05 Matrix cutting out

[medic1]

Hi Guys,
I'm not mechanicly talented, so here's my problem.
05 1.8L with 78k miles
Started cutting out, like not taking/getting fuel
would take it sometimes and actually picked up speed if I floored it. Then gradually got worse the further I went until it cut off. When cranking sounded like not getting any fuel. would not take fuel very well but picked up to about 30 mph. Stuttering and cutting out. Tach bouncing.
I thought it was fuel pump.
Called toyota for Florence, SC (where purchased) and they said 95% sure it was fuel pump.
CEL came on after 3rd attempt to restart.
They said tow it in.
Asked what a fuel pump would cost and service guy said about $160 labor and transfered me to parts guy.
He looked it up and stated that the pump would cost me
$ 872.35 !!!!!
when I told him I thought that was either an error or a major rip off, he said "well you should have bought a Chevrolet"

WTF?!

How bad of a situation am I in? I know VERY little about car repair.

Thanks for any help.

[chuckles]

yes module fuel pumps are that expensive!!! its not just the pump, its the sender, pump and fuel pick-up all in one, making the price jump throught the roof.

i would check two other scoures check the Chevy dealer under Vibe same make and model and check the price at a local Napa store....
the pump is under the back seat thats why the labour is cheap.....

but b4 you spend the moneu make darn certain that is the problem...a furl pressure and fuel volume test will tell forsure.

[medic1]

Thanks Chuckles.

I have no idea how or where to check pressure or volume. Gonna try the local chevy/pontiac service dept.

[Smar969905]

i used to have a 90 camry that would sputter and choke when i was first starting out from a dead stop when it rained. after that, i quit using arco gas, and that problem went away. sounds like you do have a worse problem than that, but i would still suggest to everybody to avoid the really cheap gas places. they are cheap for a reason, because the gas there is crap.

[DakotaFleming]

Originally Posted by Smar969905

i used to have a 90 camry that would sputter and choke when i was first starting out from a dead stop when it rained. after that, i quit using arco gas, and that problem went away. sounds like you do have a worse problem than that, but i would still suggest to everybody to avoid the really cheap gas places. they are cheap for a reason, because the gas there is crap.

all gas comes from the same place so your statement is a myth.

[camryvibe]

Originally Posted by DakotaFleming

your statement is a myth.

I tend to agree. I've run into individual tanks of gas that made the car run poorly and probably had contaminated gas. But they've come from both brandname and no-name stations.

As to the fuel pump, Rockauto.com lists a Carter fuel pump for both the Vibe and Matrix at $188. They also list an ACDelco one for the Vibe at $76. No personal knowledge if either or both of these will solve your problem. There's also the 'find a junked Matrix/Vibe with only front-end damage' method.

If you need to have someone fix it for you then I'd suggest you call around to a few independent repair places in the area

[matrixdude06]

to me it does sound like the fuel pump, before i had the trix i had a 94 gmc jimmy that started doing that around 160k miles i think, i kept telling my dad that it was the fuel pump but he didnt believe me until i called him while he and my mom were in new york lol when they truck died goin down the road the first time, that thing went thru 3 of those things up until we got rid of it

[matrixdude06]

Originally Posted by camryvibe

As to the fuel pump, Rockauto.com lists a Carter fuel pump for both the Vibe and Matrix at $188. They also list an ACDelco one for the Vibe at $76

i wouldnt recommend the acdelco one, my truck went thru 1 of those in a few months

[Smar969905]

Originally Posted by DakotaFleming

all gas comes from the same place so your statement is a myth.

Originally Posted by camryvibe

I tend to agree. I've run into individual tanks of gas that made the car run poorly and probably had contaminated gas. But they've come from both brandname and no-name stations.

granted...all gas does come from the same place. it is not the gas itself, but the additives that are put into it. chevron uses one formula, shell another, bp, texaco, 7-11,76/conoco, and all the other gas places. whatever arco (now part of BP) was putting into their fuel was not doing any good for my car.

when i first got my matrix xrs with the 2zz motor, i was first putting in safeway brand gas. once i switched over to chevron, i did notice a slight performance upgrade. i also have friends who drive better cars than mine (evo, neon srt-4, etc.), and they all tend to run chevron/shell as well. claim all you want that all gas is the same for cars, but you will have people to argue that every time. i personally recommend chevron (which also owns texaco) or shell for the best gas.

some motors can tolerate lower grade gas better than others. the higher the performance of the motor, the better quality fuel you will need to run, and that doesnt only mean higher octane.