Friday, September 23, 2011

Can a bad alternator make a fuel pump go bad?

I recently had to change my fuel pump, but today I went out and the car wouldnt start. It was clicking when it tried to turn it over. I jumped started it with another car and its ran fine. I am thinking the alternator might be the issue, but I lack in the mechanical department. Any ideas?
Can a bad alternator make a fuel pump go bad?
I dont believe a poor alternator will damage a fuel pump. But in many vehicles there is a safety system built into the computer which thinks that if the motor is not turning then the fuel pump should not be pumping, it uses the alternator as a sensor as to whetehr the motor is turning. (Basically this turns off the fuel pump in an accident) So if your altenator is shot the the fuel pump may not activate. Also on many vehicles the fuel pump circuit required a set voltage to activate the fuel pump( on some Fords EECIV systems for eg if you get below 9.2 volts during cranking the pump wont turn on but motor seems to be cranking fine)

Yep a bad alternator will stop a pump from workning but wont damage it.
Can a bad alternator make a fuel pump go bad?
no the alt. wont make the fuel pump go but the fuel pump could play a part in the alt. going bad the pump failing will work the alt. harder and cause it to fail it is easy to check all you need to do is with the car running take the positive battery cable off if the car dies out the alt. is bad also with the car running put a screw driver to the back of the alt. on the round shaft if it fees like a magnet it is good looks like a ASE certified tech would say that insread of just no we are here to help not just get points
no
not likely. sounds like unrelated issues. have battery and alternator tested.
No a bad alternator will not make a fuel pump go bad. Chances are very good that the battery will not hold a charge. If you have a VOM check the battery when the engine is off. About 12.4 Volts is minimum. About 14 to 16 would be about right it the engine is running.
Possibly your alternator is bad. Also it could be just a dead cell in the battery, especially if the battery is a bit old. The alternator will not make the fuel pump go out though. If you have a Auto Zone, O'Reilly's or any other major auto parts chain bring it by there and they will usually check your battery and alternator for free right on site. Also check your wires from battery to alternator. On my Bronco, I had a wire broken and was not letting alternator recharge my battery. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Simply,No.
Not likely. Low or no voltage to the fuel pump would have no effect on it, except it wouldn't run with no volts. Got a volt meter? Start the vehicle and put the volt meter across the battery terminals. If it read at near 14 volts, alternator is okay.



Read the battery voltage with the engine turned off. it it's below 11 volts, replace the battery.
First of all, have the battery checked, sometimes they don't even last for a week, I'm serious. If you heard clicks, it's definitely your battery, they will check your charging system when you have the battery checked. If you need to take the battery out, (to replace with a new one) take off the ground terminal first and don't let it touch anything as you take off the positive terminal. A bad alternator couldn't possibly affect your fuel pump, just a coincidence. I would suggest a dry battery, like the Optima. A little more money, but worth it. If not just get one at Pep Boys, or any auto parts store, even k-mart or Wal-mart. Good luck

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