Cause
Debris or corrosion inside the fuel tank
Rust or sediment inside the fuel tank, which feeds everything downstream. It is a cause of repeated failures rather than a single fault — the pump, the strainer, the filter and eventually the injectors all meet whatever is in there, in that order.
The diagnostic signal is repetition. A fuel pump that fails twice, filters that block far short of their interval, or injectors that foul again after cleaning all point back at the tank. A second failure of the same part is the moment to look inside the tank, rather than fitting a third.
Steel tanks rust from the inside where condensation collects, and older vehicles and long lay-ups are the common cases; plastic tanks accumulate sediment instead. Inspect the strainer that comes out with the pump — what is on it is a direct sample of the tank's condition, and a heavily contaminated one means the tank needs cleaning or replacing before any new part goes in.
Typically specialist work. Needs equipment or training most home workshops do not have.
Codes this can cause (2)
Codes where this is a likely explanation first, rather than merely a possible one.
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