Oh i give up!!!!!!

[jmanzo2012]

I have a 1994 325i, 4 door, I had the car for a week. I was driving to party city last night and my car stalled. Try turning the engine over, but won't start. So I towed it home!! Today took the fuel pump out and applied 12v to the pump and it worked. Was pumping the remaining gas with a lot of pressure. So it's not the pump. I also checked the fuse, and it was fine. I place the pump back on and guess what the car started up. After driving it for 20 minutes, it shut-off and car won't start anymore. There is no CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. Please guys I need your help!

[Found94]

This has happened to me, left me stranded in an intersection. what happens is there is sludge or some sort of sediment in the gas tank. as the car runs and the pump pulls fuel the sediment becomes clogged into the hose or filter that leads out of the tank. after some time (20 mins seems to be your time) the sediment falls off the screen or hose and settles back at the bottom. The next time you drive your car it happens again. sounds like youll need to drop the tank and clean it out.

But wait to see if anyone else has any other ideas. it seems dropping the tank is quite a process

[epmedia]

My '78 fuel pump shuts off when it gets hot from a clogged fuel filter.
Drain your fuel filter into a clean container and see how crap comes out of it?
Robert

[jmanzo2012]

Thanks guys for the quick replies. Really appreciate it. Been working on the car since 7am till 5pm and still shuts off. Tommorrow i'm going to try to remove the fuel filter and test the fuel pump relay, hope that might be the problem. Hopefully I get my car fix, so I can take the kids trick o' treating! LOL.....

[dcskate102]

Check the connections into the fuel pump. I had the same problem and I just cleaned them and sprayed silicon over the contacts.

[6appeal]

Replace fuel filter. If you haven't done it in a while, it almost certainly is a contributor to your problem.

[heifetz17]

I think your fuel pump may be going out. Do your filter first, but if the problem persists, I would concentrate your energies on the pump itself.

Fuel pumps don't fail overnight. They often fail gradually. One of the most common signs of fuel pump failure is when the pump works great when cold, but after driving for a while and the pump gets hot, it quits working.

When your engine stalls and you can no longer restart it, take your pump out then and apply power to see if it works, rather than doing it when the pump is cold.

Also, when it won't restart, try having someone get under the car and tapping the bottom of the gas tank with a rubber mallet (ONLY RUBBER!) while you're cranking the engine. If it starts, that's another sign that your fuel pump is on the way out.

[h2oyo]

I think your fuel pump may be going out. Do your filter first, but if the problem persists, I would concentrate your energies on the pump itself.

Fuel pumps don't fail overnight. They often fail gradually. One of the most common signs of fuel pump failure is when the pump works great when cold, but after driving for a while and the pump gets hot, it quits working.

When your engine stalls and you can no longer restart it, take your pump out then and apply power to see if it works, rather than doing it when the pump is cold.

Also, when it won't restart, try having someone get under the car and tapping the bottom of the gas tank with a rubber mallet (ONLY RUBBER!) while you're cranking the engine. If it starts, that's another sign that your fuel pump is on the way out.

Jesse,
I agree with this post, your fuel pump is probably the issue and when it gets hot (How much fuel is in the tank) it overheats and stops working. In a bit it cools off and works again. I would look at trying a known good pump and see if the problem goes away. They are really proud of the fuel pumps lol. I know on the e34 forum in the DIY site there is a link to what people say is a good pump and its under a 100 bucks.
Johan

[paniolo]

You don't hear of a lot of oem pump failure, even on high mileage e36. If I was trying to save some $ I would go salvage yard oem for $50 over an aftermarket $100 pump. Good yards will give you a 90 day or so warranty and cheap shipping to your door.