You’re driving down the road and press on the gas, the car seems to want to go but just doesn’t seem to be developing the power you have come to expect. Or, even worse, you get up one morning to go to work and your car doesn’t start. The engine turns over and over but just won’t cough even once. There can be many causes for these types of problems but one common cause is that the engine just isn’t getting enough, or even any, fuel. Fuel delivery problems can be as simple as a clogged fuel filter. Or, it could be that your fuel pump has failed. The only way to tell for sure is to do some testing and determine where the issue is. Troubleshooting and replacing your electric fuel pump can range from very easy to quite difficult and time consuming, depending on where the pump is located. One some vehicles an inline fuel pump is attached to the frame or is in the engine compartment. In this instance it is almost as easy as changing the fuel filter or the oil. On many vehicles, however, the fuel pump is inside the fuel tank; in this case replacement can be more difficult. One of the best tools you can have for figuring out what is wrong with your fuel system, and how difficult it will be to do the job, is a service manual for your specific vehicle. If you’re car isn’t an uncommon model most auto parts stores will stock manuals. The two most common publishers in the US for the do-it-yourself market are Chilton’s and Haynes. Each have their advantages and disadvantages, and different titles from each may or may not include things like full electrical diagrams, but either is generally adequate for most DIY tasks. The first step in troubleshooting fuel delivery problems is to see if you’re getting any fuel to the fuel filter. To help avoid sparks lighting any spilled gasoline on fire you should remove the negative battery cable. After you’ve done that you can locate the fuel filter and remove the inlet line. You should have a rag and/or container to catch any spilled fuel as the fuel system may be pressurized. When you’ve disconnected the inlet line and cleaned up any spilled fuel, place the fuel line you’ve disconnected into a container and reconnect the battery cable. Next you, or ideally an assistant, should turn on the ignition switch which would energize the fuel pump. If no fuel comes out of the line it is fairly obvious that there is a problem with the fuel pump system. But, don’t rush to replacement just yet. There are some more checks to do. If fuel does come out of the line you should check the pressure and compare that to the specifications in your service manual. You’ll need a pressure tester to do this. You might be able to borrow this, and other tools you don’t have, at your auto parts store by leaving a deposit for its return. The manual also might include flow rates, the amount of fuel that is supposed to be pumped in a certain amount of time. If you have this information let the fuel flow into a container while watching the time it’s running and turn the ignition off. Measure the amount of fuel that was pumped into your container and compare that to the flow rate specification. If the pressure is significantly lower than it is supposed to be, or the flow rate is very low, it’s quite obvious that the pump is working, just not well enough. At this point you are pretty well stuck with replacing your fuel pump. Go ahead and reconnect the line to the fuel filter at this time. If the pump is working fine but you’re still not getting fuel to the engine the problem is somewhere else. It is most likely the fuel filter. Fuel filters are inexpensive and should be replaced regularly anyway. Change that and see what happens. If that doesn’t take care of the problem you will need to do additional troubleshooting but you can be reasonably assured that you won’t need to replace the fuel pump if you’ve done the proper troubleshooting up to this point. If the pump isn’t working at all you may have an electrical problem to the fuel pump, not a problem with the fuel pump itself. You will want to find the fuel pump and the wire that powers it. Using a test light or an electrical meter check to see if power is getting to the fuel pump when you turn the ignition on. If there is no power the problem isn’t the fuel pump but an electrical problem leading to the fuel pump. This problem could be a failed relay or fuse or a loose wire somewhere. At this point you would use standard electrical troubleshooting techniques to track down the issue. Once you’ve tracked down the problem, you’re ready to begin the repairs. 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