‘Fuel pump crying for help,’ parts expert shares 3 signs to watch out for
When your fuel pump truly dies, it starves your engine for gasoline. And no gasoline means you aren’t going anywhere fast. But before you assume a failing fuel pump will strand you, know there are warning signs. Chris, a parts expert at Beachside Auto Parts, recently shared three clues to a failing fuel pump on TikTok.
- Long crank or hard start
- Your engine stumbles or surges under load
- Whining noise from the tank
“Long crank or hard start”
Why is your car struggling to start? It might be because the fuel pump is no longer strong enough to get enough fuel to the engine to start easily. Chris warns there’s another telltale sign. “A weak pump may not be building pressure fast enough. It might start fine when it’s warm, but cold starts expose it.”
“Your engine stumbles or surges under load”
If your fuel pump is on the way out, it may still be able to feed your engine enough gasoline at idle. But it’s another story when you stamp the gas. “Driving up a hill, hitting the gas hard and the car hesitates or stumbles? That’s a red flag. A failing pump can’t deliver steady pressure under load. Your injectors are getting starved.”
“Whining noise from the tank”
Luckily, a failing fuel pump will often make noise. Sometimes you can even hear it from inside your vehicle. Chris says, “If you hear a high-pitched whine from the back seat or under the car, that’s not normal. It’s your fuel pump crying for help.”
There are actually two reasons your fuel pump may be whining. “The bearings are shot or it’s cavitating because it’s running dry.” MotorBiscuit has reached out to @ChrisFromBeachside on TikTok for comment.
As I’ve written before, you can often amplify a sound that your car is making by driving parallel to a tall wall with your windows rolled down. You may be able to find a wall in an underpass or around the back side of a shopping mall. Try driving in both directions to narrow down on where the sound comes from, or have a friend drive by while you listen. You can read more about the three types of sounds a broken car makes. Or see Chris’ video for yourself, embedded below:
