The low fuel light had come on on my truck. I drive into a gas station about 10 miles down the road. As I'm pulling in I turn into a roundabout and as I'm turning she chugs a bits. Then as I get to the gas pump, she chugs even harder, continues and dies. I go to start it up and she will only crank. When I turn the key she will start for about or less than 1 second, then chug and die. Then if I go back to turn it over it will just crank, no initial 1 second of apparent turnover. It's as if it's getting initial fuel pressure then loses it.

I have verified spark at the wires, so I don't think it's a crank sensor. I pulled the air cleaner apart to the throttle body and no obstructions (just to be sure). I have also reset the inertia switch but still the same. is there a trick to this other than just pushing that button? I don't have a fuel pressure gauge but when I remove the cap on the shrader valve on the fuel rail it spits out a good pressure of fuel. Based on all I can figure I have good fuel pressure (without knowing the exact psi). Fuel filter was replaced less than 10,000 miles ago. Can't be bad gas cause it drove it all with no problems.

I think this is fuel related (i.e. pressure regulator?) What do you fellas think?

I live in Colorado Springs, and she is stuck at a gas station in Divide, CO about an hour or so away. I was coming home from a backpacking trip. Please any thoughts would be helpful. Towing it home would be a fortune.

98 D1 86200 miles

 

You should never drive it with that small amount of gas in the tank, you may have over heated the pump, plugged the pump, plugged the fuel filter or passed some crap up into the injectors.

 

If you have a tire pressure gauge, it will work to check fuel pressure. I used mine, which is round dial type, not the slide stick type. Sounds like a fuel/pump issue.

Pressure should be 33-36psi, I've read of trucks running as low as 20 at the rail(although like crap). Just pressing the valve to test pressure, 20psi would give a good squirt of fuel,but may not be enough to run. Not to mention the pressure drop when the injectors start firing during a start cycle.

 

I had only put about 5 miles on it immediately after the low fuel light came on, I don't think that's asking too much. Regardless I think the fuel pump is toast. From what I've researched they fail @ just over roughly 90k miles. I'm going to try and cross reference the fuel pump with a cheaper one, that is available. After sleeping on it, researching and based on what happened, I am pursuing the fuel pump.

Thanks for the tip on the air pressure gauge, I wish I had done that, and even thought about it for a second when I was up there. Going to try to put in a new pump. If it won't work I will just have it towed...

In the meantime keep the thoughts coming, and I will try to do this fuel pump.

Thanks

 

I have a 97 Fuel pump assembly that I replaced on my 97 DI. Mine leaked at the top of the assembly. I bought a new fuel pump assembly from Rovers North for $105.

If you want just the pump itself, mine still works and I'll mail it to you if you want it.

If you have the non-ael version like I did, the fuel pump assembly is reasonable. The AEL version does cost a lot more, but RN has the ProLine ones cheaper than the OE which they also have.

You should be able to hear the pump run if it still works. The low light comes on when you are down to 1 gallon or so it claims. If you ran it dry, you may burned the pump up or the screen element attached to the pump could be clogged.

Let me know if you want my old pump.

 

Thanks Danny, but I'm going to have to get the pump today as my Rover is stuck a the gas station about an hour away and I need to have it out of there today. Going to try the method outlined here: http://www.discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14451

Anyone here have success with this?

I would personally prefer a rovers north pump, but I will give this a shot for around $100. If I am not pleased with the results I will go with a rover north assembly @ $500!!!!!

To be honest with you I could not hear the fuel pump turn on when I turned the key to II. Tried a few times to turn the key then run back and try to hear something but I didn't hear anything. Still had pressure at the rail though it seemed, so i don't get it... Would spray out to about the windshield fluid reservoir. Oh well, will give this a shot.

 

You have a '98 so you have the expensive fuel pump.
Go to AutoZone and buy it, $450 for a Airtex pump, thats what I had to do.

You can rebuild your fuel pump for about $85.

You can also buy off of e-bay but you DO have AEVAP.

All Disco's from mid -'97 on have the advanced evap loss fuel pump.
www.atlanticbritish.com has a link to the VIN# that can tell you if you '97 has it or not.

 

One quick way to tell if fuel pump is running is tp remove the gas cap and see if it still hisses. Of course that will only tell if it is pressurizing, not the actual pressure.

 

If the gas tank is pressurizing then you have a EVAP problem.
There should be no pressure build up inside the fuel tank.

 

Followup:

I went to carquest for the heck of it to see what they have. I have always liked them over Autozone etc. I had originally walked in there hoping to find fuel line capable of being submerged in a fuel tank. I did not. It should be noted that regular injection fuel line cannot be used for the application in the link I provided to discoweb. Only the inside of the line can be subjected to fuel, otherwise it will dissolve/corrode away (as pointed out in the discoweb thread by a poster). They didn't have any of this type, and finding it seemed fruitless. So for the heck of it I asked em for a fuel pump, to my surprise they have a pump only kit for AEL for my year (saw a picture and it looks spot on, down to the sock filter color) for $175. It includes the seal ring and all. I don't feel comfortable rigging a fuel pump, so I had them order it and I will install it possibly as early as Monday evening (coming in Monday morning). I will give this kit a shot and let you know how it works, as I have not read anything on others using this carquest part. Will invest in a fuel gauge as well, another item that every disco owner should have in their kit.

In the meantime I had it towed back home, fortunately for a lot less than I had anticipated.

I think I'm going to be proactive on a few other items that tend to fail near 100k miles. The fuel relay for one. This incident made my weekend (what was otherwise a literal highpoint - climbed a 14er) a nightmare. It's just unfortunate it failed so far from home, but it could have been worse. I will follow up and let you all know how it turns out. At this point I am 99% sure it is fuel related and 90% sure it's the fuel pump.

This figures since I just spent $600 on tires.

Anyway, Thank you all for your input and comments!