Hi

My car stopped running with my wife in the drivers seat.
She explained it was running rough, lost power and finally stopped and refused to restart.

I can make it run for a few seconds, if I pour some fuel in the throttle housing. It sounds fine, so ignition seems OK.

I tried to relieve the fuel pressure using the schräder valve: No pressure.

Fuel pump is now out, and it does not run when I supply 12V to it, so I guess the diagnosis is clear: Dead pump.

Next is then: How to repair it ? I can see the pump/sender unit is sold complete for a small fortune except from this one on Ebay. Will it fit, it looks the same ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELECTRIC-FUEL-PUMP-FIAT-PANDA-169-1-1-1-2-1-2-4X4-1-2-BI-POWER-/151021924945?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item23299bb251

There are also seperate pumps avaiable, but can it be replaced w/o breaking the plastic parts ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Panda-169-1-1-1-2-fuel-pump-repair-kit-NEW-/261166137290?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3cceb6ffca

I will try to contact scrapyards tomorrow, but there are not one nearby.

I broke the large plastic retaining 'nut' when trying to loosen it. I guess I should make a tool to fit it to tigthen the new one

I guess these pumps never break, since there are no replies... ?

I have now found out what the price is from Fiat: around 300 GBP for pump, retainer and o-ring.
I can find it slightly cheaper from alternative sources, but then: Is it the same or a cheap copy...
I have some contacts in garages, they are investigating what discount they can get on a pump,
I have found 1 (one) pump at a scrapyard in Copenhagen = far away = no real option.
The cheap pump on Ebay is surely not original, but it is properly cheap, but will not arrive until 4-10 days from now...

I will continue thinking...

Hi LEO,

wrong time of day for a quick reply on here,

I've ssen this before in the GUIDES;

https://www.fiatforum.com/punto-guides/315620-fuel-pump-assembly-replacement-punto-1-1-spi.html


I don't know if it helps,
Charlie

Nice link, thanks

It is not all the same in the Panda, but pretty close. Haynes explains it well.

I did not use any lubricant when trying to loosen the retaining nut, and it unfortunately broke quite easily.
A new one is not that expensive: 10-12 GBP

Seal is different, here it is a green o-ring, and Haynes tells me to change it. I will do it as I like the fuel to stay inside the tank. It is more expensive than the retainer...

I have now ordered a new pump for 185 GBP and new retainer nut + o-ring for 35 GBP. Cheaper than the initial 300, but still expensive...

Fuel Pump assembly, it's killing me !!!!

Hi

I have now new pump, new retaining nut and new seal.

The seal is not selfexplaining as there is no groove for it above or below the pump flange.
Diameterwise the old one fits well inside the retaining nut, and that is also the correct location according to my eLearn Fiat manual.

The Fiat dealer, I bought the retainer from told me that I should start out with test assembly to see if I could get the nut on the tank, as both parts expand due to fuel contact. He told me, that they always puts the nut back on ASAP and that they often change the complete tank due to that problem...

OK, I tried, and the nut went on. My plastics enginner friend told me to heat up the nut with almost boiling water and lubricate the thread. Now the nut goes on easily.

BUT

When I place the pump, seal and nut and try to screw the nut on I can not get it to engage for a full turn and thereby be secure. I have made a tool to help, but only with 2 'fingers'. Next step will be making 4 fingers as it seems to have in the iLearn manual.

Any advice is very welcome...

Not sure how big the nut is but maybe it's like 3 inches or so - in this case an immersion heater spanner might work.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/plumbing-tools-by-rothenberger-cranked-immersion-spanner-122mm/20266

If you have some half-inch marine plywood you could craft your own spanner with decent jigsaw and steady hand.

It's 6 inches and not hex. More like a enlarged cap on a plastic fuel can with a large hole in the middle.

And there is NO space, i'm working through a 6½ inch hole....

I guess the next step is to take the (of cause almost full... ) fuel tank down and try to spill less than 5 litres of fuel to get access and control the alignment.

The 4 finger tool is far better, but almost impossible to get through the 6½" hole in the body. I can now mount the nut and pump w/o seal. Better, but still not the solution...

Update

Up and running. Old seal is in place and it is tight

I can fix anything

LeoJensen said:

Update

Up and running. Old seal is in place and it is tight

Click to expand...

Well, so I thought. Small, but smelly leak first time I filled it to the brim. Now it was empty again, so I took down the tank (not too easy, but doable), unscrewed the fuel pump and placed the seal correctly, which is on the recess on the tank between fuel pump and tank. That was obvious with the tank out and impossible to see without the tank out.

The car is now filled again and TIGHT

LeoJensen said:

I can fix anything

Click to expand...

I can. Sometimes it just takes more than one try...

I remembered to clean up the area under the plastic cover in right rear wheel compartment. What a dirt trap !!