feulpump prob.

Ok, heres the deal... I have a 2000 metro with a cold start prob. my mother inlaw takes car to "her" mechanic. He tested all sensors (he says), and says the feul pump is the problem. I wonder about this since the car runs fine after it warms up. Cold, the car is hard to start and will fall on its face when giving it gas.But, after its warmed up, it drives fine. Also, I was wondering the average price for a feul pump for this car because he has quoted a very high price. So could the feul pump even be an issue of these symptoms ?

Ok, heres the deal... I have a 2000 metro with a cold start prob. my mother inlaw takes car to "her" mechanic. He tested all sensors (he says), and says the feul pump is the problem. I wonder about this since the car runs fine after it warms up. Cold, the car is hard to start and will fall on its face when giving it gas.But, after its warmed up, it drives fine. Also, I was wondering the average price for a feul pump for this car because he has quoted a very high price. So could the feul pump even be an issue of these symptoms ?

Call Schucks and/or NAPA and ask them what they'd charge you.

Or go to Schucks' web site:
http://www.partsamerica.com/Default.aspx

or NAPA's web site:
http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=0

or even these guys:
http://www.autoparts-autoparts.com/geo/

I always do that when a shop has my car.
You will find that they add maybe 20% to the price and tell you they
have to pay more for it than you do - and if YOU buy the part, then
they won't guarantee the job!
Such B*llsh*t - I bet they pay wholesale!

Nice, huh? Not just the labor but also profit on the parts plus a lie!

I bought a Fuel Pump (F U E L) from Schucks for $189 plus a 'screen'
that filters the gas just before it goes into the pump for $22.
BUT - that was for a 1993 vehicle. Don't know about 2,000 vehicles.

Two views below plus more gabbing...

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/6278/fpd5le.jpg

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/7858/fpc7ed.jpg

There are other threads on this Forum that discuss Fuel Pump
problems - check them out. A fellow whose Posts are "DieInterim"
has commented on his Fuel Pump problem(s). He is a fountain of
information - and a nice person, also.....

Apparently, if your vehicle is over 100,000 miles, you might expect
the fuel pump to give you problems. Try the tests that DieInterim
has told me about - measure the fuel pressure while driving.

I believe the Fuel Pump has BRUSHES. If you have ever messed with
DC motors - drills, small pumps, fans etc that are DC (Direct Current)
- you will see how they 'eat brushes' - the brushes wear out.

My Metro has the pump inside the bloody tank, so now in addition
to the $210 for the pump and screen, I'll have to pay $140 (+tax) to
get it installed. Screw installing it myself...... THAT would be $140
well spent! I 'ain't built for that kind of work.

DoctorBill

i get the pumps wholesale, last one i installed in a metro i charged $180 for the job. think the pumps cost me about 125

i get the pumps wholesale, last one i installed in a metro i charged $180 for the job. think the pumps cost me about 125

So you charged $180 for labor or $125 for the pump and $55 for labor
with the total cost of $180? or $305.....as his total cost?

My total cost will be $220 parts + $152 labor = $372
Not too bad.

However, because I bought the pump instead of them,
they won't guarantee anything...... Nice......
Martin's Automotive here in Spokane, WA.

They actually have the lowest labor charges around here.

Someday I am going to dig a mechanics 'pit' in my driveway, brick
up the sides and be able to work on a car like a human being...

DoctorBill

Ok, heres the deal... I have a 2000 metro with a cold start prob. my mother inlaw takes car to "her" mechanic. He tested all sensors (he says), and says the feul pump is the problem. I wonder about this since the car runs fine after it warms up. Cold, the car is hard to start and will fall on its face when giving it gas.But, after its warmed up, it drives fine. Also, I was wondering the average price for a feul pump for this car because he has quoted a very high price. So could the feul pump even be an issue of these symptoms ?
How much do you mean by very high?

Check your fuel pressure.

Check your ECT sensor.

total cost $180 including a new pump i provide and labor to replace it

total cost $180 including a new pump i provide and labor to replace it stop before you spend any money I just fixed mine today.the car kind of chokes when cold and as soos as you get to operating temp works fineright,ok here was my case,mine is 91 but on yours you may have cold starting valve,the valve or relay might be bad if not ,then you may have my problem.open the cap on your igntion,takethe rotor out and the dust cap if you have under that you have your magnetic pick up,there are two wires on mine is whit amd red try to separte the and see if the isulation on wires are cut or patialy missing ,that cause the arc inside the ignition if that is the problem take the whole assembly out which you need 12 mm socket and take two bolt out ,try to cover the wire with either electric tape,or liquid kind.or even high temp rtvwait over night till it completly dries put backon and you are ready togo,btw you have to take the magnetic pick up apart,don,t be afraid there are two screw on out side of housing and two uderneath the pickup but if you do that you have set the gapwhich in my casr was .009" to .015 " you can find the gap on your tune up part of your manual and that can be your problem,they twist the wires at factory and during years it keep rubbing to the ign housing from inside,HOPE that was your prblem with cheap fix,good luck and let us know when you fix the problem

total cost $180 including a new pump i provide and labor to replace it

Too bad Bellingham is so far from Spokane! I'd let you replace my FP.

