Fuel pump fuse keeps blowing...

[Insan3Vr6]

Every once in awhile my fuel pump fuse (20amp) will blow and cause my car (vr6) to stall out. Has happened a total of four times so far. Three after I put my car in reverse and started to move and once when I just pulled in my driveway. When I replace the fuse the car starts up no problem. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary and it doesn't ALWAYS happen when I go in reverse, only sometimes.

Not sure where to go from here because I don't want it to happen on the road.

[Insan3Vr6]

Any idea's? I don't even know how to test it since I can't force it to happen.

[Insan3Vr6]

Happened again today when I got to work...threw the car in reverse, started to go backwards. and then a nice stall. Changed the fuse at 1 in the morning to get home.

[Insan3Vr6]

Well since apparently this hasn't happened to anyone and I have NO IDEA why it keeps happening, I ran out of 20amp fuses and replaced it with a 25amp. So far it hasn't blown.

Fingers crossed..

[Insan3Vr6]

Well so much for that. Got to work again today, went to back in the parking spot...aaand it died. I tried over and over to repeat exactly what I did and I can't.

Sometimes I feel like it's about to stall and the dash starts to dim/flicker, but it never stalls.

Seems like I'm talking to myself here but I'm not sure where to go from here.

[onizuk4a]

obviously theres a short. best bet is to check for corroded wiring connected to the fuel pump

[VWJETTY]

obviously theres a short. best bet is to check for corroded wiring connected to the fuel pump

yeah. I would start with the back of the fusebox and then move to the pump. Make sure no wires are touching and making sure all the grounds are nicely ground.

I've had something similiar happen to me in my mk2 and it ended up being the entire fusebox being corroded. Replaced the entire unit and it worked just fine

[Der_Wagen]

As crazy as it sounds, this exact thing was happening to me in my last car. (98 gti vr6)
Somewhere I remember reading in a bently manual or in the vr6 section
the O2 sensor is on the same circuit as the fuel pump,
and it was causing it to blow constantly. I'm pretty sure it was the upstream O2 (closest to the manifold/headers) and after I replaced it, the problem stopped.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but just throwing the idea out there,
and it couldn't hurt to check and see
if your O2's are working properly?

[Insan3Vr6]

I replaced both 02 sensors back in October, and if they weren't working properly then wouldn't I have a CEL?

So I guess I have to pull the fuse box and trace the wires from the fuel pump relay all the way back to the fuel pump? Wow this sounds fun. Could it be possible that the relay is bad?

Thanks for the help guys.

[Insan3Vr6]

Well I discovered something else today. It does not matter what gear I'm in. It only happens when I turn the wheel all the way in one direction and start moving. I thought it was my reverse gear but I realized that I always turn the wheel almost all the way when I move in reverse (to back in to a parking spot or something).

So why the F would me turning the steering wheel cause my fuel pump fuse to blow?

This car makes me

[Sallad]

obviously theres a short.

Obviously there IS NOT a short. As a short would cause the fuse to blow the instant the circuit was powered up.

It sounds like the pump is either getting gummed up (internal vanes) or bearing/bushing failure and causing an extra current draw because of the extra load on the motor. This over current will cause a fuse to blow. A short is instant.

Or some of the windings in the motor can be burned out, and this will also cause the motor to draw more current than normal. Thereby causing an over current and blowing a fuse.

[Insan3Vr6]

So what does that mean for me? Do I have to replace the fuel pump? Expensive

[Sallad]

You could try taking it off and try cleaning it.

Or put a meter on the leads and meter out the pump, I'm pretty sure there is a ohm value for the pump. (Bentley may have it)

[Insan3Vr6]

It sounds like the pump is either getting gummed up (internal vanes) or bearing/bushing failure and causing an extra current draw because of the extra load on the motor. This over current will cause a fuse to blow. A short is instant.

Are you talking about the the fuel pump motor, or the engine? Even if I took it out and tested it, wouldn't it work just fine since once I change the fuse I have no problems? It blows when I turn the wheel all the way in one direction, which makes me think power steering is drawing from the motor and in turn killing my fuel pump...which means I would need a new fuel pump.

I could be talking out of my a$$ I appreciate the help.

[germancarnut51]

Sounds to me like an intermittent short. You say it only happens when you turn the wheels all the way one way? Then start checking the wiring. Obviously when you turn the steering wheel, something is making contact that shouldn't. Somewhere on the car, the insulation on the wires that feed the fuel pump (or something else on the same circuit) has worn through from rubbing, and makes contact with the chassis or a ground wire in the wiring harness, WHEN THE WHEELS ARE TURNED ALL THE WAY ONE WAY.

My guess is that the problem is under the hood somewhere. Is your car dumped? Dropping a car causing more problems for the owners than anything else I can think of.

