Stupid Car…

Over the past few months, the Colt has acted as though the the fuel pump was trying to die. I decided that instead of paying somebody $500 to fix it, I would do it myself. After talking with some “car guys”, I came to the conclusion that I should try replacing the $15 filter before I tackle the $199 pump. It was an easy enough job and seemed to resolve the problem. That is, until Monday.

Monday afternoon I had to go to the DMV to pick up plates for my scooter. Just as I pulled into the parking lot, the car died. It had been trying to strand me for a few miles so I’m glad that it died where it did. Luckily, Holly was in Kaysville and was able to pick me up before I was even ready. I’m not sure if that says something about how fast she was or how slow the DMV was… Anyway, we left the car and went to pick up my scooter then came back a few hours later. What do you know? The car was fine. Based on past experience, I was pretty sure at this point that the fuel pump was bad.

Last night, my friend John and I decided to try and replace the fuel pump. After researching the issue, we were fairly confident that it was located under the hood so we didn’t think it would be too bad of a job. We were wrong. The pump is actually in the gas tank. We had to completely remove the tank to get to the pump. What a job! I’m claustrophobic so climbing under the car, even though it was on jack stands, was almost enough to make me panic. At one point, John even commented on how he could hear me trying not to freak out. I guess I was breathing really fast. It’s funny how your mind runs wild when you have a 2,000 pound car inches from your face and you know that if it falls, you’re dead. Fortunately, I survived.

It took nearly four hours to get the car torn apart and put back together but in the end, I think it will fix the problem. Well, it better fix the problem. I didn’t spend hours on my back barely able to breathe for nothing! But I digress…

The engine seemed to be running much smoother when I started it up to go home. Also, I can hear the pump working. I’ve never heard the pump work on this car. I hope that’s a good sign.