I drive this car fairly often, I havnt driven it in over a week, today I go for a 60 mile drive which it drove perfect, nice and strong, never any CEL. So I stopped to get gas, put the usual 93 octane. I go to start the car, car barely runs and just dies after 5 seconds. Start it again and the same issue, I checked the MAF sensor by disconnecting it and it would start but die right away so I reconnected the MAF and it keeps starting but idles very low for about 10 seconds and just dies again. Still NO CEL. So finally after about 20 min, car no longer even starts, just cranks. Checked fuses, checked it all and everything checks good, the only thing I can think of is the fuel pump.... thoughts? But will a fuel pump just go out like that with NO warning signs or will both pumps go out at the same time?

 

Fuel pump is a good guess and yes, they just sorta fail. Check fuel pressure at the rail Schrader valve. By your reference to having two pumps I assume that you have a R. One pump may have been dead for some time. Unless you drive really aggressively the car will run on one pump just fine.

Couldn't hurt to put your vehicle info in your signature line.

 

That's how mine failed. Ran rough for a bit, then short starts, then dead. Just a matter of minutes.

The car normally runs on the first pump, so if that one fails, the car stops running. The second pump only runs at certain times when extra fuel is needed.

If you are stranded, you can swap the wires at the tank to make the second pump first, and vice-versa, (assuming the second pump still works). This got me home when I was stuck. I cut my wires and used solderless connectors to reconnect. Helped in a pinch to get me off the side of the road.

EDIT: Is it an XJR? I think only supercharged have 2 pumps.

 

only the R has 2 pumps

yes it does fail like that, I pushed mine to the limit and I wished I had fixed it immediately.

if it doesn't start you can rock the car back and forth by the rear axle and sometimes that will let you start it and you can go, just be aware that eventually that system will fail you.

I did the rocking trick for a few weeks, eventually it was a no go, tried to start it for an hour, got it towed to a shop, the shop was able to start it and drive it into the garage

fuel pumps have been replaced for 6 months now, I've had no issues

 

It is easier to pull one relay. The system is designed to read the relay circuit and not the actual pump circuit. If pulling one relay does not work, put it back and pull the other relay.

 

yea, thanks guys, it was the fuel pumps.. both of them. I have an 02 XJR, luckily I had brand new ones so I installed them today but its nearly impossible to put the line in the rear of that tank back in place. I took the rear deck speaker out and tried putting the line through with my hand in the back of the tank while my friend pushes the tank from inside the trunk and still very hard. Is there a trick here? That line has barely any slack and very hard to put in? Does the line have another connection point where I can disconnect under the car and just connect it after I get the PITA rear gas tank connection?

 

WOW.....i absolutely give up, every time i put that stupid tank back in, the lines in the back pop out. This is ridiculous, is it really that hard to do this job. I mean, swapping the fuel pump was fairly easy but putting the tank back together is nearly impossible and the last thing I want to do is drop the rear end. I even unhooked the line from the fuel filter and connected with the tank out which actually helped but once again, as soon as the tank comes back, the lines disconnect

 

which line?

if it is a line that connects to the top flange, you attach before fastening flange to have some wiggle room.

 

It's the two lines that connect to the motor, one line goes to the fuel filter and the other right next to it goes to the front of the car,

 

Sorry, no ideas but ... bump.

 

I got, thanks guys