Quality Fuel System Performance with a Volvo Fuel Pump Relay
by EVANDER KLUM
Volvo has always been a brand that is well-known for its exceptional safety features. This is evident in the considerably great number of Volvo vehicles that have been awarded and acclaimed by various distinguished institutions and publications. Examples of these recognitions are the Top Safety Pick that the company gained from the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) this 2007 and the Safety and Technology award from Autocar magazine in 2006. Beyond these achievements, Volvo still works intensively for the continuous improvement of its products that are manufactured with the most advanced technology. Every product manufactured by the company, like the Volvo Fuel Pump Relay, still undergoes continuous improvements that surpass higher and higher standards set to exceed the expectations of the company��s valued clients all over the world.
An electrical switch that opens and closes under control of another electrical circuit, the fuel pump relay was originally operated by an electromagnet. With the electromagnet used in opening and closing one or sets of contacts, the mechanism was invented by Joseph Henry in 1835. The component also functions as an electrical amplifier as it is capable of controlling an output circuit that is of higher power compared to the input circuit.
The Volvo Fuel Pump Relay is only one among the various kinds of relays or switches that are employed in a Volvo vehicle. Usually located on the passenger side firewall, the Volvo Fuel Pump Relay is a small rectangular box that is sometimes also installed on one of the strut towers of a Volvo automobile. It is commonly positioned among three or four other relays that are protected together by a plastic shield. Mainly used to ignite the fuel pump, the Volvo Fuel Pump Relay also facilitates the function of the ECM (Engine Control Module) when the fuel pump is operating. An oil pressure switch can also back up a fuel pump relay. When the engine is already running, the Volvo fuel pump relay automatically turns off while the current for the fuel pump is supplied via the oil pressure sending unit.
Even if the fuel pump is drawing excessive amount of current, the Volvo Fuel Pump Relay is expected not to get hot until the excess current begins to turn the contacts off. Usually producing a burnt smell, a hot relay is an unacceptable relay. This happens with three possible troubles: a cold solder joint, a bad crimp joint, and bad relay contacts.
When the fuel pump does not turn on even though the inertia switch is in proper condition, it is safe to conclude that a fuel pump relay has failed. The same case is true when the fuel pump continues to run even if the ignition is already turned off. When regularly inspected for proper function like any other component of a Volvo vehicle, this trouble cannot just happen to the finely-manufactured Volvo Fuel Pump Relays. Only the proper replacement can deliver the same performance marked by Volvo��s dedication to safety.
