A faulty fuel pump can prevent a vehicle from starting by not providing the required fuel pressure needed to ignite the engine. Modern fuel-injected engines need a continuous feed of fuel at 40 to 60 psi to achieve the perfect air-fuel mix that causes combustion in the engine. When a fuel pump fails, it cannot support this pressure, and the amount of fuel reaching the engine becomes insufficient. This leads to a "no start" condition-as the motor quite frankly does not have the fuel required to ignite.
Symptoms of a dying Fuel Pump include long cranking before the engine finally starts or, in worst cases, failure of the engine to start at all. Powering up at ignition, it should take only a short time for the pump to pressurize the fuel lines; however, with a dying pump, this pressure may struggle to build, especially if internal components such as the pump motor or seals are damaged or worn. This is particularly problematic in high-mileage vehicles, as pumps designed to last 100,000 to 150,000 miles may begin to degrade around the 60,000-mile mark if maintenance or fuel quality has been inconsistent.
Low fuel pressure will be detected by the engine control modules in modern vehicles and will flag a diagnostic trouble code that can be checked by a technician. Without it, symptoms leading to an outright no-start could be sputtering or stalling, which means the fuel pump is failing. As fuel pumps wear, efficiency degrades further and gives way to issues that manifest in sometimes intermittent or sudden no-start situations, more so in cold weather or when fuel levels are low, due to fuel acting as a coolant for the pump.
Driving with a failing fuel pump overworks other parts of the fuel delivery system, like fuel injectors, trying to make up for spotty fuel delivery. Henry Ford once said, "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." Indeed, quality and reliability are counted on for all of the components. Save yourself from stress by investing in a reliable Fuel Pump and avoiding early signs of pump failure; this will also save you from no-start situations and keep your vehicle in ready-for-use state.