How to Quiet a Noisy Fuel Pump – Try These 5 Easy Steps!

Are you hearing an unusual whining sound coming from your fuel pump? Or perhaps a disturbing buzzing sound, when the vehicle is in operation? When you hear noises like this, it usually indicates that something is wrong with the fuel pump.

A fuel pump is a mechanical or electrical device that’s a very important part of all vehicles these days. It’s a device that transfers fuel from the gas tank to the engine or carburetor.

When there’s a problem with the fuel pump, severe damage to the internal parts of the corresponding car may occur, so you’ll need to fix the issue as soon as possible.

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about the fuel pump and how to quiet it down.

Types of Fuel Pumps

If you want to find a solution that’ll fix a certain part of your car that’s malfunctioning, the first things you’ll need to know about are the basic aspects of that part’s role and purpose.

Mechanical fuel pumps are normally used in older vehicles and are located on the engine block, while an electric pump can be found inside the gas tank. This type of pump delivers fuel from the gas tank to the engine at a faster rate than a mechanical pump is able to.

Normally, when you start a vehicle, the pump is initiated and will usually hum quietly. Whenever you hear anything besides a quiet hum, this should alert you to the fact that something is wrong and needs to be fixed.

How to Quiet a Noisy Fuel Pump

1. Fill up the Tank

If your gas pump is making a whining noise, it’s probably due to a low level of gas, so the best solution is to fill up the tank. If this is the only problem your facing at the moment, you can consider yourself lucky, because this issue is the easiest to resolve.

I don’t suggest waiting for your tank to be completely empty, as this will make the pump do lots of extra work and put additional pressure on its components. It’s best to not drive with a gas tank that’s below one-fourth full. You should consider this advice to be a general guideline when it comes to making a fuel pump last longer and perform at its best.

2. Check For Contaminated Fuel

Another thing you may not know is that the fuel you put in your tank could be contaminated, which means that you’ll need to call a mechanic to check on it. Usually, when this happens, the fuel gets contaminated by water, and once fuel like this reaches your vehicle, you’ll normally hear a grinding noise.

Other signs of contaminated fuel you may encounter are hard-to-start and stalled engines. If your engine is hard to start or stalls on you, you’ll need to call a towing company to have your vehicle taken to a mechanic. Driving a vehicle with contaminated fuel will likely destroy the engine completely, thereby forcing you to replace multiple parts.

You can also call your fuel provider and inform them about the situation. In some cases, they’ll cover the bill for any repairs that are needed.

3. Replace the Fuel Pump

A single fuel pump can’t last forever. As we mentioned earlier, it’s a part of your vehicle that does a lot of work, so eventually, the time will come when you’ll need to replace it with a new one. It’s always better to replace the whole pump, rather than fixing individual parts.

Fuel pumps aren’t expensive, and are definitely worth replacing, so you can avoid complications with your engine. Replacing a fuel pump isn’t difficult at all, so if you’re a handyman and you think you’ll be able to do it on your own, try your luck! You can find many tutorials and instructions on YouTube. All you’ll need to do is find the accurate pump and filter for your vehicle, along with any other parts, if necessary. Don’t forget these tools, such as a voltmeter, fuel pressure tester, etc.

4. Fix a Loss of Pressure

Warning signs of low pressure include a whining and stalling sound. Even though your vehicle may keep going for a few seconds after you hear those sounds, you should still keep in mind that the fuel pump needs to be fixed.

Things such as a weak pump, a clogged pump inlet strainer, a restricted fuel line, incorrect tank venting or a dirty fuel filter are some of the common causes of low pressure.

First, you’ll have to make sure you’re dealing with one of these problems, and what you can do to determine this is test the fuel pump’s pressure. You can use a fuel pump pressure tester (this is the same one used in the video below).

As you can see, the most commonly found issue is a faulty pressure regulator. If that’s the case, it’s best to replace it. They aren’t expensive, and getting a new one is worth the investment if the old one is causing trouble. You can either have it replaced by a mechanic or do it yourself, if you choose.

5. Insulate the Fuel Pump With Soundproofing Material

If you’ve tried all the solutions above to no avail, and the pump is still whining, then maybe it’s just a loud one. If that’s the case, what you can do is cover the surrounding area with soundproofing material. This will be especially helpful for vehicles with electric fuel pumps, which are much noisier than mechanical ones.

For this task, you can use a self-adhesive insulating mat. They’re designed to withstand high temperatures and deal with unwanted noises. Plus, they’re able to stick to any surface you place them on.

I personally like FatMat, since it’s very affordable and provides amazing insulation results. Once you’ve obtained your mat, cut it to size and stick it around the fuel pump. You can also use Dynamat, if you don’t mind spending more money to resolve your problem.

Conclusion

I’ve read countless Facebook posts about noisy fuel pumps. It seems that a lot of people have been experiencing the same problem, and have tried multiple solutions to resolve it, without any positive results. In the end, most of them solved their problem by replacing their fuel pump, which seems to be the easiest and safest way to go.

Thank you for taking the time out to read our article. You can also check out my other guides, such as How to Quiet a Noisy Lifter – Read Before Its Too Late to Fix! If you have any questions, feel free to let us know by leaving a comment down below. We wish you the best on your soundproofing journey.

image 1: Wikimedia Commons; image 2: Wikimedia Commons