awdonry Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I have a JDM ver4 STi wagon that I fitted a deatchwerks dw200 fuel pump. This pump is appx 12-14 months old. Pump was great until last month it stopped priming so I couldn't start the car. I tapped and jiggle the connector and that seems to do the trick. So just a few days ago the car wouldn't start and I don't hear the pump priming on startup. I tried to tap and jiggle the connector like last time with no luck. I had the tow truck deliver my car to my home. I told him about my issue and he said to try and bang on the bottom of the tank. I was banging on the tank while he turned the key and the pump started to prime and the car started. Tow truck driver mentioned the motor is seizing up. The relay, rear harness (plugs 1 and 4), and the pump is getting 11 volts. I removed the pump assembly and just reconnected the plug to test it. The connection and wiring from the pump to the top connector looks clean and tight. The plugs on 1 and 4 look melted, I'm hoping this is the reason. Any idea why it would melt? Just old wiring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 aftermarket pump requires more current than the OEM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 aftermarket pump requires more current than the OEM? To be honest I'm not sure what the OEM specs are. the DW200 has Current Draw (40 psi)9 amps (13.5v)Current Draw (80 psi)12 amps (13.5v) according to the site. Does the pump draw more amps to compensate being faulty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naru Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 There is really only one reason for melted plugs. High resistance at a connection. I would jumper the plug for those wires by soldering in some wires. Your pump may draw a little more than stock,but,I do not see it being an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 There is really only one reason for melted plugs. High resistance at a connection. I would jumper the plug for those wires by soldering in some wires. Your pump may draw a little more than stock,but,I do not see it being an issue. Im apologize I'm not a electrical guru, when you say high resistance, does that mean not enough power is going through the connection, thus overheating it? Do I cut the old wires and solder new wires for the ones burnt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 IMHO, I think you would be better off swapping in a OEM Subaru pump. Something seems to be wrong or defective with the deatchwerks dw200 fuel pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 IMHO, I think you would be better off swapping in a OEM Subaru pump. Something seems to be wrong or defective with the deatchwerks dw200 fuel pump. Thanks for the input! I actually spoke to deatchwerks tech support on Friday. All the testing they told me to do I did and seems like its a pass, but the tech told me it shouldn't just stop working. I have to call them back for an RMA number since it has a 3 year warranty. But I want to rule out the electrical since of the car to make sure. I bought this to replace my OEM pump, at the time I was on a tight budget. DW200 was $130 OEM was $240 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naru Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Im apologize I'm not a electrical guru, when you say high resistance, does that mean not enough power is going through the connection, thus overheating it? Do I cut the old wires and solder new wires for the ones burnt? No,it means power is "consumed" at the resistance thus overheating it. Power loss = current squared times the resistance A side effect would be lower volts and amps available to the load(the pump). I would cut the offending wires from the plugs and solder them together. There is nothing wrong w/your pump.Problem is a bad connector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 No,it means power is "consumed" at the resistance thus overheating it. Power loss = current squared times the resistance A side effect would be lower volts and amps available to the load(the pump). I would cut the offending wires from the plugs and solder them together. There is nothing wrong w/your pump.Problem is a bad connector. Thanks, so I'll cut the offending wires and solder new ones. Can I reuse the old connector? I tried looking on rockauto and they don't have the 6 pin connector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) Update, I found 2 harnesses at the wrecker. I bought 2 of them, had to cut them as I just needed the terminal. I depinned my old one and boy, that ground one had melted plastic inside the contacts. I had to destroy the old terminal/connector to get it out. I cleaned all the contacts and used a small wirebrush. I still have the cut wires from the wrecker, which the contacts look clean. When I have time I will cut the old ground wire and solder a cleaner contact/wire. It fires up sooner that before, no more hard starts. Edited November 7, 2016 by awdonry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 Well few months later the pump was acting up again. My car barely ran, maybe on 1 cylinder, the pump did not activate at a parking lot. I pulled out the terminal on the pump assembly, and blew it with some electrical cleaner(good thing I had it). The car started right up. I rechecked the connection under the rear seat, and they are clean, not melted. Another Subaru owner noticed me fiddling with my pump, and he helped me out. Suggested that it's probably a bad ground which I thought I fixed. The guy said I could splice into the ground wire and tap a new wire into it, and ground it on the fuel pump assemble cover's screw. Does that sound right? Is there any other way to fix a ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 Could I splice the ground and add another wire to a chassis ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I've seen that happen. Old wiring. Replace the plug with a newer one. It has nothing to do with the pump. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp213 Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 My son's 02 wrt had thhe same problem. I fought it for months and 3 pumps. I finally replaced all the ground wires in the engine bay. Some looked ok and mostt looked good, but after doing that we have had no problems yet and it's been 8 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awdonry Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 I've seen that happen. Old wiring. Replace the plug with a newer one. It has nothing to do with the pump. GD The plug I used was from a wrecker, which was very clean, no melted or burnt pins. I guess I could look for another one. My son's 02 wrt had thhe same problem. I fought it for months and 3 pumps. I finally replaced all the ground wires in the engine bay. Some looked ok and mostt looked good, but after doing that we have had no problems yet and it's been 8 months I will try this, did you use the same gauge wire? The car came with a grounding kit I will take try and take a picture tomorrow. Could I splice the ground from the pump harness and add a 2nd wire to the chassis(pump cover bolt? So keep the original ground but also ground it from the screw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp213 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 We just replaced the main grounds in the engine bay and added 1 more to the passenger side strut tower. I think we used 4awg grounds because they were available with ends on them at of all places, tractor supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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