I gather from your posting that it may not be that big a deal to
take the tank off of a Geo Metro.... No?

If my FP proves bad, I would entertain the thought of replacing it myself
although I don't have a lift which is probably a necessity.

Working on a car flat on your back with no elbow room and crap falling
in your eyes (especially gasoline) is about the worst thing one can do -
except maybe being beaten by 10 angry Liberal Women Feminist PETA
members because you eat Beef Jerkie and drink beer while watching
auto racing when Ophra Winfrey is on TV.

DoctorBill

well i have a car lift that lits the car 6' in the air, makes a big difference. if you want to pull the tank yourself you will need to syphon as much gas out of the tank as you can. remove the bottom of the rear seat and unplug the wires going to tank. remove the gas filler hose and the 3 or 4 smaller hoses at the front of the tank. depending on exhaust you can unbolt hangers to give you enough clearance or may have to unbolt rear section. there are 4 or 5 outer rim bolts that hold the tank in place. once those are out tank will come out. if you can't get most of the gas out you can syphon it out easier once you pull filler tube off. on the one i replaced last it was the pump, not the wires. it was making some pretty loud noises

Too bad Bellingham is so far from Spokane! I'd let you replace my FP.

I gather from your posting that it may not be that big a deal to
take the tank off of a Geo Metro.... No?

If my FP proves bad, I would entertain the thought of replacing it myself
although I don't have a lift which is probably a necessity.

Working on a car flat on your back with no elbow room and crap falling
in your eyes (especially gasoline) is about the worst thing one can do -
except maybe being beaten by 10 angry Liberal Women Feminist PETA
members because you eat Beef Jerkie and drink beer while watching
auto racing when Ophra Winfrey is on TV.

DoctorBill

As long as the tank is mostly empty it's just a few bolts to get it out. I haven't checked on our car yet but some have an access hole under the back seat, should be noted in the repair manual if there is. One of the first tools I make sure I have is a professional floor jack, even if you don't have a cement slab to work on they are an invaluable tool. You should be able to pick one up for between $40 and $100 at a pawn shop. Jack the back of the vehicle up and put it on jack stands, then put a pad (folded towel etc) on the jack and run it up to contact the middle of the tank. Now you can disconnect whatever is holding the tank up and also see if there is a way to release the fuel lines etc from the underside of the car so the whole thing can be dropped to the ground where there will be a little more room to work and less chance of fuel in the face syndrome (symptoms include sputtering, cursing, thrashing about, a desperate need to be out from under a vehicle, and the smell of gasoline for weeks during which time your significant other will refuse all close up affections and may insist on you staying in another part of your residence). :disappoin overall it's not a hard job to do.

OK, thank you all for the suggestions...I will look into all of your suggestions including looking at the other posts you suggested. For you all wondering, mechanic said AND I QUOTE ........ "feul pump for this year car is $1100.00". Should I be upset on this ? Either way, I am !!

A couple of comments:

1. Any repair shop that tries what that guy did ($1,100 for a Fuel Pump when Schucks sells them for $180) should NEVER get your business again. EVER!
It is important that you say that TO THE MANAGER/OWNER!
Also tell everyone you know what they tried to do to you!
Imagine what they are doing to women who know nothing about cars!!!!!

I stopped going to Barton Jeep in Spokane because of that crap - the people there start to slobber and grin when they see your car in the repair shop. I told the Marketing Woman when she called to ask how I liked their service. Since then I have found two other places to go. Barton's is KNOWN for that behaviour.... But there are so many fools that Barton's just keeps going.

2. The comment about PAWN SHOPS is so true! You can save quite a lot of money that way.
Just be careful.....always do your homework - find out what Wal-Mart or Harbor Freight Tools charges for a new thing. Often pawn shops or garage sales charge as much as new. Haggle like an old Fishmonger's mother would - you can save and it is actually fun to do!

3. I have found the following tools have saved my ass on many ocasions!
A FLOOR JACK, an OXY-ACETYLENE TORCH, an AIR COMPRESSOR, a set of CROWS FOOT WRENCHES, a big CHEATER BAR (Harbor Freight sells them), a can of Liquid Wrench (or equivalent), an air hammer (with the compressor) to beat the damned nuts off of rusted bolts, and last but not least - those metal or plastic Oil Filter removal thingies that work with a ratchet wrench for loosening Oil Filters (wouldn't be w/o them!). Then the standard tools of course.

4. Buy tools! Acquire as many as you want! They will never fail you. They should be protected, oiled, and carressed often.....and don't loan them out - ever! and don't allow your teenaged son or daughter to let them sit out in the field to rust away all winter.....make them account for each one!

5. Learn to weld, braze and solder! (I can weld or braze - but really crappy! Good solderer.) A buzz box is useful...

6. When you die, have your tools placed with you in your coffin. That way you can be of use in whichever place you go.....
If you don't go either place, then at least no one can booger up your tools!


DoctorBill

I did the fuel pump in my 91 ragtop. I just had the floor jack, it wasn't hard at all. It's only a 10 gallon tank, not very heavy. The pain in the ass was the Phillips screws that secured the Pump Assembly. I stripped a couple and had to improvise with vise grips. Felt like I was back in the Air Force again!LOL

I replaced those with Hex heads when I put it back together.