Saturday morning as I was leaving for work, I got the dreaded warning signs and the check engine light came on. Sigh! According to dealership, my fuel pump isn't working properly and shorted out the relay to the computer. The dealer says the whole fuel tank needs to be replaced as well as the relay. Though the relay isn't covered, the fuel tank isn't, and it's going to cost my first born to get it fixed. I'm not sure why the pump can't be repalced on its own, and the dealer can't tell me what the problem is. Has anyone had this problem?
I am uncertain about the relay on the Prius, but the one on my Camaro is behind the driver side kick panel. It costs about $30.00 and you can buy it at NAPA. It is just a plug and unplug component. Basically, unless they replaced the relay they probably did not actually diagnose the fuel pump. If it is an in tank fuel pump, the gas keeps the pump cool and so running around on a tank that is 1/2 full or less is not recommended in warm weather. I have no idea why the tank would need to be replaced as it is separate from the pump and the relay. Usually tanks are only replaced in the event of a leak.
DH just did some work on a prius fuel system- got very familiar with how it comes apart and goes back together. let me see what he has to say when he gets home. i like the username nothing like being a science geek and proud of it! :lol:- see my signature...
which one is covered and which isn't? the relay isn't a hard job to do and isn't expensive. the pump, unfortunately, requires replacement of the whole tank. DH tried his damnedest to figure out how to pull the pump out of that thing, with no avail. the fuel pump is actually a part of the tank. the tank should cost under $350 and install should be 3 hours of labor or so- what estimate did they give you? however, you should be asking more questions here- why isn't the tank covered when the fuel pump cannot be replaced separately? why is the fuel pump not being covered under warranty to begin with? you need to make sure they can back up their answers.
FYI: I became curious about the concept of tank replacement as it did not make sense to me. So... I called a dealer about 30 miles away in a comparatively metropolitan area and asked for parts. The parts felow spent quite a lot of time looking up fuel pump for a 2002 Prius and kept commenting that he had never ordered one. He did have the relay and a computer replacement listed as the usual first step and he commented that these were usually replaced in pairs and there had been a TSB issued on it. I have not verified the TSB. He then looked as the gas tank and saw it listed as part of an assembly with mounts and brackets but saw no separate listing for the fuel pump as part of the assembly. The conclusion he came to was the fuel pump was indeed simply part of the tank and that made absolutely no sense to him, but he is a parts uy and not a mechanic. Anyway, hopefully this is helpful. He asked if the computer had thrown any codes and if it had those codes would be helpful for an accurate diagnosis. He said in the three years he had been working parts they had replaced a great many relay/computer combinations but never a gas tank (in a Prius).
