02MustangGT1

Got a strange one here for you. I have a 2002 Mustang GT Convertible. About 3 months ago, I noticed water was starting to get into my trunk, and today I just cleaned out about 10 gallons of water underneath my spare tire from some recent rains. The carpet probably needs replacing. So it's obvious the convertible top is leaking somehow. And about the same time ago when the top started to leak, my Mustang started acting erratically, sputtering and dying. Acts almost as if there is water in the fuel. Now it won't start. It turns over, but won't ignite. The fuel pump switch is pushed down, and doesn't need resetting. Any chance this water in the trunk is finding it's way into the fuel tank directly below it. I for sure would say NO, but stranger things have happened. Friends are saying the fuel pump finally went out, which is probably the case. It is just very strange that it dies, sputters, loses power, right at the same time water is being collected in the truck under my spare tire. Can anyone make any sense of this? Or do I just need to spend $500-$600 to get the fuel pump changed..... Any theories or help would be appreciated. Thanks!

CatSkinner

There's a couple of things you can do here. If you're getting water in your gas tank, obviously, you also have a hole in it somewhere. I've seen tanks that look solid on the visible areas but are rotted on the top, to verify this, you have to drop the tank.

However, the easiest thing you can do is get a fuel rail pressure gauge that has a built in vent off (most do), it'll cost you between 40 and 50 bucks last I checked. This will allow you to check pressure at the rail (checks the fuel pump) and vent off a decent sample to check for contaminants in the system.

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