Diesel fuel pump in the tank or in line?

[treeman]

I have a 2003 E53 3.0d diesel X5 and my local mechanic thinks the fuel pump at the tank end is not creating enough pressure to prime the high pressure pump by the fuel filter which makes the car not start.
Does anyone know it the pump is in the fuel tank or in-line outside of the tank?

Hoping for the latter as would consider changing that myself.

I hear the pump making a noise all the time the key is in position 2 (Run) before cranking the engine. Does anyone know or can check if theirs only makes a short pump noise then stops - only I wonder if the pump is constantly whirring as it's not creating enough pressure.

[TiAgX5]

Really, he "thinks" this is a pump issue. If the Indy was worth his weight in salt he would run a pressure test and know. This Indy is a "parts changer" and needs to learn how to diagnose symptoms and not blindly "throw parts" at the X until it works properly. FWIW, hearing a pump is by no means indicitive it's generating proper fuel pressure.

A fuel rail pressure test gauge costs around $30 and the test takes 5 minutes,

[treeman]

To be fair the Indy is going to test the pressures when the engine had cooled down so he can turn the engine over without it starting straight away. The reason I asked the question is after he's done the test and if the pressures are too low I need to know whether to get him to change the pump or if I can attempt it.

[powers1]

Originally Posted by treeman

I have a 2003 E53 3.0d diesel X5 and my local mechanic thinks the fuel pump at the tank end is not creating enough pressure to prime the high pressure pump by the fuel filter which makes the car not start.
Does anyone know it the pump is in the fuel tank or in-line outside of the tank?

You havent told us ,what your actual problem is and why you think its fuel pump?What are your symptons?
You have a small electric fuel pump under the car near the tank.This one you should hear when putting ignition in pos #2.If you hear it for a few secs and then it stops ,then its fine!
You also have fuel sender in the tank ,which tends to block up and would stop it from starting.
Either ,you should be able to replace yourself.Hope its the small pump ,as the one in tank is quite epensive.

[Eric Le Baron]

I have a 2004 E53 3.0D and recently replaced the pump in the tank.
The pump only started after tapping on the unit.
No 1 in Fuel pump and fuel level sensor | BMW X5 E53 X5 3.0d M57N Europe
Part no 16116763817
Bought the pump for this "delivery unit" on eBay for €40 + €20 shipping.
A week later the car just cranked but did not start.
This time it was the pump under the car: No 1 in Fuel filter/Diesel pump/Lines | BMW X5 E53 X5 3.0d M57N Europe
Part no 16126756157
Here again, the pump only started after tapping on it with a piece of wood.
And it made a lot more noise than usual...
Bought it on eBay for €45 + €12 shipping.
I used the alternative method explained in this video to replace the pump and the fuel filter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGj92asy9U8

[Danoscar]

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to bump this thread as I’ve just dealt with this very frustrating intermittent fault. My symptoms were identical to those described here. The car would crank all day long (if the battery had the charge) but it just wouldn’t start.
Then after 10 minutes or, most 3 days, the car would randomly fire up again and run perfectly. One time I was stuck at a petrol station and had to call the recovery team to collect me; as soon as they arrived, they tried the key and the bugger started first time.

In amongst this, I took a number of steps to resolve the issue, felt like I’d got there every time until the car wouldn’t start again 3 weeks later. Scanning the car with icarsoft and carli only said the vehicle had no fault codes”. So I was a bit stuck.

I then had to go through a number of trial- and- error procedures to narrow down the problem. I began with all the fuses.tested every one with a multi meter- all good. Then I found the elusive fuel pump relay (on the other side of the glove box fuse box in my model) and swapped it with the horn relay. No luck there.

Next, I decided to inspect the fuel sender (found under the rear passenger seat, drivers’ side on UK models). Hooked this up to my 12v drill battery and all was fine. As my car has done 150,000 miles I looked into whether I should replace this anyway as a serviceable item while the car was apart. I decided to replace this although I now know that it probably would have been fine for a few more k. Changing this part is very easy and there are a ton of videos on it. Just make sure the fuel tank is not full if you can help it.

Anyway, this didn’t solve my problem as another 3 weeks down the line, my non-start was back. So now wondering if the non start could be an immobiliser issue or a cam/crank shaft position sensor issue. Speaking to some specialists told me that cam/crank sensors typically throw a code, and I had none. I checked for water in the e-box in case this had shorted the anti-theft circuit- nothing wrong there.

Then, at last, my intermittent fault turned into a permanent fault and wouldn’t start. I was actually glad because it meant if I fixed it, it would stay fixed and if I didn’t, I was in for the big bucks. Then I remembered reading about the pre-supply fuel pump (alternatively called the in-line fuel pump).

I didn’t want to get into the habit of just changing every part conceivable, but I had no codes and couldn’t work out a way to see if fuel was getting to the injector. Therefore, I bough my a £30 online pump from eBay with the reasoning that I’ll try that as a last resort before getting it towed to a bmw specialist - something I know would end up costing me thousands.

This was easy enough to change, but getting the panelling out the way is the frustrating part. The in-line pump is located next to the diesel filter on the underside of the car. Directly underneath the rear passenger-side seat.

Anyway, this sorted all of my problems and the car is now running beautiful again!

I must add that I’m not trained in anyway and so I’m sure have made mistakes and/or wasted my time,, but I do like to save myself pennies here and there by fixing issues like this myself. Just thought I’d post this in case anyone else may benefit.

2004 3.0d E53

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by Danoscar

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to bump this thread as I’ve just dealt with this very frustrating intermittent fault.

...Then I remembered reading about the pre-supply fuel pump (alternatively called the in-line fuel pump).

I didn’t want to get into the habit of just changing every part conceivable, but I had no codes and couldn’t work out a way to see if fuel was getting to the injector. Therefore, I bough my a £30 online pump from eBay with the reasoning that I’ll try that as a last resort before getting it towed to a bmw specialist - something I know would end up costing me thousands.

This was easy enough to change, but getting the panelling out the way is the frustrating part. The in-line pump is located next to the diesel filter on the underside of the car. Directly underneath the rear passenger-side seat.

Anyway, this sorted all of my problems and the car is now running beautiful again!

I must add that I’m not trained in anyway and so I’m sure have made mistakes and/or wasted my time,, but I do like to save myself pennies here and there by fixing issues like this myself. Just thought I’d post this in case anyone else may benefit.

2004 3.0d E53

Thanks for the update. Yeah, this extra pump (only on the diesel versions) is often overlooked. £30 is a great price too - the genuine one is a tad more than that!!