Replace leaking fuel pump. Yikes!!

I took my 2008 3.0L Deisel GU in to see if my mechanic could find out why it seems to lose power when towing uphill. Thought maybe the turbo wasn't boosting or something......

He said no problem with turbo and could see any loss of power.

BUT....

He did say there was a leak from the fuel pump! (And has nothing to do with the above background story)

Now I am about to go on a 3 month trip up to the cape, the swamp and the rock towing a small Jayco, and according to my mechanic I definitely don't want to do that with a leaky fuel pump.

The cost to replace is estimated at around $3000, which is going to put a huge dent in our budget, and after spending about $8k on mods and accessories for the trip already, this is not what I wanted to hear 4 weeks prior to lift off.

He tried to show me where the leak was, but I couldn't see anything significant at all. I have used this same mechanic for years and dont think he will try to rip me off, but ouch!

Has anyone had to do this and is the $3k estimate reasonable?
Is a leaky fuel that critical that I should do it before the trip?

Any advice, recommendations and suggestions welcome!

I wouldn't be comfortable to take a vehicle which isn't right on a long trip to remote areas. You might get away with it, but if you don't it could cost a heck of a lot more than getting it fixed before you leave. If the cost is $3k at home, think double that up on the Cape plus the inconvenience & costs associated with the time it takes (sending away a pump to be rebuilt might take weeks).

Either trust your mechanic or get a second opinion on the fuel pump.

Power loss might be sensor related? Others with 3.0 litre Patrols might comment more authoritatively than I can, but if that is the problem, the solution can be fairly easy & cheap.

Check all intercooler hoses are tight & that you have no intercooler leaks.

Just got my 4.2td injector pump done for the same trip and not much more than that I thought the 3 litre was much cheaper but after having a leaking pump through corner country it wasn't much fun not knowing if we were about to breakdown or not .
I'd get it done but if you want peace of mind go to a specialist diesel injector pump repair shop if you have one nearby and get a second opinion and price .
Cuppa is right if you need towing where you're going it'll cost a damn sight more .

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Originally Posted by GQtdauto

Just got my 4.2td injector pump done for the same trip and not much more than that I thought the 3 litre was much cheaper but after having a leaking pump through corner country it wasn't much fun not knowing if we were about to breakdown or not .
I'd get it done but if you want peace of mind go to a specialist diesel injector pump repair shop if you have one nearby and get a second opinion and price .
Cuppa is right if you need towing where you're going it'll cost a damn sight more .

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Thanks. Will definitely look for local specialist for a second opinion. Dont need the stress out there.......

Out of interest. Do you run a boost gauge? If so, does it hold boost when under load? Is the intercooler the original intercooler? What mods have you done to the motor?

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Originally Posted by mudski

Out of interest. Do you run a boost gauge? If so, does it hold boost when under load? Is the intercooler the original intercooler? What mods have you done to the motor?

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Nope. No boost gauge.
I've only had it for a few months and as far as I am aware no mods have been done to the motor.
Is there any way to check the boost without a gauge?

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Originally Posted by neilo99

Nope. No boost gauge.
I've only had it for a few months and as far as I am aware no mods have been done to the motor.
Is there any way to check the boost without a gauge?

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No, a boost gauge can be temporarily put in though. Reason for my asking, is poor performance can be due to a leaking intercooler. Sometimes the leak is not so prevalent whilst not under load and normal driving so its no so noticeable. If you run a boost gauge you can monitor boost levels and see whats going on.
So have a look at the intercooler, best to remove the plastic engine cover, if the end tanks are crimped to the core of the cooler, like a genuine radiator is, its the original intercooler. If it is, have a look and check to see if there is any oil deposits on the core of the intercooler. Particularly when the crimps are. Its best to check the bottom side too. If you see any oil wet spots, thats a very high probability that the intercooler is leaking.

So, what damage can be had from a leaking intercooler? On a stock system where boost is controlled via the factory control solenoid, the turbo will have to work harder to compensate for the boost loss. So extra fuel will be used and extra, unnecessary wear and tear on the turbo.

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Originally Posted by mudski

No, a boost gauge can be temporarily put in though. Reason for my asking, is poor performance can be due to a leaking intercooler. Sometimes the leak is not so prevalent whilst not under load and normal driving so its no so noticeable. If you run a boost gauge you can monitor boost levels and see whats going on.
So have a look at the intercooler, best to remove the plastic engine cover, if the end tanks are crimped to the core of the cooler, like a genuine radiator is, its the original intercooler. If it is, have a look and check to see if there is any oil deposits on the core of the intercooler. Particularly when the crimps are. Its best to check the bottom side too. If you see any oil wet spots, thats a very high probability that the intercooler is leaking.

So, what damage can be had from a leaking intercooler? On a stock system where boost is controlled via the factory control solenoid, the turbo will have to work harder to compensate for the boost loss. So extra fuel will be used and extra, unnecessary wear and tear on the turbo.

