Hello!
I am at my wits end with this car.
We bought it cheap because it needed a new fuel pump. So, we replaced it. It ran for about 3 weeks and the fuel pump went out again. So, I bought another one and replaced it again. It ran for about 4 months and the fuel pump went out....again.
​​​ That time, we noticed there was a nick in the insulation for the wiring pigtail that connected the fuel pump to the blue thing on top of the tank (I obviously have no clue what that is called). We bought some kind of liquid sealant stuff that was supposed to be safe submerged in gasoline (at the recommendation of other posters in here, actually) and coated the wires. We let it dry for a couple of days while we ordered another pump. Installed them, and it ran for another month, then went out again. I was so frustrated I let it sit for a month or so before yanking the tank yet again.
I ordered another pump, and this time a new pigtail as well.
I pulled the tank today, and saw the coating liquid was dissolved off the wiring, as we assumed was the problem. So, I very carefully replaced the pump and wiring yet again. It drove beautifully for about 12-15 miles to the gas station. We filled it up, left the parking lot, and it died yet again. My husband and I just walked 2 hours to get home.
We very clearly saw burn marks and melted plastic on the plug connectors of the last pigtail where the exposed wire has shorted it out. But we assumed the new pigtail would correct the problem.
We will drag the dead Jag back home tomorrow after he gets off work, and drain the tank once again. But now I don't know what to do.

It's obviously something to do with there being a higher level of gasoline in the tank. I just have no clue what, so I'm going in blind.
Obviously the first thing I will check is burnt/melted plastic at the connections again.. but why would it short out with new, good wiring?

​​​​​​​like I said, I'm just at my wits end with this car.

 

Like groundhog day eh? I admire the tenacity but unfortunately there must be a reason it keeps burning pumps out.
First I would change the fuel filter, it maybe blocked causing the pump to work much harder, leading to frazzle.
Check for kinks in all the fuel lines, another possible reason.
The pump itself is also fitted with a 'teabag' type filter, is this in good order, if blocked the pump will have a hard time.

There is a difference in OE (original equipment) and aftermarket pumps, I understand the in tank mounting bracket is oval and can put uneven pressure on the replacement pump housing, I wonder if this is a cause.

 

When you said "replaced the wire" did you purchase the part from Jaguar?

The pump / wire and connector are know fault points. Typically the pumps starts to fail .. pulls too many amps and melts the connector/ wire.

Jaguar sells the connector harness.

Motorcarman did indicate in an old thread what pump (aftermarket) he has used w/ success. When replacing the pump you need to do both the internal filter on the pump and the external.

I was lucky when my pumps went -- the wiring was fine (R has two pumps)

 

We replaced the external filter when we replaced the pump the first time... so, less than a year, and less than 3000 miles ago.
We had figured the first replacement pump was just no good because it was a cheap knock off ($60 vs jaguar's $300). But then when we saw the knicked wiring, we assumed that was the problem.
I didn't buy the new wiring from Jaguar, it was a pull from a parts car. I figure, wiring is wiring... it can't be that complicated.
I will see what the connectors look like tonight when we get it home.
​​​​​​​I'm do dang nervous to drop $300 on a "Jaguar" pump, and I don't even know how much for the pigtail.. I don't recall seeing a "Jaguar" one, but I'm sure it is out there... and then something else be what keeps causing pump failure .

 

Many of us have used Denso pumps, which I think are OEM. Link to one example:
Denso 950-0172 - Fuel Pump and Strainer Set | eBay

 

Thanks, RJ.
I went looking back at an old post of mine, somewhere between fuel pump swaps, and it was suggested I check the relays. I had done a swap test with the brake relay, and it worked... but last night, as we loaded the Jag into the trailer, I hooked up the battery to get the windows down, and we heard the pump! We tried to start it, and it wouldn't fire. But we for sure heard the pump several times.
Soooo... I'm going to try replacing the relay with a new one. Maybe it's burnt inside so it's got intermittent contact??

 

Nothing wrong with using good replacement harness from a parts car. I believe the harness from Jaguar is around $100. I did not need to purchase.

My independent allows me to get the parts and he installs ... not a situation where fooling with parts needing modification makes sense. I believe all the aftermarket pumps have a different electrical connector .... require the splicing of the harness. And the rubber mount holding the pump needs to be cut in some way. I purchased two OE pumps from an online dealer for $205 each -- the filters for the pumps $19 and the main filter was $25 .. also got him a new seal for the tank.

This way I get OE parts, properly installed at an affordable price. It's not a job I wanted to do .. think he charged me just under 4 hours labor