Stranded/broke down

[ib516]

Pulling through the city of Calgary, on the bypass. Had just filled with fuel 3 miles back. ¼ tank to full. Pulling up hill, gauges all normal, cruise set. Start to lose power and slow down. I reacted by adding throttle. Still decelerating. Had music on, couldn't hear what the engine was doing. Slowing more now, foot to the floor...get that sinking feeling that something is wrong. Turn on the 4 ways and pull over, truck died before I got stopped.

Truck cranks fine and sounds like it wants to start but never quite does.

No codes stored, no check engine light. Yes I'm sure I filled with unleaded.

So I'm camping in my brother's driveway. Truck is at the shop, hopefully they look at it first thing. Truck has 250,000 km or 150,000 miles.

So...what's your guess?

I'm thinking fuel pump.

[C_Schomer]

I was in the same spot a month ago. The fuel light just came on when it died so I thought the gauge was off and I really was out of fuel. Too much traffic noise to hear anything. Wrecker came with 5 gal. Fuel and then I listened really close to hear the pump and it didn't run. No tools so I asked the wrecker driver if he had any wire and he found 4" of baling wire. I pulled the pump relay and jumpered it and it started right up... Happy ending. Craig

[Grit_dog]

ib516 wrote:
And the diagnosis is....
No fuel pressure, power and ground to fuel pump good. Diagnosis bad fuel pump.

Murphys Law dictated that...because your tank is plum full of fuel!

Oh well, i't about a horse a piece whether you take the bed off or drop the tank. Removing the bed just requires more hands.
Glad you got er diagnosed and relatively cheap/simple repair.

[danrclem]

Breaking down is bad but being in your brother's driveway is a big plus.

[blofgren]

Well at least it’s a fairly easy fix.

A coworker of mine has a 2007 F150 that wouldn’t start one day. He thought it was the fuel pump that failed but it turned out to be the fuel pump relay.

[ib516]

And the diagnosis is....
No fuel pressure, power and ground to fuel pump good. Diagnosis bad fuel pump.

[ib516]

Traffic was heavy and I couldn't catch a break long enough to cycle the key and hear whether or not the fuel pump was making noise.

[opnspaces]

camperdave wrote:

My guess is bad gas, but it will be diagnosed as a fuel pump, so you'll never know which it really was. :h

Why would bad gas be diagnosed as a fuel pump? Fuel pump tests are for pressure and volume. Bad gas would be something like water in the tank which won't affect pressure or volume.

[opnspaces]

My guesses in order.

1. Bad fuel
2. Fuel pump
3. Clogged filter
4. Wrong fuel

[kellem]

I've had 2 fuel pumps go out just the way OP describes.....so naturally I say fuel pump.
But with engine off you should be able to hear the pump engage, or not.

[blofgren]

I would guess fuel pump as well but it is more common for them to fail when trying to start. Did you try banging on the tank with a rubber mallet? Sometimes it will give them a temporary second life.

[camperdave]

I broke down in Calgary once. Was stuck there in a crappy motel for 5 days waiting on parts for my motorcycle. That was over 20 years ago, and I still get chills when I think of Calgary. I'm sure it's a nice city, but i'll always hate it lol.

My issue was a carb float that decided to not float anymore (so it was dumping gas out the overflow non-stop). Probably not your issue though...

My guess is bad gas, but it will be diagnosed as a fuel pump, so you'll never know which it really was. :h

[rjstractor]

Engine failure right after fueling up? A mechanical failure is possible but I don't beleive in random coincidences. My money is on bad fuel. It's rare but does happen.

[time2roll]

Yes 150k is about time for a fuel pump. Or fuel filter if not changed in the last 50,000 miles. Bad fuel seems like a long shot.

[azdryheat]

Is there a prize if we guess correctly?

[Ozlander]

Or filled up with diesel.