My Bronco Died Today, Deep Into a Remote Trail [Fuel Pump Failure]

[GToddC5]

This might sound stupid or obvious, but is there any chance you ran out of gas? This happened to me one time on a high mountain road in the backcountry. After getting it towed into town, I discovered some part in the gas gauge was broken, showing half a tank when it was actually empty.

It's funny you say this . . . Just yesterday I was driving home from work, perfectly flat road level to the horizon, and an alert pops up for 50 miles to empty. Great! no need to stop on the way home (8 mile commute). Not even a 1/4 mile down the road, it changed to an orange alert pop up for only 19 miles to empty! WTF? First time that happened. When I pulled in to fill up it read 14 miles to empty.

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[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Found
Off
Road
Dead

DAMN!

THIS IS MY FEAR!

Don't live with such fear bud; it's part of wheeling.

Better to think of all of the fun memories he's made taking the rig out before and during this trail run. Sure, it sucks and recoveries cost money, but you can and will make more money, but life experiences and the joy that comes with wheeling deep in the woods with buddies, drankin some beers, and shootin the shit is something I struggle to put a price on.

Honestly mean it that the joy I feel when out in the woods camping or wheeling is what keeps me level. I'll take an occasional breakdown and it has happened to me a few times and to others in my group. We get out our tools, tinker, or drag the vehicle out, get er fixed, then we're right back out at it again.

Swear to you it's more fun than golf.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Don't live with such fear bud; it's part of wheeling.

Better to think of all of the fun memories he's made taking the rig out before and during this trail run. Sure, it sucks and recoveries cost money, but you can and will make more money, but life experiences and the joy that comes with wheeling deep in the woods with buddies, drankin some beers, and shootin the shit is something I struggle to put a price on.

Honestly mean it that the joy I feel when out in the woods camping or wheeling is what keeps me level. I'll take an occasional breakdown and it has happened to me a few times and to others in my group. We get out our tools, tinker, or drag the vehicle out, get er fixed, then we're right back out at it again.

Swear to you it's more fun than golf.

This!

I just got word that I need an ABS module now after my fiasco for a cool 2k. Still worth the adventure.

 

[mpeugeot]

My Bronco (2.7L) died today, deep into a remote trail… about 4 miles into a 10-mile-long trail with steep elevation changes, tight turns between narrow groups of trees, and deep mud holes.

That’s it below… hood up, exactly where it died, going down a decline with 21 degree pitch, trailing behind @kodiakisland's Bronco.

For background, @kodiakisland and I were scouting potential trails for the next NWA trail run on June 14th, and @kodiakisland had briefly stopped for a photo, so I pulled up behind him with my foot on the brake. When the engine started to lug, I put the transmission in neutral, engaged the electronic parking brake, and then put the vehicle into park, and it immediately died.

Numerous attempts were made to get it to re-start, but the engine appears to be starved for fuel. The first thing I checked was the fuel pump fuse (Fuse #4, 30A, in the Under Hood Fuse Box), which was fine. The tank was 3/4 full after being topped off this morning with half a tank of regular unleaded before departure. No signs of water in the fuel tank. Popped the cover off the air filter housing and confirmed that the air filter is not clogged or otherwise blocked. The battery is fully charged and alternator is functioning well (i.e., both confirmed by meters on the IP display, 12.4V on battery, 13.3V with alternator charging under load at speed). The starter fires continuously like normal. The crankshaft turns smoothly, and the engine tries to fire, and sometimes does for one stroke, but then dies again. I also disconnected the battery and waited 20 minutes before retrying, but the results were the same.

My instinctive guess is a fuel pump failure (possibly infant mortality; 2,490 miles on the odometer), based on other recent threads posted on the forum, but I haven't had a chance to pull any Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) or study the Technical Service Manual (TSM) for other possible problems. The vehicle is well beyond cell phone coverage, so it is unlikely that any DTCs would have been uploaded into the Mothership’s tracking system. If it's a fuel pump failure, that is going to present a difficult trail-side fix, because the gas tank will have to be dropped to access the pump.

Unfortunately, it's also going to be difficult to tow out for recovery, because of the aforementioned difficult trail access.

So the bad news is we pulled my Bronco off to the side of the trail and temporarily abandoned it deep in the woods this afternoon, and it is sitting on the trail side all alone in the dark tonight.

The good news is I hitched a ride home with @kodiakisland (Never wheel alone!), got some great photos, and saw three deer today!

