1994 Eagle Talon TSI AWD - 5 spd manual - 155,000 miles

Loud whining sound from back of car after shutting engine down

I have noticed on three occasions now that after I shut down the engine, I hear a pretty loud whining sound that seems to be coming from the back of my car. I did recently remove my fuel pump (about 30 days prior) due to a problem that I was having with my fuel gage, and haven't had any trouble with performance, starting, irregular idling since then.

I noticed it first when I pulled into my driveway, and heard what I thought was a distant weed whacker running after shutting off my engine. After about 5 seconds the sound stopped, and I realized that it was coming from the back of my car. I started the engine again, stopped it after about 30 seconds of running, and it didn't make the sound. After another few days I heard the sound again after shutting the engine down. It is definitely coming from the hatch area. It seems to me that it must be the fuel pump, the fuel pump relay, or possibly due to not torquing down the fuel pump completely after removing it.

Has anyone else heard this noise? Would this be consistent with a relay problem? Could this be due to a pressure leak caused by the removal of the pump previously? Is this the last gasping breath of a near dead fuel pump?

I did search for this, but didn't find anything that sounded like quite like it.

1994 Eagle Talon TSI AWD - 5 spd manual - 155,000 miles


No one has any ideas? I was hoping someone has, but this is new even for me...

did you install an aftermarket fuel pump? ive never swapped fuel pumps, but i do know some of the higher-flowing pumps (walbro, in particular) whine when the ignition is engaged. never, though, have i heard of the stock fuel pump whine.

yea it could be a sign ur fuel pump is about to go also

If the fuel pump does go out, is it a progressive thing, or does it go out all at once. I replaced one back in the late '80s but I cant remember if that one went out all at once or not.

If I do have to replace the fuel pump, I'll be looking for one for a 1994 Eagle Talon TSI, that I plan on bringing to just 250-275 hp. What I would be looking for is one that is very inexpensive... does anyone have any recommendations? The ones that I have seen on most of these forums usually talk about the higher end models... sorry if I sound like a super amateur, but I do appreciate the information.

walbro 190lph would do it. I always go for the bigger 255lph though. It isn't much more expensive and if you start to feel that "power bug" the 190 won't cut it.

Usually its an overtime thing. you'll notice it'll start ti cut out under periods of high throttle and if you are going over bumps, hills.... etc

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it!

I checked the nuts on the fuel pump gasket today. When I worked on the fuel pump several weeks ago, I didn't see torque specs in the Haynes manual. And, when I did torque them down I went a little lighter than what I thought was sensible because the bolts surrounding the pump seemed to be pretty lightweight. After checking it again today, it seems that the amount of torque that I applied had most likely been absorbed by the gasket itself. Each of the nuts were tightened easily by just twisting my wrist on the very center of my ratchet. Obviously this did not seem to be enough.

I torqued the nuts down to roughly 20 ft lbs each this time, and hope that will be enough. If anyone has the actual torque specs on these, let me know.

Does it seem to anyone that if the pump were not able to operate in a properly sealed fuel tank, that it could run for a few seconds after the car has been shut down?

Thanks

I checked my Fuel Injection Control Relay today and based on the Haynes manual, I'm going to have to replace it. The sensor that I'm talking about is the one that sits just beside the ECU, on the passenger side.

I have also heard on several posts that there is a Fuel Pump Relay on these cars that can be problematic, but after reading many of these posts, searching the web, and thoroughly checking my Haynes manual, I still haven't found the Fuel Pump Relays location. In fact it is not even in the index of the Haynes manual...

Is the Fuel Injection Control Relay (next to the ECU) the same thing as the Fuel Pump Relay? If not, can someone please let me know where to find it on a 1994 Eagle Talon TSI AWD? Thanks!

Turbos stoping