QuestionI have been having a strange "grinding-vibration" from my gas peddle occasionally for about 3 months now, totalling about 20 times in all.
The first time I felt it, it was when I was very low on gas, going up a steep hill, and it was accompanied by a slight loss of power and a strange "whistling" coming from my passenger-side front.
My husband thought it was "junk" in my gas tank getting sucked up by the injectors because I was so close to empty and told me to put in a bottle of Maxium Strength Gumout.
The problem has not gone away. Usually, when it does happen, it is just the "vibration", and I take my foot of the peddle for a few seconds and it quits. Only around 4-5 times has the "whistle" happened with it, and it was always on a steep hill at the time.
Everyone I've talked to is at a loss to explain it, and I am afraid to go to a mechanic without some clue to what is going on, for fear of getting milked for every $$ since I am a woman. (I'm sure you understand what I mean)
Do you have any idea of what it could be?
Thank you for your time,
Heidi Coleman
AnswerHeidi-
The short and sweet answer I would give is that you probably need a new fuel pump. The whistle (I usually call it a "whirring") is a sure sign that a fuel pump is on it's way out. Since the problem happens on hills where a pump has to work harder to get fuel to the motor (and on low fuel the pump will heat up since it's cooled by the fuel in the tank and wear is increased), I'd bet it's on it's last leg. If it is the fuel pump, it'll just start happening more and more often until it just dies (trust me...it's happened to me more than once). I suppose the fuel filter is always a possibility, but I kind of doubt it. Hope this helps.
Steve
