You're stranded in the supermarket parking lot because the car won't start.The battery is ok and the starter grinds away, but the engine won't start. Rather than run the battery down you call for road service. The mechanic arrives: you try to demonstrate the symptom but, like the toothache that disappears in the dentist's chair, the engine starts right up.

"Acts like it may be the fuel pump," the technician says.

You tell him that it had stalled out a couple of times when driving, but you'd been too busy to take it to the shop. You also admit that you don't know whether or not the gas filter ever has been replaced.

"That can be the kiss of death to a fuel pump," says the tech."Especially on a fuel injected engine. The sooner you bring it in for a checkup, the sooner we can save you a repeat performance."

In the shop, his diagnosis proved correct. 125,000 miles on the original fuel filter had taken its toll.

"Working against a plugged gas filter, your fuel pump had been working too hard for too long," said the technician. "It died a premature death."

He performed an autopsy on the old filter, cutting it open to disclose the evidence: rust and contamination from the gas tank.

As a precautionary measure, the tank was cleaned and fuel lines were blown out with compressed air. This helped avoid future contamination of the new fuel pump.

The main reason for a fuel pump to wear prematurely is contamination from the tank and a clogged fuel filter. If fuel is clean the pump should operate touble free for the life of the engine.

"Preventive maintenance is the key to avoiding a breakdown". Part of this discipline includes avoiding sub-standard fuel. And when early symptoms so indicate, it also may include a fuel pump pressure test.