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

[MyBroncoNotYours]

I see the mention of ‘2.7’ but is the fuel pump different between the 2.7/2.3?

I recall people noting that the 2.7 seemed like a tight fit in the engine bay and some components, specifically the fuel pump, were basically crammed in there or in terrible spots/orientations. Not sure if they’re different and I could be recalling incorrectly but I remember this being an issue specially for the fuel pump.

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[ET13]

Here comes the Ford bot asking for your vin to then do nothing about it.

 

[Bronco21fan]

I doubt it. The crankshaft turns smoothly. There is just no combustion. Preliminary indications suggest fuel starvation. Plus, my engine’s Julian date (21306 = November 2, 2021) is outside of the known hot zones.

It def should not be the engine there have been no bad engines built in nov as of yet my engine was built on nov 19 sounds like it’s just something stupid and it still cranks which is good keep us posted sending good vibes your way

 

[MyBroncoNotYours]

Thanks for the advice. Steering and brakes both work fine with the engine off. They just don’t have power assistance. I was able to roll the rest of the way downhill, and @kodiakisland pulled me off to the side at a wider flat spot so its not blocking the trail. Nevertheless, two vehicles for recovery would definitely help.The hard part will be navigating through the tight turns between trees. With TTA, it’s a breeze, but being pulled through tight turns by a tow vehicle with no power to assist with TTA will be difficult.

Have you attended a Bronco Off-Roadeo? They highly recommend you do not use TTA unless it’s necessary or you’ll erode the trail for others. If you can manage a 3 point turn, that is preferable.

 

[calgecko]

damn - this stinks - hopefully you can get it out of there without too much stress. good luck!

 

[Jimmiee]

Question

Does anyone know offhand whether the fuel line from the tank to the engine is a hard line or simply rubber tubing?

TIA for any info.

It's a steel line from the tank to the engine. FYI you will never see rubber fuel lines that run the length of the vehicle. It's a safety hazard.

 

[sniffHound]

Any updates?

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!

 

[DryYourTears]

First, sorry to OP for the troubles, that's never good, and I hope it gets sorted relatively quickly and easily!

Second, for those who like to wheel alone or just don't have anyone to wheel with (especially in areas lacking cell coverage), I'd suggest carrying something like a Garmin inReach or other satellite messenger device. They're not the cheapest, but can really save your bacon if something bad happens.

 

[Jimmiee]

FYI, if you don't own a scanner or a code reader you should look into it. When your engine dies more than likely a trouble code will set. This will happen without the check engine light coming on in many cases depending on if the code is emissions related. Having the ability to check codes really helps pinpoint the problem and can help with getting the correct parts to fix your vehicle while it's broken down on the trail.

 

[Razorbak86]

It's a steel line from the tank to the engine. FYI you will never see rubber fuel lines that run the length of the vehicle. It's a safety hazard.

Thanks for the feedback. Just trying to think of potential ways to force fuel delivery short-term via a temporary splice just to get the vehicle off the trail so It can be brought back to a shop for proper repairs.

 

[Razorbak86]

FYI, if you don't own a scanner or a code reader you should look into it. When your engine dies more than likely a trouble code will set. This will happen without the check engine light coming on in many cases depending on if the code is emissions related. Having the ability to check codes really helps pinpoint the problem and can help with getting the correct parts to fix your vehicle while it's broken down on the trail.

I have FORScan on my laptop computer, but I did not have it with me on the trail.

 

[Bmadda]

Thanks for the feedback. Just trying to think of potential ways to force fuel delivery short-term via a temporary splice just to get the vehicle off the trail so It can be brought back to a shop for proper repairs.

When we get vehicles towed in w/bad fuel pumps we use devices like these. They are meant for fuel injector cleaning, but they hold about a quart of cleaner or fuel, and the vehicle can be started and driven for a few minutes. They are charged w/compressed air, so if you or a helper has on board air you could make something like this work. Only to get through the trouble spots, then tow the rest of the way?

 

[Frankie945]

If you can get your hands on a fuel pump you can change that on the trail with simple hand tools they’re really not that hard to change. I seen someone mentioned the pump in the engine bay. Does that mean the bronco has a in tank fuel basket pump and a inline pump?

 

[710-oil-614]

Here comes the Ford bot asking for your vin to then do nothing about it.

Don't forget the dealership so they can lay blame at their feet and totally distance themselves from all responsibility.

"This sounds like a warranty claim"

 

[Jimmiee]

If you can get your hands on a fuel pump you can change that on the trail with simple hand tools they’re really not that hard to change. I seen someone mentioned the pump in the engine bay. Does that mean the bronco has a in tank fuel basket pump and a inline pump?

Here's a picture of the pump.

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