Blowing fuel pump fuse ..

[sjones]

I've blown the fuel pump fuse twice in the past two days. First time was on the highway and second time was at an intersection. I have a 8A (white) fuse in the fuse box, but I bought one of those ebay '100 assortment of fuses for cheap' auctions, so I'm wondering if I have a serious problem or not. Today when the fuse blew at the intersection I felt the fuel pump relay for a moment and it was warm, but not hot. I replaced the fuse with a beefier one. Do you guys run with 8A fuses? is the relay/pump labouring?

[Jordan]

It is probably the connection at the fuse box...any corrosion is going to increase the resistance, which is going to pull more amps. Clean and KOPR treat the terminals. Also, as the pump ages, its internal resistance goes up so you may need to replace it soon. Try the terminals first.

[sjones]

I cleaned the terminals for both the fuse holder and both the relay and it's socket. I'll Try again. The only difference I can think of is that I've been running the car with the hatch area all buttoned up. I don't think there is anyway the terminals on top of the pump would be touching the cap though maybe a piece of debris is causing a short. I should check there too.

Follow up .. I cleaned up the terminals and socket for the relay and then applied a thin layer of dielectric grease and excercised the socket a bit. I've gone 60+ miles so far without a fuse blow (versus about 10), so hopefully the issue is resolved for a while. Thanks for the tips.