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Three years ago, the pump died on my 2000 A8. That car is now long gone as I now drive a D3. Cost to have it replaced was horrendous. OEM pump alone was upwards of $800. plus labor. I believe the price of a new OEM pump today is even higher. Since I also own a 1998 A8, I decided to ask for the original pump which was replaced. The ORM unit is a gigantic, plastic thing with an electric pump inside. I took the unit apart and pulled the pump out. To convince myself that I wasn't ripped off, I put 12V on the unit to see if I heard whirring of the motor. I did hear it run, but moving the unit, it seemed to be start and stop.
Not giving up, I pried the pump casing apart, obviously destroying it. Inside, I found the armature worn way down and the brushes barely touching. Although my checkbook wasn't happy with the cost of replacement, at least I confirmed that it had reached the end of it's life.
So, given another A8 in my stable, I ordered the main electrical part of the pump. I remember reading that the pump had to be the exact model # and not available domestically, I think I paid $200 from Germany. It was an exact match, including identification markings to the one I had pulled out. Thoroughly cleaning he bit "plastic thing", I reassembled the unit and put it in a plastic bag and box the new OEM came in. That pump, now sits on my shelf waiting to see if the original in my 98 dies.
What do other D2 owners do when your pump dies? Do you bite the bullet and shell out big bucks for a shop to replace with an OEM, or do you do what I did? I'm wondering if there is any interest on the forum, if I list my complete unit for sale?
I bit the bullet and had the dealer do it. However, they couldn't get the pump installed correctly, so I took it to another shop to install it correctly. I documented my journey in the link below if you want to read. The struggle was real.
Generally, we are popping the huge (expensive) plastic housing apart to get to the VDO (Bosch?) internal pump. You DEFINITELY need to "special" version with the extra nub-port to run the scavenge system.
The first time you do one, it's a 4 hour job. Second one is down to two hours. Several of us can probably do them in under an hour now. It's mainly about "the tricks".
That assembly was used from 1997 (in the US) through 2003. The D3 finally ditched the (stupid... my opinion) scavenge system for a more conventional lift pump.
If you do want to sell the housing, please post. I find it's nice to have a spare housing ready to go.
I'm not sure about selling the whole unit. That old car has been so reliable, I'm not sue we want to buy something else. However, it is coming up on a T-belt replacement. I had mused with doing it myself before it got cold, but it's October in MI and won't happen till spring, if we don't sell it. Problem is a 98 A8 with 178K miles is not going to bring much. The price of having the T-belt done might be more than It would bring for sale. The same with he cost of a new fuel pump install.
The issue with changing the fuel pump myself is one of "fit, with "fit" meaning whether I can get my body inside the trunk. Having the spare is nice, but I'm not sure if I could find a shop wiling to do just the labor and use my spare pump. Equally important is finding a shop capable of doing it. Of note, when replaced in my 2000, the first attempt by the shop did it wrong. It was a nightmare and failed on my 200 miles away, but was able to limp home with next to no power. They had actually damaged the new pump and replaced it with another new one. He confessed to me that he had never replaced a pump like this.
The issue is getting it lined up correctly with the stud in the bottom of the tank. A boroscope helps.
That said, if I could sell the whole unit for even half the cost of a new one at $1,000, I'd offer it now but I don't think anyone would pay more than the cost of the Bosch internal pump (about $200)
The only trick is the tricks: pulling apart the housing without destroying it (it can be done with some patience and forethought), getting the right pump, and hardest of all, reinstalling the entire assembly. It's finicky, it's fussy, it's easy to get it wrong, and you have to do it all blind. But if you get it right it's $200 instead of $1600. I do believe it is something you get much faster at with experience, much more of a learning curve than, say, changing oil. Z
I didn't have a problem taking the unit apart and getting it back together with the bosch pump. For sure, it's a heck of a lot easier sitting on a stool, working on it on my workbench inside my house, that trying to get my body inside the damn trunk to install it. Or for that matter leaning over or crawling under a car. If any part of the car or the whole car could be turned on it's side so I could just sit and work on it, life would be easy. In fact, I might even graduate do brain surgery. (any volunteers?)
Hi guys. The fuel pump of my 1995 Audi A8 D2 whines when the tank is half down. Any of you have some experience on installing an aftermarket, or high performance, or racing fuel pump in this car? I feel that I may be losing a few HP in high rev. The engine pops out.
Thanks!!!
10-13-2018, 12:32 PM
D2 Fuel pump
