Torn Mind has an interesting thread about fuel injectors and O-rings -- pertaining to fuel delivery in his Toyota.
Here, I offer the amateur hindsight of an OCD SUV owner about expert opinions and subtle deterioration effects.
I must have noted it in prior threads and posts about my old 95 Trooper. The "fuel-tank-empty" idiot light had been malfunctioning since 2019. The idiot-light is fed by a fuel-tank sensor which is included in the same part that drives the needle gauge -- which continued to work properly. Therefore, there would be no hurry or necessity of replacing the part. But I was constantly annoyed by the light going off and on when the tank was full. I searched for the part over a couple years. Finally, the Missouri Isuzu Parts Depot found a new unit in original Isuzu carton at a warehouse in Japan. I would wait three months; the part would cost me $135. I ordered it. It arrived a year ago. My service advisor estimated the cost of labor to be about $450.
Around 2009, I had noticed what seemed to be a sticky valve lifter causing noise at engine idle. The noise would disappear at higher RPMs. I treated the car with Marvel Mystery Oil to remove deposits in the oil journals, and it markedly improved engine running. The noise would almost disappear just as the car reached operating temperature.
Most recently, I THOUGHT I noticed hard starting occasionally. I had grown used to just twisting the key without hitting the accelerator pedal, and and the engine would start right up. Keep in mind that I have the imagination of an OCD old vehicle owner, and I must constantly keep a check on myself. But I checked the factory manual for the location of the fuel-pump, and its replacement required the same gas-tank removal as needed to gain access to the fuel sensor. So I told my repair shop advisor to replace the fuel pump at the same time. Generally, a Denso fuel pump for my vehicle costs about $90 to $150.
I have had input and advice from various sources. My cousin -- a car mechanic for half his working life -- mentioned the possibility of pump failure. And he told me "when it fails, you will know it." Online advice suggests that fuel pumps have an average lifespan or expectancy of about 100,000 miles. I had just turned over 200,000 on my old Trooper. But advice suggested to me that fuel pump failure was a binary situation. It either worked, or it failed.
Nobody at the repair shop could offer me any more insight than that. However, if you drive a car over 100,000 miles, you can be sensitive to changes in its operation, aside from having an OCD imagination. And suddenly, the Trooper starts up and runs with total silence. It is an amazing difference from last week.
I'm thinking I might have swapped out the fuel-pump when I bought the vehicle with 95,000 on the odometer, or within a few years and an additional 30,000 miles.
Any comments about this?
Here, I offer the amateur hindsight of an OCD SUV owner about expert opinions and subtle deterioration effects.
I must have noted it in prior threads and posts about my old 95 Trooper. The "fuel-tank-empty" idiot light had been malfunctioning since 2019. The idiot-light is fed by a fuel-tank sensor which is included in the same part that drives the needle gauge -- which continued to work properly. Therefore, there would be no hurry or necessity of replacing the part. But I was constantly annoyed by the light going off and on when the tank was full. I searched for the part over a couple years. Finally, the Missouri Isuzu Parts Depot found a new unit in original Isuzu carton at a warehouse in Japan. I would wait three months; the part would cost me $135. I ordered it. It arrived a year ago. My service advisor estimated the cost of labor to be about $450.
Around 2009, I had noticed what seemed to be a sticky valve lifter causing noise at engine idle. The noise would disappear at higher RPMs. I treated the car with Marvel Mystery Oil to remove deposits in the oil journals, and it markedly improved engine running. The noise would almost disappear just as the car reached operating temperature.
Most recently, I THOUGHT I noticed hard starting occasionally. I had grown used to just twisting the key without hitting the accelerator pedal, and and the engine would start right up. Keep in mind that I have the imagination of an OCD old vehicle owner, and I must constantly keep a check on myself. But I checked the factory manual for the location of the fuel-pump, and its replacement required the same gas-tank removal as needed to gain access to the fuel sensor. So I told my repair shop advisor to replace the fuel pump at the same time. Generally, a Denso fuel pump for my vehicle costs about $90 to $150.
I have had input and advice from various sources. My cousin -- a car mechanic for half his working life -- mentioned the possibility of pump failure. And he told me "when it fails, you will know it." Online advice suggests that fuel pumps have an average lifespan or expectancy of about 100,000 miles. I had just turned over 200,000 on my old Trooper. But advice suggested to me that fuel pump failure was a binary situation. It either worked, or it failed.
Nobody at the repair shop could offer me any more insight than that. However, if you drive a car over 100,000 miles, you can be sensitive to changes in its operation, aside from having an OCD imagination. And suddenly, the Trooper starts up and runs with total silence. It is an amazing difference from last week.
I'm thinking I might have swapped out the fuel-pump when I bought the vehicle with 95,000 on the odometer, or within a few years and an additional 30,000 miles.
Any comments about this?