Anyone with Fuel Pump Problems? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

M5_in_MD · 11th July 2003, 02:43

Folks,
I've had two major strandings with my beast in the last 6 weeks, a very unpleasent experience for a "new" car, and I need to see if anyone has a similar experience with the failure mode.

The week before Memorial Day, I drive the beast from work down to Woodbridge Virginia to a customer meeting with my boss along. It's his first ride with me & the beast - he's oohing and aahing about it (his car is a Camry), when I loose power completely, coast to the side of the road on I-95, get it restarted, go 100 yds, and then die completely. Luckily, I get a co-worker traveling to the same meeting to pull over, pick up my boss, and send them on to the meeting. I call roadside assistance and pack the sick puppy off to the dealer. Except for my expert damage control, not a very fricking impressive show.

Dealer diagnosed the failure as the fuel pump relay, fixed it, and I'm on my way the next day.

Then Tuesday of this week, I returning from another meeting in Washington DC, and the same thing happens. Luckily I'm alone so I don't embarrass myself venting my disgust at this. I call roadside assistance again, get the car trucked to the dealer, where they diagnose the failure as the fuel pump.

My question is this - has anybody had similar failures? Could the two be related? In my experience (12 different vehicles) fuel pumps do eventually give out, but generally long after water pumps, alternators and such, unless you constantly suck grunge throught it by keeping the gas tank near empty. And relays??? I've never had an automotive relay of any sort fail, except on my God-forsaken 74 Fiat Spyder, where I learned more about auto repair than I ever want to mention. Everything failed on that junkheap.

At least both are covered by the warranty, but cripes, I've never had a car with less than 50K miles strand me twice like this.

I did do a search on the board's posts to find out the group's experience, but didn't see any.

Thanks in advance

Chris Foote · 11th July 2003, 03:09

In the 4 years I've been here, this is the first time I remember hearing about a fuel pump failure. I'm sorry to hear that -- that's obviously not a good part to go bad!

-Chris

kwalls · 11th July 2003, 10:38

M5_in_MD
In the past 5 years of E39 ownership, I have not had a problem with fuel pump or fuel relays. However, I did experience a similiar problem with a another model of BMW. It too left me stranded a few times, the dealer could never duplicate the problem and this was before OBII fault codes. The dealer finally found the problem when it left them stranded during a test drive. It was determined to be the fuel pump relay.

You mention that the first failure was a relay and the road side check was fuel pump. Assuming your dealer did change the relay I don't think you have found a second bad relay. It is possible that the pump has a problem which could cause the relay to interup power and the pump was the problem the first time. Seems it would be an item covered by warranty so I would have them change the pump.
Ken

Wilkie · 11th July 2003, 18:43

My '95 740i's fuel pump went out a couple of years ago, at about 90,000 miles. That's the only fuel pump problem, I've known about with respect to about 20 BMWs my family and friends have had for over 25 years.

Wilkie