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Fuel check valve

heyhar

NAXJA Forum User
I've never seen or heard anything referring to a fuel line check valve on any XJs. My wife's cousin has a first gen. Dodge Intrepid that has a hard time starting, and he was told it needs a new check valve. He was quoted a few hundred dollars to replace it, but he's currently out of work, so a large outlay of cash is out.
Does anyone know about this, or possibly have any advice to offer? Thanks.
 
The reason its a couple hundred is because its made into the fuel pump assy, so the tank needs to be dropped. Id just use the one metioned in this thread.
 
Just one caution on adding the external check valve:

On later XJs w/o the fuel return line on the rail there have been reports of the fuel dampner blowing apart on the fuel rail after the addition of the check valve.

Not familiar with the Intrepid, so don't know if that could be a problem.
 
So if there is a separate return line, the external check valve should be OK? I guess once the fuel has been pressurized and sent to the rail, any excess needs a way to depressurize a little? I havent had a chance to look at the car yet, as it's in Philly, and I'm a little over two hours north, and, well, it's not a Jeep! I've been cruising LH websights, and those fellows have their own set of headaches.
 
I have had cars where the check valve goes bad and turning the key on and letting it sit for a couple three seconds before actually cranking builds enough pressure to have trouble free starts.
 
He's got it down to some voodoo, turn the key, chant, turn the key again, etc. And he feels bad asking me, but he recharged my A/C once, and diagnosed my refrigerator over the phone. So I'd like to fix his car, but I want to make sure I don't cause another problem, like burn it up. I gotta get down there and see what size the line is, and if there's a return, hopefully there is.
 
XJs have check valves, they're internal with the pump and do fail frequently.

It's really a non-issue when it fails though, just change your method of starting.

Jump in
Key on
Wait for pump to finish spooling up (about three seconds)
Start

I've been doing it that way for about ten years now, it's just how I start cars. I got into that habit with a bad check valve back then.
 
I've been doing the waiting trick ever since I've had a car with an electric fuel pump, just out of courtesy to the car's electrical system. The first time I encountered an electric pump was our '72 MGB. It would tick-tick-tick, then stop. Depress the gas slightly so the idle screw would catch the high idle cam, pull the manual choke cable, foot off the gas, THEN turn the key. Then, maybe it would start. I can just imagine teaching someone today how to start a carb-equipped car.
I guess I'm still a check valve virgin. In eight or nine years of lurking and contributing, I've never run across this issue here on NAXJA. Maybe that's a good thing?
 
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