Jaguar Repair: leaky fuel pump, psi system, auto parts store

Question
I noticed a strong fuel smell and found it to be the fuel pump in the trunk on my 1983 xj6. It is not leaking out of the lines but the plastic top near the electrical connections on the pump itself.I Have ordered a new pump from Welsh. Is this a common problem or way for a fuel pump to go out? Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi Sid,
Over the years I have seen some Bosch pumps fail in that manner but not many. Very few in the "L" Jetronic injection system. It is a more common failure in the "CIS" injection system, probably because of the 80+ PSI system pressure. The series III Jag however only operates at from 32 to 42 PSI so pump failures due to leaking is less common. I drive an 83 XJ-6 and I carry a spare pump with me just because it is not always a stocked part in an auto parts store and it is not a part that can be fixed out on the road, you just have to replace it when it fails.
I use to collect many of the failed pumps at the dealership and took several apart to see why they failed and I found most failed due to a small piece of trash locked them up. Of those that were locked up (that I didn't take apart) I was able to save about 50 of them by reversing the leads while connecting them to a diesel fuel supply on the outlet side. They can run backwards when the leads are reversed and with a fluid supply on the inlet side, it would wash out the trash.
Several that I took apart were burned up not from the motor but because some one ran out of fuel and continued to try to start the engine. The armature in these pumps and the brushes are cooled by the fuel running through the complete pump and when you run out of gas, you allow air into the pump and the brushes make sparks so you have the makings of a fire in the pump. So try not is ever run out of fuel on either tank and if you do, don't keep trying to restart it until you put fuel in that tank.
Howard