DigitalScar
Recruit
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2012
- Messages
- 2
Over the past few weekends my Volvo Penta 5.7 GXI would run like a champ for 20-30 minutes. Then the fuel pump would start to make a high-pitched screeching noise. Shortly thereafter, the engine would sound like it ran out of gas and stall. After letting the engine cool down, it would start right up, run great for 20-30 minutes more, and the problem would repeat. We attached a fuel pressure gauge and when the screeching noise started, the pressure dropped like a rock. We removed the fuel pump and connected air pressure to the water inlet. Totally blocked. We increased air pressure and out blew black chunks of the impeller that disintegrated last month! Seems to have fixed the problem, as it now runs great for extended periods with no noise. Our theory is that without water flow cooling the fuel pump, it was heating up and vaporizing the fuel, causing vapor lock. Here?s my question: do I need to worry about damage the fuel pump might have sustained by running hot? Being a fuel pump, there are obviously seals and gaskets inside that could be affected. Can I get a rebuild kit? A new fuel pump is over $600, so I can?t justify replacing it just for ?good measure? (like I?m now going to do with the impeller every year!).