# FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH



## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

I have a 1980 Scirocco 'S' that is running great but I have noticed the fuel pump relay feels hot to the touch....16 amp fuse and relay are working fine.......Anything to worry about? Is this normal??
Woody


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## phildo (Jul 23, 1999)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

Not sure about an '80 Rocco, but on my '91 Golf it was not hot. After driving to the dealer, I replaced it there and it was not hot. So, I would say that it probably shouldn't be that hot.


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (phildo)*

Well, I am getting some conflicting advice...I got an e-mail earlier today that stated that this relay is notoriously hot on early Mk1's and that is why the relay was seperated from being in the fusebox, ---.....it sits atop the fuse box as a seperate relay with a 16 amp fuse on top of it......the other e-mail I got stated it stays hot....
What do you or anyone else think????






















Woody


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## lotus7 (Oct 30, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

They get warm. for peace of mind carry a spare relay or a piece of wire with an inline 15Amp fuse plus male spade connectors on each end.
you can plug this in to T30 and T86 on the relay panel to prevent you from getting stranded if your relay does decide to pack it in.


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (lotus7)*

THANX a lot....sets my mind to ease a little bit. At least I know this is not unusual!






















Woody


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## phildo (Jul 23, 1999)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (phildo)*

Well, like I said, I'm not sure about a MKI car. It makes total sense that it would be different. Looks like you're OK.


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (phildo)*

THANX....................






















Woody


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## VW Bobby (Sep 2, 2000)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

D'oh! Terminals 85 and 86 are control leads, folks...87 is the DIN nomenclature for the "load"...
It is quite normal for the fuel pump relay to be warm in the case of the A1. This is because it is not only supplying the fuel pump, but the control pressure regulator and auxiliary air valve heaters. These are resistive loads; keeping them toasty warm is tasked to the relay. 
The fuel pump relay was relocated above the main fuse block to reduce heat problems from the relay contacts, feeding back to the original (early) type fuse block: these early (1980) units feature a printed circuit board...and the requisite soldered connections. Over time, the heat from the relay terminals would damage the PC board.
If you are a detail nut like I am, you can replace the block with a newer type from VW...with modern "copper lattice" construction. For those of you familiar with Windows' "3D pipes" screen saver, you can visualize the copper internal gridwork that replaces the PC board. All current production VWs use this design. If you install the new type, the use of the jumper block is optional.
For safety's sake, I recommend having a spare 16A fuse and relay assembly, as electrical failures usually happen at the most inconvenient times.
The relay is designed to power the fuel pump circuit after receiving ignition pulses from the tach lead (ignition coil). Sometimes, the loss of the fuel pump is actually an ignition coil-circuit fault.
Bobby


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (VW Bobby)*

THANX a lot Bobby.....I WILL get a spare relay-------my only concern is that maybe there is a problem with the circuit from the coil??---this relay stays hot, not warm. I can touch and hold it---it is not too hot for that, but's it's hot none the less. 
Could the circuit from the coil be going bad and causing this relay to be hot? Or, can I just expect it to be hot and just quit worrying and have a spare handy?
Thanx again...........
Woody


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## lotus7 (Oct 30, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

correction Woody. fuel pump jumper would be connected to T30 and T87.


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (lotus7)*

THANX!


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## buckolaci (Dec 30, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

What's the part number on your relay?


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (buckolaci)*

Here it is.........................321 906 059C....has a 16 amp fuse on top..
Thanx 
Woody


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## left turn scirocco (Jan 29, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

If you cant find any, i may have some....i used to carry 1 or 2 spares with me all the time in my 82 (now its a race car with a carb so i dont need them)
email me at [email protected],.com


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (left turn scirocco)*

I think I did...I'll be checking to see that it works./.....if it doesn't, I'll check with you for one of your if you have any.....
Thanx








Woody


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## buckolaci (Dec 30, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

In that case you have thecorrect fuel pump relay in there.
That's the correct part number.


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (buckolaci)*

THANX!!








