last week while driving to work my 04 4.0 4x4 edge ranger stalled out while driving down a steep hill. fortunately being a 5 speed manual I was able to ease into the slow lane press the clutch and keep turning the thing over and it fired up but stalled out again a few seconds later. but while still coasting fired back up . I made it to work which was only a few blocks from there.
at work i spend allot of time in my truck and would start it up fine ( a little rough idle). after work midnight started to drive home the same thing happened this time though it would keep turning over then for a few seconds fire up I was able to get it off the hwy onto a side street then cabbed it home. next day I borrwed a vehical and hookee up a cheap scan tool that I have the only code it showed was the one I have haad pretty much for two years ( gas cap lose) . I called around found a local place got the truck towed there the told me performed scan test the fault found with fuel pump circuit performed pinpoint testing confirmed fuel pump not working . recomended replacing ful pump . I asked cost they qouted 389.95 I asked why so high they said it was the fuel pump assemble / fuel pump module. then add in 252 to re and re. then another 37 for fuel filter

I was hesident but since i am stuck agreed.
4 hours later they called me back siad it was replaced told me there was a noise while driving and said fan clutch is gone fan clutch 143.00 and re and re on that is 88.00. I was pissed but told them to replace it also to use the new belt I had ( I was going to replace the fan belt but the idiot gave me the wrong one ).

I get here the next day they said that they didnt put the new belt on becasue th e water pump pully was wobbly which I felt was strange because 3 day prior when I actually pulled that belt off and then discovered that the belt ( new belt I had was the wrong one every thing seemed good had to put the one blt back in. total cost 1128.00

after I paid the bill got home I looked under the hood and did notice now that the water pump areas seem to be a little out of line.

two days go buy I maybe drive my truck a total of 40 Kms I head out drove about 3 Kms and my truck start to idle very badly I just got off the road and it died doing the exact same thing . I called the Mech back told him same thing is going on . he sent out a tow truck ( 2 hours later) gave me a car . next day ( yesterday ) I get a called saying that it was the inertial switch pas side just behind glove box.
I ask him that was the problem the whole time he said no . which I do not believe him he also said a new kit is 200+ but he could grab a used switch from the wrecker 40 . and then he would wave the diagnose charge but I would still have to pay the 100.00 for the tow plus the cost of the used switch.

AM I the only one that feels that I am being taken for a ride here? ad to be honest I am not confident that my truck is actually fixed .

 

Ron may comment here too, but the fuel pump installation sounds about right, however even that's a bit inexpensive.
They probably installed an aftermarket fuel pump.
So the quote for 389.95 was just for the fuel pump or the labor too ?

Best to put in a Ford pump, the aftermarket ones may only last a year or two.

A Ford fan clutch is 128.00 Canadian over at Rock Auto, but if he used aftermarket, then his 143.00 is expensive.
88 bucks doesn't sound too bad for that...
Most shops charge at least 80 bucks an hour or a portion of an hour.
So that's sound about right for that job.

Can't comment on the water pump pulley wobble.
It's independent of the fan clutch mounts, so maybe the bolts were just lose, but unlikely.

Ask him if he still has the old pump.
If he does, take it apart and look at the brushes, they're probably worn to stubs.

Too bad you couldn't have done a pressure test on the pump _ simple job to do and it should have been at 65 psi, any thing below 50 and it will stall and miss-fire.

The mechanic should have checked this, it should be quoted on the bill showing that the old pump was indeed faulty.

I'm on the Island in B.C. what mechanic did you take it too, if you don't mind me asking.

EDIT
So 252 labor to install the fuel pump, sounds about right _ it's a big job.
You either have to remove the box or drop the tank _ both a PITA _ labor intensive.
And 389, that should have been a Ford pump, but something tells me it's aftermarket.

 

Well there are good ones and bad ones in all professions.

These guys would be mediocre.

The parts cost and labor cost is correct, Shops only use OEM parts like Motorcraft for fuel pumps because they still have Quality control, and they are $300-$350us, versus $100-$150 for 3rd party pumps

If fuel pump relay or inertia switch was faulty you would have gotten another code for fuel pump circuit fault, not just the EVAP code
And since you didn't get that code fuel pump would be next on the list to test, and they can fail intermittently, although its VERY RARE, most common is total failure at startup, one day it just won't start, electric motor in pump is dead, almost all electric motors fail that way, intermittent is just not that common of a failure mode for electric motors

The part inside by the glove box is the inertia switch, it gets 12volts from fuel pump relay then sends that 12volts out to the fuel pump, computer has a wire on that OUT to fuel pump power wire, and computer turns on and off the fuel pump relay.
So when fuel pump relay is ON computer can "see" that 12volts to confirm fuel pump wire is getting the 12volts, if not it will set a code, which didn't happen.

I would have disconnected inertia switch wires and applied 12volt to its fuel pump wire and make sure fuel pump didn't work before diving in
The intermittent nature, with no "circuit code" would indicate a wiring check first, 12v and good ground at fuel pump

If inertia switch did fail, after a few days, as they said, then there would have been a code for that, and there is a button on the inertia switch to reset it
Inertia switch is there to cut power to the fuel pump in an accident or rollover, inside is a heavy metal weight that will move if there is a sudden stop or rollover, button on the top of the switch will be pushed up if that happens, you can push it back down to get power back to fuel pump but once an inertia switch has been "tripped" it can be tripped again much easier, speed bump or even slamming a door hard, so they should be replaced if tripped.
If your vehicle was ever in an accident and repaired then inertia switch may have been tripped and just reset and not replaced.
New OEM inertia switch does run $120us(which is why people that repair accident damage don't replace them, lol), but a bit suspect of a Pro Mechanic suggesting wrecking yard for a used one, most vehicles at a wrecking yard will have TRIPPED inertia switches, which is what he would be replacing????, so no benefit
Like replacing a cracked window with a window with a, hopefully, smaller crack, lol, what would be the point?


