Had both catalytic converters replaced, but the van conked out down the street from the exhaust shop. Had to have it towed to a mechanic and he tells me there is suddenly a problem with the fuel pump. It will barely idle for less than a minute. The plugs have been replaced. Could the exhaust shop guy have damaged the fuel pump when he did the catalytic work? I need to discuss this with him but I need good info first. Please help!
The fuel pump is inside the fuel tank, so I don’t see how working on the exhaust system can damage the fuel pump.
What, exactly, is the problem with the fuel pump? Did the mechanic check the fuel pressure, and has anyone ever replaced the fuel filter?
Yes, the fuel filter is new. The mechanic removed it and put a pressure guage in place, which showed no more than 10 psi. He said normal pressure is close to 40 psi. He also said it would cost $400 to replace the fuel pump and that the pump itself costs $280! After having the catalytic converters replaced the van should have run just fine, but instead it is worse. The exhaust guy charged me $500 and had the work done in one hour. I think he used generic converters which cost between $89 and $116. The front converter comes with a bent pipe which connects to the manifold, but my mechanic says it looks like the same old one. As for the fuel pump, my mechanic thinks the exhaust guy somehow caused a problem when he welded everything back together.
Anyone doing any arc welding on todays vehicles is asking for trouble. Unless you connect one of these to the battery http://www.ntxtools.com/network-tool-warehouse/OTC-3386.html. If the shop who installed the catalytic converters didn’t use one of these when welding in the cats, I’d say they owe you a new fuel pump.
Tester
Thanks for the info, Tester. Now I can go back to the hack at the exhaust shop armed with reasonable knowledge which will help support my contention that he caused damage to the vehicle. I’m assuming this may have also fried other electrical or electronic components? Also, while I was waiting nearby I heard him
cranking the engine repeatedly. When I walked up to the vehicle(which was on the lift), he told his assistant to hurry up and turn the key off.