1998 V70R - Fuel Pump Woes

liamp51 · Post by **liamp51** » 18 Jun 2023, 19:34

Hey everyone,

About a year ago I acquired this beautiful Saffron V70R from a family friend/mechanic who was downsizing his collection.

: IMG-2808.JPG (348.13 KiB) Viewed 914 times

It's been an absolute joy to own/drive except for one major hangup: the fuel pump. Back in January, on the return trip from a day spent in Omaha, the original Volvo fuel pump died at around 230K miles, stranding us at a gas station 2 hours from home. Luckily, I have AAA and was able to have the car towed all the way home for free. After diagnosing the crank no start as the fuel pump, I cut a hole in the floor and replaced the whole unit with one of these from AutoHausAZ (link in separate comment below)

The wiring harness on the replacement unit was slightly different but I quickly figured it out and the car fired right up. However, I immediately noticed that the new pump was incredibly loud, even after putting the interior back together. I was very concerned by this, and started to do a lot of research. From all that I could find, these PPS units have Walbro pumps in them, and many said that Walbro pumps are quite loud. After learning to accept the noise level of the new pump, I went on driving the car. When over about 25 or 30 mph, the pump became much less noisy, which I also thought was odd. After about 300 miles, this new pump bound up and left me stranded in the middle of an extremely busy intersection. It was a miracle we didn't get rear ended. Once again, AAA came through and we had the car towed to the local Volvo dealer. Unsurprisingly, they diagnosed the problem as a bad fuel pump. They wanted to replace it, the gasket and the fuel pressure regulator for around $2.5k. I declined the service and had it towed to my Volvo indy guy. We confirmed that the ejector pump was properly transferring fuel to the electric pump, and there was still over 2/3s of a tank of gas left when this fuel pump died. I ordered another unit from the previously mentioned website and we stuck it in. Once again, the car started right up and it seemed to be a bit quieter than the last pump.

Fast forward to today: after around 300 or so miles, this new pump is once again, incredibly loud and sounds like it's about to let go. I have the car parked and it's sidelined again until I can get to the bottom of this. Below is a video I recorded of the car at idle. Notice just how insanely loud and annoying the pump is (link in comment below).

I know the parts situation with all makes/models/years is pretty bad, but did I really get two bad pumps in a row? Are there any drop in Bosch or DW pumps? I'm willing to do surgery on the old units and swap in a good (and hopefully significantly quieter) pump. I'm just at my wits end with this. I want to drive this thing but I can't trust it right now with this issue. It's worth noting that the gas gauge has always read empty, but we confirmed that the senders are working properly, so it has to be something to do with the cluster. Any thoughts/advice/guidance would be MUCH appreciated. I'm willing to pay for a NOS Volvo pump if someone has one.

Thanks guys!

Liam

liamp51 · Post by **liamp51** » 18 Jun 2023, 19:35

Link to PPS fuel pump: https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/23430674

Link to my video:

V50M66 · Post by **V50M66** » 18 Jun 2023, 19:40

As people like to say, ProParts puts the pro in problem. Get that junk outta there and replace it with a DW200

liamp51 · Post by **liamp51** » 18 Jun 2023, 19:49

V50M66 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 19:40 As people like to say, ProParts puts the pro in problem. Get that junk outta there and replace it with a DW200

This gives me hope! How difficult is it to swap pumps? Is the DW200 quieter?

V50M66 · Post by **V50M66** » 18 Jun 2023, 20:35

DW200 is quieter and flows better - good if you plan on making more power in the future, but perfectly fine for stock applications. It’s not exactly drop in but it’s not bad - look on Vast Tuning’s website for a really good write up (and a good deal on the pump)

liamp51 · Post by **liamp51** » 18 Jun 2023, 20:50

V50M66 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 20:35 DW200 is quieter and flows better - good if you plan on making more power in the future, but perfectly fine for stock applications. It’s not exactly drop in but it’s not bad - look on Vast Tuning’s website for a really good write up (and a good deal on the pump)

Thank you thank you! I'm assuming you did the wiring upgrade too? Doesn't look too bad!

V50M66 · Post by **V50M66** » 18 Jun 2023, 21:07

liamp51 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 20:50
V50M66 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 20:35 DW200 is quieter and flows better - good if you plan on making more power in the future, but perfectly fine for stock applications. It’s not exactly drop in but it’s not bad - look on Vast Tuning’s website for a really good write up (and a good deal on the pump)
Thank you thank you! I'm assuming you did the wiring upgrade too? Doesn't look too bad!

I haven't actually done it yet (I have both it and the wiring kit in my glove box as we speak) due to lack of time, but my factory pump is howling and surely on its last legs. I'll be installing it and the wiring kit as soon as I have some free time. The DW200 was far and away the most recommended pump when I was looking at what to get - everyone I've talked to and read about that runs it loves it.

liamp51 · Post by **liamp51** » 18 Jun 2023, 21:22

V50M66 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 21:07
liamp51 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 20:50
V50M66 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 20:35 DW200 is quieter and flows better - good if you plan on making more power in the future, but perfectly fine for stock applications. It’s not exactly drop in but it’s not bad - look on Vast Tuning’s website for a really good write up (and a good deal on the pump)
Thank you thank you! I'm assuming you did the wiring upgrade too? Doesn't look too bad!
I haven't actually done it yet (I have both it and the wiring kit in my glove box as we speak) due to lack of time, but my factory pump is howling and surely on its last legs. I'll be installing it and the wiring kit as soon as I have some free time. The DW200 was far and away the most recommended pump when I was looking at what to get - everyone I've talked to and read about that runs it loves it.

Ahh I gotcha! Thank you! You have no idea how much that helps me out. Does your pump sound anything like mine does in my video? Keeping these AWD P80s on the road is a pain sometimes but it's so worth it. As soon as I solve the gas gauge issue I think I'll be ordering the DW200 and wiring harness!

V50M66 · Post by **V50M66** » 18 Jun 2023, 22:05

Similar, but less of a grinding noise and more just loud whirring. It changes how loud it is with temperature and fuel level. Hot out after a longer drive and low on gas - wow does she scream. Full tank and cold, can't hear it. Very odd, but I'm not going to take my chances.

Fully agreed about the wonderful nightmare that is the P80 AWD stuff. It's been a total disaster, but I still love the damn thing.

Good luck with the gauges. I'm assuming you already have the 850 OBDII app and a Bluetooth OBD dongle to aid in diagnostics?

Post by **foggydogg** » 20 Jun 2023, 07:27

liamp51 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 19:49
V50M66 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 19:40 As people like to say, ProParts puts the pro in problem. Get that junk outta there and replace it with a DW200
This gives me hope! How difficult is it to swap pumps? Is the DW200 quieter?

Robert just put one on Panther.