Don't worry it's covered under warranty.

This is why reliability is so important and doesn't matter whether it is an engine failure vs fuel system failure, he's going to have to recover it himself or have to pay for it to be recovered.

I hope that it's something simple.

 

[mpeugeot]

wondering if the fuel pump failures are limited to only 4 doors or both 2 and 4 door. Fuel pump failure may be occuring when the pump is starved of fuel.

 

[BroncocnorB]

wondering if the fuel pump failures are limited to only 4 doors or both 2 and 4 door. Fuel pump failure may be occuring when the pump is starved of fuel.

I agree…or the fuel pump THINKS it’s starved of fuel, as noted above seems maybe like a distance to empty glitch when tank is angled on a steep incline shuts down the pump.

 

[66GT]

Unrelated but pretty concerning.

Installed the BroncoLEDshop raptor lights yesterday. Expensive, but high quality... but after installing their tap-a-fuse (using fuse 9: 15A ignition coils - as they recommend), my Bronco would not start. Turned over, but no start.

Locked and unlocked doors... then it started no problem. Whew.

Only bringing it up here because having a no-start condition on a 1200 mile Bronco is a wake up call that a problem on the trail in a new vehicle is a real possibility.

Hope you get your Bronco recovered.

 

[Defyfate11]

You just drop the tank and pull the basket out then swap pumps. Worst part is your not in a clean environment. I’ve changed and swapped many fuel pumps it’s not hard. You’ll smell like gas after that’s about it.

But you need the correct tools to remove the fuel pump. Some vehicle's fuel pump retaining mount could require either a hammer and a punch, or a special tool (plier type) to remove. So definitely need to find a repair manual or find someone that has replaced the Bronco's fuel pump.

 

[Jimmiee]

But you need the correct tools to remove the fuel pump. Some vehicle's fuel pump retaining mount could require either a hammer and a punch, or a special tool (plier type) to remove. So definitely need to find a repair manual or find someone that has replaced the Bronco's fuel pump.

Here's a picture of the tool.

 

[Defyfate11]

Who will be the first to pre-emptively cut an access hole in the body?

Did that on a 2002 v6 Camero which has the fuel tank underneath the trunk. A little more work when replacing the pump, but once done all future fuel pump replacements become a simple 20 min repair. With that said as long as the access above the fuel pump is good, I would consider cutting into my floor board.

 

[Defyfate11]

Here's a picture of the tool.

Where can we purchase that tool from?

 

[KDTX]

Next time leave a note on dashboard:

"Wild hog eradication in process. Use caution, Hunters in area.'

May save it from some mischief. Noone needs to know you are broke down.

 

[ERock62]

Best of luck. I would have probably slept in it overnight waiting for a tow.


We ride/off-road in the desert during the winter season. Never leave anything unattended. The "vultures" will get to it.

 

[66GT]

Just thinking outside the box but if it's a fuel pump issue, maybe there's a minimally invasive way to make a temporary fix.

Remove the fuel filter to create a break in the fuel line.

Take a standalone external fuel pump and fabricate some fittings to emulate the fuel filter. I would sacrifice a new fuel filter and use both of the end fittings attached to an external pump.

Install the fabricated pump setup in place of the fuel filter. (You can also add a new fuel filter in that bypass setup if you have concerns about fuel quality.)

Fuel pumps prefer to push fuel rather than suck it from the tank, but it might be worth a shot.

If that works, I'll be making one myself and carrying it as a backup. Hell, it might even be worth installing a second inline pump on an upfitter.

 

[Defyfate11]

Just thinking outside the box but if it's a fuel pump issue, maybe there's a minimally invasive way to make a temporary fix.

Remove the fuel filter to create a break in the fuel line.

Take a standalone external fuel pump and fabricate some fittings to emulate the fuel filter. I would sacrifice a new fuel filter and use both of the end fittings attached to an external pump.

Install the fabricated pump setup in place of the fuel filter. (You can also add a new fuel filter in that bypass setup if you have concerns about fuel quality.)

Fuel pumps prefer to push fuel rather than suck it from the tank, but it might be worth a shot.

If that works, I'll be making one myself and carrying it as a backup. Hell, it might even be worth installing a second inline pump on an upfitter.

The fuel filter is a lifetime filter and is located inside the fuel tank. You replace anytime you replace the fuel pump.

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