[Insan3Vr6]

s your car dumped?

Hardly. Car is stock height for now. Working out all the issues before I drop it.

[Sallad]

Very strange, because there are no fuel pump wires in the engine bay. They go from the fuse panel back.

I put a meter on the fuel pump wires, and see whats happening with the voltage.

[germancarnut51]

I was curious, and I looked in my Bentley Manual wiring diagrams. The O2 sensor heaters get power from the same circuit and fuse as fuel pump.

You may not get a CEL is the O2 sensor heater circuit is open, if the battery has been disconnected, no CEL unless after the Readiness Tests have been completed, and the Readiness Tests cannot be completed without the O2 Sensor Heater Function test completing (which cannot be completed if the O2 sensor heaters are not both working).

[Insan3Vr6]

Yeah I know that the 02 sensor is on the same circuit as the fuel pump. I just went outside and had my cousin help me out.

I started the car, left it in neutral, and turned the wheel all the way both ways. When I turn the wheel all the way to the left nothing happens, when I turn it all the way to the right, the fuse blows and the car stalls.

So it's only when I turn it to the right all the way.

[Sallad]

Wow, that is strange indeed.

I guess keep the wheel at full lock, and look under the car at both sides of the components (tie rods, steering rack, etc. See if you can see any wires getting pinched. Maybe the O2 heater wire is getting pinched in the steering rack?

[Insan3Vr6]

Wow, that is strange indeed.

I guess keep the wheel at full lock, and look under the car at both sides of the components (tie rods, steering rack, etc. See if you can see any wires getting pinched. Maybe the O2 heater wire is getting pinched in the steering rack?

Perfect. I moved the wheel all the way to the right and checked under the hood and didn't see anything touching. Then I had someone turn my wheel back to the left and I saw a bare wire that was being pinched by the rack come out. Not sure where the wire goes to right now but I am sure that is where the problem is coming from. I am going to wait until the car cools down to get it out of the way and prob put some electrical tape on it.

Fingers crossed again

[Insan3Vr6]

Moved the wires out of the way and tried again. No stall.

Sallad, I owe you a

[VR6_notlosin]

This may sound strange i have a 2003 Jetta VR6 24v Supercharged..... same thing has happend to me .. so .. i will check under the car tomorrow!!! But its when i turn all the way left.

[Sallad]

Sallad, I owe you a

I'm still waiting on that beer?!?

Glad to see you got this fixed.

[mAyZa b 3 a t s]

This may sound strange i have a 2003 Jetta VR6 24v Supercharged..... same thing has happend to me .. so .. i will check under the car tomorrow!!! But its when i turn all the way left.

Your wire may be on the left. And it may be wired in a different manner altogether. You drive a MKIV.

[Insan3Vr6]

This may sound strange i have a 2003 Jetta VR6 24v Supercharged..... same thing has happend to me .. so .. i will check under the car tomorrow!!! But its when i turn all the way left.

I saw the pinch under the hood I didn't even have to get under the car. If you see any wires getting pinched or hanging on the steering rack move them out of the way or at least tape anything exposed off. My boots were destroyed on both ends so when the exposed wire hit the exposed rack, off goes the car.

I'm still waiting on that beer?!?

Glad to see you got this fixed.

Sallad I think I owe you a few beers by now.

[joel.gauthier]

thank you so much folks for that. it kept happening to me. i burnt like at least 20 fuses before finding the problem and that was so not where i was looking .. i even changed the fuel pump, looked the whole fuel pump wiring changed my FPR .. i was seriously cluleless

[gasguzziler]

You guys are life savers for me, I was having this same problem on my passat and this thread helped me out. I would of been pulling my hair out trying to figure this out and would of never thought anything about the O2 sensor...

[Insan3Vr6]

You guys are life savers for me, I was having this same problem on my passat and this thread helped me out. I would of been pulling my hair out trying to figure this out and would of never thought anything about the O2 sensor...

I remember when I made this thread

[raverj]

this thread just saved me from a huge headache, thanks!

[Sallad]

Holy helpful thread Batman!

[Insan3Vr6]

Holy helpful thread Batman!

I'm so proud

[Capeman121]

Can maybe somone explain this mor in depth. Where is the wire? I dont know too much about this and im having the same problem. Please help pictures too?

[Insan3Vr6]

Can maybe somone explain this mor in depth. Where is the wire? I dont know too much about this and im having the same problem. Please help pictures too?

Look down behind the motor closer to the passenger side where the rear motor mount is. The 02 sensor wires run down there. Check the wires and make sure none of them are shorting out or being pinched by the steering rack.

[Jersey Dutchman]

helpful thread is right was having this problem for a little bit and blew 2 fuses out today went outside and checked out my bootless rack and there it was the ground wire was completely cut through.