I think my fuel pump may be dying. I checked the rest of the board, and my symptoms sound consistant. So far, no problem with idle, hot or cold, stalling or anything like that. Today after gettin ghome from work, before shutting down, I heard a loud whine. I traced it down to the high-pressure pump on the frame-rail. I have only had this truck for a few months, and this is definately a "new" noise to me. Is this the first sign of a pump going out (bearings)? What is the average cost for a new one, and what is a good brand to get?

I also seem to have a slight smokim\ng problem. After the truck is warmed up, I get white smoke when I accelerate from a stop or slower speed. I am assuming bad rings, or something along those lines. Oil pressure is still good (50-60 cold, 25-30 warm idle). Any advice is greatly apprieciated.

Kevin
1989 F-150 XLT Lariat Supercab LWB
5.0L EFI w/AOD
Ugly but runs (so far)

 

Are you hearing the fuel pump running after you shut the key off ?

 

No, the only time I hear the pump is with the key in the run position. It seems like it makes the sickly noise after warming up, since I only hear it after driving home, sitting in traffic.

 

Those pumps can make odd noises & not be bad . Heat seems to make them odd noises like you describe . Best test is to get a fuel pressure reading & see if its within specs .

 

I have a 91 F150 XLT Lariat with a 5.0. I have dual tanks. I have only had the truck a few months, but both tanks make a whining noise which I have concluded are the fuel pumps for each tank. The front tank fuel pump actually has a lower pitched noise than the rear, but I do have some problems using the front tank. It runs well when cold, but hesitates and wants to stall when warm and under anything but gradual acceleration. Usually, any ambient temperature below 60 degrees I have no problem. When using the rear tank the truck runs well.

Although I have no real basis for my thoughts other than what I have described above, I am betting I will have to replace both fuel pumps. However, I have decided to wait until one of them becomes totally unusable before doing it.

I'm not sure if I have helped, but that is my story.

 

frame mounted pumps will be noiseier. that's why the engineers put them in the tank. you must have either an aftermarket pump or possibly a factory booster pump. both mine are in the tanks, of which I replaced one at 70k. I think if you get 100k miles out of a pump your're doing good.
About the smoke- white smoke comes from steam which means water is getting into the cyl. check each plug. blue smoke is of course oil and black smoke is too rich fuel mixture.

 

If it's white smoke, it's just water in the system, will burn itself out. Black smoke is running too rich, and if you think you're burning oil you'd see blue smoke.

 

A noisy in-tank pump can mean that it is cavitating (getting some air mixed in with the fuel). I had two noisy pumps until I took the truck (92 F-150, dual tanks) into the dealer for a Ford safety recall that had them replace the check valves under warranty. They sometimes transfer fuel to the other tank instead of all to the engine. After replacing the check valves the pumps are now quiet!!

Check with Ford to see if your truck qualifies. When you take it in for the free upgrade, make sure to say that the one tank fills from the other tank's fuel pump and that it leaks overboard when full, otherwise they may have an excuse to charge you for the "diagnostic fee". Dealers will try to get out of it if you let them. This warranty service applies to trucks up to 12 years old and even over 240,000 kms. Ford will send you the safety letter if it applies to your truck.

Cheers.