Woody


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## randomguy82 (Aug 12, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (VW Bobby)*

quote:[HR][/HR]
The relay is designed to power the fuel pump circuit after receiving ignition pulses from the tach lead (ignition coil). Sometimes, the loss of the fuel pump is actually an ignition coil-circuit fault.
Bobby[HR][/HR]​I'm currently having problems with my fuel pump / relay and/or coil circuit. Could you please elaborate on the coil circuit, is there any way to test it?
Thanks
Matt


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## austin neuschafer (Apr 26, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (randomguy82)*

I believe rocky mountain motor works carries that relay. http://www.motorworks.com 
austin http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (austin neuschafer)*

Thanx a lot...you can get it from GPR or Adirondack too...
Woody


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## doctordon (Aug 25, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

How about checking the current draw of the fuel pump? When the fuel pump starts wearing out, it will draw more current through the relay causing it to run hotter than supposed to.


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## randomguy82 (Aug 12, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (Dr Don Madbug's Dad)*

quote:[HR][/HR]How about checking the current draw of the fuel pump? When the fuel pump starts wearing out, it will draw more current through the relay causing it to run hotter than supposed to.[HR][/HR]​How much current is the pump supposed to draw?
Matt


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## randomguy82 (Aug 12, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (VW Bobby)*

Here is what has happened now. My relay finally gave up the other day so I made up a jumper wire with a fuse and pluged it in to terminals T30 and T87. I tested it and it worked fine although I didn't actually drive the car anywhere. This morning I got about 600 metres down the road and could smell the wire melting. I immediately switched the ignition off and pulled the jumper from the fusebox - the wire was OK but one of the terminals was starting to go a little dark from the heat. This makes me think that the relay was never the problem, it was just getting hot because of some other reason. The pump is only about 18 months old and it is a genuine BOSCH pump. What I would like to know is what is making my fusebox/relay hot and how can I test to find out what it is? I have a multimeter and I am fairly capable, can somebody tell me what I need to do?
Thanks in advance
Matt


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## buckolaci (Dec 30, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (randomguy82)*

You are wrong again.We once had to drive home from the desert with a jumper wire in place of the relay.The wire got hot real fast and remained so hot, that it burnt my friends hand when he pulled it out.So the wire is always hot cose it's a temporary "solution" and it's making the fuel pump work all the time unlike the relay which is sending pulses to it.
But if you really have something going on with your fuse/relay box, then the only true solution is to get one from the dealer.Don't buy a used one from the junkyard!!!


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## B3VR6 (Jan 4, 2000)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

I have an 81 that has the same behavior. Mine gets hot as well. Runs fine anyway.


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## woody96 (Mar 1, 2002)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (B3VR6)*

THANX AGAIN...I GOT A SPARE RELAY FROM ADIRONDACK (THEY MATCHED AN INTERNET PRICE OF $14---GREAT!) AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. I THINK THIS IS PAR FOR THE COURSE FOR A MK1 SCIROCCO...


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## randomguy82 (Aug 12, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (woody96)*

quote:[HR][/HR](THEY MATCHED AN INTERNET PRICE OF $14---GREAT!)[HR][/HR]​What was the website with the relays for $14?
Matt


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## Vdubs (May 16, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (buckolaci)*

quote:[HR][/HR] and it's making the fuel pump work all the time unlike the relay which is sending pulses to it.[HR][/HR]​ 
The relay is a switch either on or off, it doesn't send pulses.
If you use a wire the same size as the rest of the fuel pump wiring it should not get hot. If it gets hot with the right size wire you have an excess current draw, as the pump is fairly new it's likely that you have a poor connection on the ground or fuse box, it could still be a bad pump. Test the amps used to run the pump, if it's higher than spec fix the fault.


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## randomguy82 (Aug 12, 2001)

*Re: FUEL PUMP RELAY FEELS HOT TO THE TOUCH (Vdubs)*

quote:[HR][/HR] and it's making the fuel pump work all the time unlike the relay which is sending pulses to it.

The relay is a switch either on or off, it doesn't send pulses.
If you use a wire the same size as the rest of the fuel pump wiring it should not get hot. If it gets hot with the right size wire you have an excess current draw, as the pump is fairly new it's likely that you have a poor connection on the ground or fuse box, it could still be a bad pump. Test the amps used to run the pump, if it's higher than spec fix the fault.[HR][/HR]​That is what I thought. My jumper wire is 30 amp with a 7.5 amp fuse. It has lasted fine for four days now and I'm confident it will last much longer - my new relay is going to take up to two weeks to arrive.








Matt


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