixed that too. To open up a relay remember that everything but the bottom side (with the terminals) is simply a cover and that the gubbins just comes out of the bottom. So use a hammer and chisel to break the bond between the bottom surface and the surrounding cover and then slide the gubbins out (on the bottom surface). Really easy. Then glue up with epoxy resin when you reassemble it.
Anyway, I'm relieved to have got that all dealt with now!
Thanks everyone for there help. I hope that these notes are useful to others.
Cheers,
Mark
Yes, Specialist came back with exactly the same fault I initially diagnosed: A fuel pump that was taking too much current. They had managed to open the fuel pump relay (which I hadn't managed to do myself and found a burnt out track (see image). Thing is, when I diagnosed the problem and replaced the pump and relay I thought there was only one pump! Once I learnt that there were two I had lost focus on the original diagnosis and didn't go back to it!
So, I replaced the other pump (the one in front of the axle, under the plastic cover, mounted with the filter and accumulator) and resoldered the burnt out track on the relay and bingo - better than it was before! Previously the car had been slow to fire when cranking, now it fires up quicker - no doubt because fuel pressure builds more quickly with both pumps working well.
So if your car has to crank for say two seconds before firing in the morning, then suspect a worn out fuel pump!
See photo of opened up relay and burnt out track below. You can see the burnt out track because it stands out more than the rest.
I then opened up my other (spare) relay and fixed that too. To open up a relay remember that everything but the bottom side (with the terminals) is simply a cover and that the gubbins just comes out of the bottom. So use a hammer and chisel to break the bond between the bottom surface and the surrounding cover and then slide the gubbins out (on the bottom surface). Really easy. Then glue up with epoxy resin when you reassemble it.
Anyway, I'm relieved to have got that all dealt with now!
Thanks everyone for there help. I hope that these notes are useful to others.
Cheers,
Mark
Always good to get a new person's viewpoint on a problem from someone who hasn't the "mental baggage of confusion " of lots of previous repair attempts. You can end up going round in circles. 
Good to know about the alternative 2nd pump arrangement on the w124 estate also. Might well help out some folks in the future.
