Many components work together to take your vehicle from point A to point B, but some have a more important job, like the fuel pump. The fuel pump sends fuel from your gas tank to the engine, but it can fail just like every other part of your vehicle. Thankfully, there are ways to tell if your Toyota’s fuel pump is failing, and you may need to get a little dirty and do some repairs.

Difficulty Starting Your Toyota

One of the first signs that there may be something wrong with your fuel pump is difficulty starting the vehicle. When you turn your ignition, an electrical current goes to the motor to spin the engine. Fuel goes to the engine, and a spark is supposed to ignite the fuel and start the engine, but a poor fuel pump won’t push enough fuel through. Over time, fuel pumps wear down, and they lose their ability to pressurize properly and send fuel to the engine as quickly. If you’re turning your key and having trouble starting the car, it may be your fuel pump.

Noises in Your Fuel Tank

Another sign that your fuel pump is failing is noise in your fuel tank. Damaged fuel pumps may make loud noises like whining, and you can hear it coming from your gas tank. This noise can happen anytime, but it’s more likely to happen if you’re low on fuel or if the fuel has contaminants. Fuel pumps normally sound like a low hum, but loud whining noises may mean something is wrong with the pump.

Power Surges

Because of issues with the fuel pump, you could see insufficient fuel getting to your engine, but you may also periodically see too much fuel. A failing fuel pump will be inconsistent, and this inconsistency presents itself as power surges while you’re driving. When the pump pushes too much fuel into your engine, you can notice speed spikes that quickly drop off. Instead of getting the right amount of fuel, you’re either getting too much or too little.

Poor Fuel Efficiency

When your fuel pump struggles to get the right amount of fuel to the engine, you’ll notice power surges and noise in your fuel tank, but you’ll also see lower fuel efficiency. Your engine will burn more gas than it normally does to achieve the same performance. Lower fuel efficiency can be difficult to spot at first, but if you notice it in addition to these other signs, there are probably some issues happening with your fuel pump.

Once you can tell if the fuel pump in your Toyota is failing, it may be time to get a little dirty and do some repairs. Leaving a fuel pump that’s already failing alone will only create worse issues down the line, so your best choice of action is to find the parts needed to replace your fuel pump. Here at Yota Shop, we have OEM DENSO parts for Toyota, including fuel pumps, so you can get your Toyota back in working order in no time!