If fan clutch was bad, wobbled, then it could have ruined water pump bearing.

Yes, this shop seems to be less on thinking and more about throwing parts at something to fix it.
Thats what they are in business to do, so not unexpected

I don't see any "ripoffs" in pricing, shops have to use the more expensive parts because they have to warranty the labor and part if it fails, and they are not paying for the part you are.
DIYers go for cheaper parts and they have to warranty their labor to install it, if the less expensive part fails they change it themselves.

But IMO I would NOT use this shop after what was done so far, their diagnostic skills are suspect.
If problem doesn't come back then ask around for recommended shops , or look at reviews on line for local shops
If problem continues then you may need to push them to fix it properly or move on to a recommended shop

 

So I picked up my truck the switch was replaced with used the wires to the switch were burn't a bit the plastic connected was melted . if i would have known i would have just put a toggle switch on it.

the place was Cloverdale Automotive

 

https://www.cloverdaleautorepair.ca/about/

Hmmm....

 

You wouldn't install a toggle switch, you would just tie all 3 wires together
Inertia switch is there only to cut power to fuel pump in case of an accident, you wouldn't want an electric fuel pump to continue to run and pump gasoline out of a broken fuel line to feed a possible fire, so inertia switch is a safety device, and a GOOD IDEA, lol

 

That is them

 

If it's OK with you would like to send them a link to this thread ?

 

I am not sure what sending them an email with a link to this forum will do .

Anyway if something like this happens again I am not going back top them. the next thing I have to do if this problem is cured ( because after they replaced the fuel pump I maybe got 30 Km before it happened again) oh another symptom that this truck had since day one of 3 years ago is if I filled the tank it would take several cranks before it would start and then some times it would stall but would crank up and start again and be ok, i am not sure if that was a symptom or not.

Next I have to do the Water pump because of the bent pulley I really Miss not having a place where I can actually do my own repairs I can get away with simple things like oil changes and plugs wires but anything else if frowned appon

 

Yes if you over fill Ranger gas tank it will be hard to start, EVAP vent gets plugged up
Always stop filling at first "click" off
2004 EVAP canister is back behind the gas tank, and it also gets full of gasoline if you overfill tank which ruins it, which is neither here nor there unless you have to pass smog tests or don't like Check Engine Light on all the time, then it gets expensive to replace canister.


Check around on craigslist or ??, people often rent out their home garages for a few bucks to people that want to work on their cars/trucks.
They often have floor jacks and other stuff available as well

 

It makes them aware of their mistakes and that others are watching what is going on.
And maybe next time they will be more honest and up front with other customers.

I can't stand dishonest and incompetent business practices.

 

I am not sure they were being dishonest, more ignorance than anything else.

Ignorance is a lack of specific knowledge, so we are ALL ignorant about more things than most would care to admit, lol, but thats just a fact of life, ignorance, I got lots

Most mechanics are younger and don't think of engine systems then way older mechanics do
They approach it from a different perspective.
If an engine cranks but doesn't start they would never spray gasoline into the intake to see if it started, very very simple test for fuel or spark issue, I call it 50/50 test

They have no learning background for that, it is not taught anymore
Professional approach opposes common sense in many professions, not just auto repair, lol.

Occum's Razor, simplest answer is usually the right one, is ignored by most with "higher learning" they seek complications because they were trained to, so ignorance in some cases is better, lol

The story I like the best about that is the "high load" story
Seems a semi-truck with a high load could not get under a railroad bridge, only needed a few more inches and there was no other road to get around it.
So they got the engineers to work about raising the bridge or digging out the road under the bridge to get the clearance needed, which was best??

Boy came along, looked at the problem and said..........."why don't you let some air out of the tires, then it would go under the bridge"
Its a perspective, ignorance of a specific problems complicated solutions

 

OK...
Not dishonest _ if you wish...
But I wouldn't pay a mechanic who is ignorant either.

An engine is an engine, if they understood the theory behind it and used some common sense, then things like this shouldn't happen to the OP.

Any body can plug a computer into a modern car and have it spit out code that points to a faulty part, but with out understanding on how an internal combustion engine works, looking at codes doesn't go very far.

I think you're just making excuses or rationalizations in defense of poor learning abilities.

 

I am tending to agree with you on this , Sometimes crap happens most shops have 1 maybe to Licensed Mechs all the others are either trainees or like myself way back when I worked I wasn't licensed but I knew what to do and if I didn't know I would look it up in one of the manuals or books at our shop then asked questions to be sure.

there was one time when the book said 8 hours to do a heater core on an 1980s cady I looked at the book checked the manual and did it in 2 hours charged the guy for two hours most places look at the book then know matter what they do exactly what the book says and charge for that many hour even if it took less.
I am more pissed at myself for not taking my time and searching for a place that had better experienced mechanics .
but I am still not totaly trusting my truck I am old school like vehicles that don't need a computer to run them hell my truck doesn't have electric windows in it the only thing is Air to me it is less things that can break down