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Thanks @mudski!
Will def be checking that in the morning!

Hello neilo99.


Your mechanic , isn't far of around $3k for the work.
When I was in that scenario brand new genuine Bosch pumps were $1200-1300.
Injector lines which need to be replaced were around 200-300 together with benching fitting and calibrating to the ECU.

For what it's worth mate. I used to own a 2009 3l crd. Since day 1 I've had small "sweat" of diesel from some where on the common rail pump.
It was clearly visible. I've had it looked at and got told not to worry about it. It did not impact performance. I still know the guy who owns the car and to this day, the pump is sweating diesel and the car is still going without a hiccup.


In my honest opinion your loss of uphill power is nothing to do with the pump. If you had pump issues you would know about it way before you got to that hill mate...

HOWEVER, in saying that, like others have said , I would not go outback if car was not tip top. Including a sweating IP.

Mudski is spot on. Check your boost. Factory boost control is shit. I repeat , Shit! It's a fluctuating boost yoyo. Once I tamed the boost with a needle and Dawes valves , the car was an entirely different beast. Boost was smooth and linear with the foot pedal and predictable.

There is also a rail pressure relief valve which can release all diesel pressure back to the return lines under some load circumstances ... Once this valves pop for the first time , they tend to keep doing it until replaced. I had similar symptoms on my crd and this valves fixed all that .
This possibly could be your issue too.


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Thanks @Hodge. I do suspect boost is the problem. The pump leak was found while troubleshooting the boost, and is probably unrelated like you say.
I will look into getting both sorted...

Hey @mudski. I checked the intercooler out and it looks pretty clean and dry. But there was a y slightly oily area on the top of the engine near the injectors underneath the intercooler. I couldnt feel any oily patches on the bottom though. So it could be something else....

Getting a dyno checkup tomorrow to see if it is actually losing power or just me being paranoid.
Still to get a second opinion on the fuel pump .....

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Originally Posted by neilo99

Hey @mudski. I checked the intercooler out and it looks pretty clean and dry. But there was a y slightly oily area on the top of the engine near the injectors underneath the intercooler. I couldnt feel any oily patches on the bottom though. So it could be something else....

Getting a dyno checkup tomorrow to see if it is actually losing power or just me being paranoid.
Still to get a second opinion on the fuel pump .....

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I’d be removing the inter cooler and checking the under side. If the cooler is leaking you will be just pissing money in the wind getting dynos etc etc. the cooler only needs a pin hole for it to be rendered useless. I here so many people saying oh it’s just a tiny leak. Well that’s all it needs. It is imperative that you have a 100% sealed intake system from the air box to the inlet manifold.


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Here is the report from the dyno log. The guy said it looks to be pretty normal, so I may have just been paranoid.
Can anyone confirm this for me?
Also, he said the damp patch under the intercooler was insignificant and could not have any effect on it, @mudski. He said it needs to be pissing out to be a concern.
Attachment 75196

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Originally Posted by neilo99

Here is the report from the dyno log. The guy said it looks to be pretty normal, so I may have just been paranoid.
Can anyone confirm this for me?
Also, he said the damp patch under the intercooler was insignificant and could not have any effect on it, @mudski. He said it needs to be pissing out to be a concern.
Attachment 75196

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Sorry mate. I disagree.

Think of it this way. It seems to me you have a minor boost leak. As it stands, your current setup, the boost is automatically controlled via a boost control solenoid which is in turn controlled via the ECU. So. If you have a small boost leak, the ECU will pick this up from the MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor) on the intercooler, and then tell the the boost control solenoid to increase boost pressure to its factory set level. So say for example, at 80k's at 1/2 throttle in 4th the factory boost is supposed to be at 11 psi. With a 100% sealed intake system. If you have a boost leak, even a slight boost leak, the level may be at say 9psi. So. The ECU see's this and thinks it needs more boost and will tell the solenoid to increase turbo boost pressure. Your turbo will then be working harder unnecessarily.

A leaking intercooler is not so noticable on a factory setup. And may not matter a whole lot when the leak is slight. Its very noticable on a setup where the factory auto boost control has been converted to full manual boost control. Because the manual boost control cannot automatically adjust and compensate for a boost leak.

Hmmm, I think I understand and that makes sense.
I guess it depends on how bad the leak is, or isnt.
I am booked into a specialist next week for the fuel leak (which apparently may not need a whole pump replacement), so I will get the to look at the intercooler and turbo as well.

Thanks @mudski !

Doesn't matter how bad the leak is. If its leaking, it needs to be attended too. You would accept it if you bought the car new with a slight boost leak... Just my opinion mate.

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Originally Posted by mudski

Doesn't matter how bad the leak is. If its leaking, it needs to be attended too. You would accept it if you bought the car new with a slight boost leak... Just my opinion mate.

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Completely agree!